2.4 Biomes Flashcards
(27 cards)
Biome
Group of ecosystems that share the same climate conditions and before similar vegetation patterns
3 abiotic factors of a biome
Rainfall, temperature, and sunlight
5 major groups of biomes
Aquatic, forest, grassland, desert, tundra
Aquatic biomes
Predominant presence of water; diverse ecosystems such as freshwater (lakes, rivers), marine (ocean, seas), estuarine environments, each supporting a unique array of flora and fauna adopted to aquatic life
2 different aquatic biomes
Freshwater biome: low concentration of salt, temperature varies ability of light to penetrate water determines photosynthesis
Marine biome: abiotic factors determine level of photosynthesis
Forest biomes
Extensive tree cover, varying species composition, distinct ecological conditions; major types include tropical rainforests, temperate deciduous forests, boreal forests, each exhibiting unique flor, fauna, climate patterns and are shaped by the prevailing environmental factors ithin their specific geographical regions
2 different forest biomes
Temperate forest: seasonal areas, temperature between -30 and 30 degrees Celsius, rainfall between 500 and 1800 mm, lower NPP than rain forest
Tropical Rainforest: most ecologically rich biome on earth, 27+ degrees Celsius, 5000 mm rainfall per year, greater NPP
Grassland biomes
Dry but some rain, few trees
3 grassland biomes
Prairies: most humid grassland, greatest NPP, soil is ich of nutrients, usually located close to a river
Steppers: lower rainfall, grass tends to be shorter
Savannah: warmer and driest type of grassland, experiences droughts sometime during the year
Desert biomes
Dry area with less than 250 mm precipitation per year
Different types of deserts
Arid, semi arid, coastal, cold
Tundra biome
Very cold (as low as -50 degrees Celsius), low rainfall, soil is permanently frozen (permafrost)
Difference between tundra and desert
In a desert the rate of evaporation exceeds the rate of precipitation
Succession
Long term process when the population in an area changes over time
Primary succession
Area of bare ground of rock is colonised for the first time
Pioneer succession
First troop of organisms to colonise a bare area of land
Seral stages
Stages of succession
Climax community
Stable community at the end of a succession
secondary succession
New succession takes place after an area as been cleared
Zonation
Arrangement or distribution of organisms changes over time
Early stages of succession
GPP is low, NPP is high, PR Ration (ratio between production and respiration) is greater than 1, simple food chains, simple community, many strategists (r)
Late stages of succession
GPP is high, NPP is decreasing, PR ration approaches , complex food webs, complex community, many strategists (k)
Productivity in different stages of succession
In primary succession, productivity starts low with pioneer species, like lichens or bare substrates, gradually increasing through the establishment of grasses and herbaceous plans, ultimately, reaching high productivity with the dominance of trees in the climax stage, in secondary succession, early colonisers contribute to moderate productivity leading to a transition through mid successional stages to late successional stages with high productivity and mature forest ecosystems
K Strategists
Organisms that produce few offspring’s but care for them a long period, lives longer, low rate of productivity
