Biomes

Question 1

Biome

Answer 1

a large distinct terrestrial region having similar climate, soil, plants, and animals

Question 2

Tropical Rain Forests

Answer 2

characterized by the greatesr diversity of species, believed to include many undiscovered species. Occur near the equator. Soils tend to be low in nutrients. Distinct seasonality; winter is absent, and only two seasons are present (rainy and dry)

Question 3

Temperate Forests

Answer 3

occur in North America, Japan, northeatern Asia, and western and central Europe. Dominated by tall decidious trees. Well-defined seasons include a distinct winter. Logged extensively, only scattered remnats of original temperate forests remain.

Question 4

Boreal Forests- TAIGA

Answer 4

represent the largest terrestrial biome. Dominated by needleleaf, coniferous trees. Found in the cold climates of Eurasia and North Atlantic: two thirds in Siberia with the rest in Scandanavia, Alaska, & Canada. Seasons are divided into short, moist, and moderately warm summers and long cold, dry winters. Extensive logging may soon cause their disappearence.

Question 5

Temperate Shrub Lands

Answer 5

occurs along the cost of Southern California, and the Medditerinean region. Characterized by areas of Chaparral-miniature woodlands dominated by dense stands of shrubs

Question 6

Savannas

Answer 6

grassland w/ scattered individual trees. Cover almost of half the survace of Africa and large areas of Australia, South America, and India. Warm or hot climates where the annual raifall is 20-50 inches per year. The rainfall is cincentrated in six or eight months of the year, followed by a long period of drought when fires can occur.

Question 7

Temperate Grasslands

Answer 7

dominated by grasses, trees and large shrubs are absent. Temperatures vary more from summer to winter, and the amount of rainfall is less than in Savannas. Temperate grasslands have hot summers and cold winters. Occur in South Africa, Hungary, Argentina, the steppes of the former Soviet Union , and the the plains and prairies of central North America.

Question 8

Deserts

Answer 8

covers about ine fifth of the Earth’s surface, and occur where rainfall is less than 50cm/year. Most deserts occur at low latitudes, have a considerable amount of specialized vegetaion, as well as specialized animals. Soils have abundant nutrients, need only water to become productive, and have little or no organic matter. Common disturbances include occasional fires or cold weather, and sudden infrequent, but intense rains that cause flooding

Question 9

Tundra

Answer 9

treeless plains that are the coldest of all biomes. Occur in the arctic and Antartica. Dominated by the lichens mosses, sedges, and dwarfed shrubs. Characterized by the extreme permantley frozen ground (permafrost) low biotic diversity, simple vegetation structure, limitation of drainage, short season of growth and reproduction

Question 10

Wetlands

Answer 10

areas of standing water wet all or most of the year that support aquatic plants including marshes, swamps, and bogs. Species diversity is very high. Includes bogs, swamps, sloughs, marshes.

Question 11

Fresh Water

Answer 11

defined as having a low salt concentration (less that 1%). Plants and animals are adjusted to the low salt content and would not be able to survive in areas of high salt concentration. (i.e., ocean). ther are differnt types of freshwater regions: ponds and lakes, streams, rivers, and estuaries.

Question 12

Ocean

Answer 12

the largest of all the ecosystem. The ocean regions are separated into separate zones: intertiadal, pelagic, abyssal, and benthic.