MODULE 10 - BIOMES

Question 1

• different regions of our planet that have different climates, plants and animals
• A grouping terrestrial ecosystems on a given continent that are similar in vegetation, structure, physiognomy, features of the environment and characteristics of their animal communities

Answer 1

biomes

Question 2

types of terrestrial biomes

Answer 2

1. desert biome
2. tundra biome
3. coniferous forest biome
4. rainforest biome
5. grassland biome
6. deciduous forest

Question 3

• Climate: very hot and dry
• Temperature: Hot during the day and cold during the night.
• Soil: Sandy, dry and loose; contains minerals like calcite

Plant Adaptations:
Spines
Succulents
Thick, waxy cuticle
Shallow, broad roots

Answer 3

1. DESERT

Animal Adaptations:
coyote
Kangaroo mice
Thorny devil
Spare foot toads
Rattle snake
iguana
jackrabbit
gilamonster

Question 4

4 major types of desert

Answer 4

1. hot and dry desert
2. semiarid desert
3. cold desert
4. coastal desert

Question 5

• Characterized by cold winters with snowfall and high overall rainfall throughout the winter and occasionally over the summer.
• Have a short, moist and moderately warm summers with fairly long, cold cactus winters.
• Usually occur in Antarctic, Greenland and Nearctic realm

Answer 5

cold desert

Question 6

• The seasons are generally warm throughout the year and very hot in the summer. The winters usually bring little rainfall.
• The 4 major North American deserts of this type are the Chihuahuan, Sonoran, Mojave and Great Basin.

Answer 6

hot and dry desert

Question 7

• Summers are moderately long and dry and like hot deserts
• Winters normally bring low concentration of rainfall
• Summer temperatures usually average between 21-270C. It normally does not go above 38 0C and evening temperatures are cool at around 10 0C.
• Major deserts of this type include the sage brush of Utah, Montana and Great Basin

Answer 7

semiarid desert

Question 8

• The cool winter’s coastal deserts are followed by moderately long, warm summers. The average summer temperature ranges from 13-24 0C; winter temperatures are 5 0C or below.
• The maximum annual temperatures are about 35 0C and the minimum is about -4 0C.
• These deserts occur in moderately cool to warm areas such as the Nearctic and Neotrophical realm. A good example of this is Atacam and Chile.

Answer 8

coastal desert

Question 9

• “treeless plain”
• Found north of the Arctic Circle
• coldest biome
• Climate :Cold and limited sunlight
• Temperature: Average temperature is 23F or 5 0C
• Soil: Ground covered with little snow. Below the surface soil is permanently frozen (permafrost). Decomposition is very slow because of the extreme cold

<25 in/year
Short growing season

Tundra Plant Adaptations:
Growing close to the ground
Having shallow roots to absorb the limited water resources.
Trees grow less than 1 m high!

Answer 9

2. TUNDRA

• Reindeer lichen
• cottongrass
• Woody shrubs
• Perennials
• Heaths

— snowy owl
— Arctic fox
— Grizzly Bear

Question 10

types of tundra

Answer 10

1. arctic tundra
2. alpine tundra

Question 11

• Located between the North Pole and Coniferous Forest or Taiga region. It is extremely cold temperatures and land that remains frozen year-round.
• A layer of permanently frozen subsoil called permafrost exists consisting mostly of gravel and finer material.
• The growing season ranges from 50-60 days.
• Location:
  a. North America- Northern Alaska, Canada, Greenland

b. Northern Europe- Scandinavia Northern Asia- Siberia

Answer 11

arctic tundra

Question 12

• Located on mountains throughout the world at high altitude where trees cannot grow.
• The growing season is approximately 180 days.
• very windy.
• typically covered in snow for most of the year.
• Location:
  a. North America - Alaska, Canada, U.S.A. and Mexico

b. Northern Europe - Finland, Norway, Russia, and Sweden

c. Asia - Southern Asia (Mt. Himalayan) and Japan (Mt. Fuji)

d. Africa - Mt. Kilimanjava

e. South America - Andes Mountains

Answer 12

alpine tundra

Question 13

Threats to the Tundra

Answer 13

• One of the most fragile biomes on the planet
• Oil drilling is proposed in Alaska and other areas
• slow to recover from damage

Question 14

• Northern Coniferous Forest; Boreal Forest
• Found only in Northern Hemisphere
• Northern parts of Alaska, Canada, Asia and Europe
• “coming from the cones”
• Very long and cold winter lasting to about half a year; precipitation is in the form of snow about 60 cm.
• Below -20 0C in winter and about 15 0C in summer

Soil:
* not fertile. It takes very long for needlelike leaves to decompose, and decomposition is very slow in cold weather.
* A layer of snow covers the ground during much of the year. Soil beneath the snow is grayish on top and brown below and lacks minerals needed by plants to grow.

Answer 14

3. Taiga/Coniferous Forest

Question 15

 Winters are long and cold
 Averages 100 in/yr precipitation —mostly snow
 Soil poor in nutrients and very acidic
 Growing season is very short

Answer 15

Taiga
- Abiotic factors

Question 16

 Coniferous (needle-bearing) trees are abundant
 Roots long to anchor trees
 Needles long, thin and waxy
 Low sunlight and poor soil keeps plants from growing on forest floor

Answer 16

Taiga Plant adaptations
- Balsam Fir

Question 17

 Adapt for cold winters
 Burrow, hibernate, warm coat, insulation, etc

Answer 17

Animal Adaptations of the Taiga
- Great Grey Owl
- deer
- mosquito
- bear
- hares
- porcupine
- squirrel

Question 18

Threats to the Taiga

Answer 18

• Mining operations can irreparably damage this fragile ecosystem
• Road construction
• Clear cutting accelerates soil erosion, degrades wildlife habitat and leads to the loss of diversity

Question 19

4. types of rainforest biome

Answer 19

• tropical rainforest
• temperate rainforest

Question 20

• covers about 6-7% of the earth’s land surface.
• It is located close to the equator, in 85 different countries, and the most are in Central and South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia. The Amazon Rainforest is the largest rainforest in the world.
• The seasons do not change, and it has been hot and wet for millions of years. The average temperature ranges from 70-85 degrees. It rains about 100-400 inches per year.

Answer 20

tropical rainforest

Question 21

high biodiversity and biomass
both hot and moist;
ideal for bacteria and other microorganisms; they quickly decompose matter on the forest floor allowing nutrients to be recycled

Soil:
* Lacks minerals and contains little remains of dead plants and animals.
* Decomposition is rapid on warm wet soil.
* <1 cm of topsoil; not very fertile

Answer 21

tropical rainforest abiotic factors

Question 22

 Sunlight is a major limiting factor
 Shallow, wide roots since soil is so thin and poor in nutrients
 Little sun reaches the floor
 Tropical rainforest is the richest source of plants life on earth.
 Plants grow in layers (canopy receives most light). It is the perfect place for growing plants.

Answer 22

Tropical Rainforest Plant adaptations

• Bougainvillea
• Bangul Bamboo

Question 23

• Many animals are specialists and require special habitat components to survive
• Camouflage is common
• Many symbiotic relationships
• Live in different levels of canopy

Answer 23

Tropical Rainforest Animal Adaptations

• Silvery Gibbon
• Wagler’s pit viper
• Slender Loris

Question 24

Threats to the Tropical Rainforest

Answer 24

 Humans strip the rainforests for uses including logging and cattle ranching.

 entire civilizations of people are also without a home.

 You can help by promoting sustainable use of the rainforests’ products

Question 25

- found near coastal areas along the Pacific coast of Canada at the USA, and in New Zealand, Tasmania, Chile, Ireland, Scotland and Norway * Also wet, but not as rainy as tropical rainforest. * Rains about 100 inches per year. * It is cooler than tropical rainforests but the temperature is still mild. * has 2 distinct seasons: one long wet winter and a short drier summer. Soil: * Typically much thicker than the tropical rainforest. * It is structurally more complex, comprising several layers. * Generally much deeper and more fertile than those of tropical rainforests. Plants: * There are about 10-20 species of trees on temperate rainforests that are mostly coniferous. Trees in the temperate forest can live for 500-1000 years.

Answer 25

temperate rainforest

Question 26

Temperate Forest & Its Animals

Answer 26

- bobcat - Cougar - Chipmunk

Question 27

- characterized as lands dominated by grasses rather than large shrubs

Answer 27

5. grassland

Question 28

________ & ________: Grassland areas They are called by different names: - _____ or _____ in North America, - _____ in Argentina, - _____ in Soviet Union, and - _____ in South Africa

Answer 28

- Prairie and Steppe - plains or prairies - pampas - steppes - veldt

Question 29

- Dry, cold, grasslands - Found in Russia and the Ukraine - Precipitation:50-75 cm/yr - high Winds = occurs in all continents

Answer 29

steppe

Question 30

- most abundant are plants called ___________, fine bladed grasses that grow in clumps to preserve water

Answer 30

- Bunch grasses Plant adaptations of the Steppe - tumbleweed - Sweet Vernal

Question 31

 Many migrate, hibernate or burrow during extremes in temp and precipitation

Answer 31

Adaptations of Steppe Animals - Saiga Antelope - Gazelle herd - Lynx - Milk vetch - Corsac fox

Question 32

Threats to the Steppe

Answer 32

 Overgrazing…nomadic tribes have started to spend more time in one location  Infrastructure development (roads, buildings, etc)  Unmanaged hunting and poaching is destroying herds of animals

Question 33

1. _________: Sod-forming grasses that won’t dry out or blow away in wind. 2. _________: Many adaptations to survive in extremes temperature and precipitation

Answer 33

1. Prairie Plant Adaptations - fleabane 2. Prairie Animal Adaptations - Geoffrey’s cat - Prairie dog - Bobcat

Question 34

2 main divisions of grassland

Answer 34

1. savannah tropical grassland 2. temperate grassland

Question 35

- Contain the greatest number of grazing animals on Earth. - Found in the tropics…near equator - Amount of precipitation supports tall grasses but only occasional trees. - The word _______ stems from an Amerind term for plains

Answer 35

- savanna Savannas (Tropical Grasslands)

Question 36

- Rainy and dry season - 25-150 in/yr precipitation - Fire plays a large role in this ecosystem

Answer 36

- Tropical Savanna Abiotic Factor

Question 37

 Grows in Tufts  Resistance to Drought  Many plants have thorns and sharp leaves to protect against predation. - Adapt for short rainy season—migrate as necessary - Reproduce during rainy season— ensures more young survive

Answer 37

- Tropical Savanna Plant Adaptations --- Umbrella Thorn Acacia --- Whistling Thorn --- Kangaroos Paws --- Baobab - Tropical Savanna Animal Adaptations --- Chacma Baboon --- Zebras --- Elephant --- Koala

Question 38

Threats to the Tropical Savanna

Answer 38

 Invasive species  Changes in fire management  Because of their low elevation, some savannas are threatened by minor rises in sea level associated with global climate change

Question 39

This grassland is characterized as having grasses as the dominant vegetation. - The major manifestations are veldts of South Africa, the puszta of Hungary, the pampas of Argentina, the steppes of the former Soviet Union and the prairies of Central America Climate: *hot summers and cold winters. *Rainfall is moderate. The amount of annual rainfall influences the height of the grass land vegetation with taller grasses in other regions. Soil: - The soil in a temperate grassland is deep and dark with fertile upper layers. It is nutrient –rich from the growth and decay and many branched grass roots. The rotted roots hold the soil together. The soil is fertile because of the remains of plants and animals and dried leaves of plant fell on the ground.

Answer 39

Temperate grassland - Milk vetch - Grasses - Sweet vernal --- giraffe --- cheetah --- lion

Question 40

 found in temperate zone (about 480 North lat)  Much of the human population lives in this biome

Answer 40

6. Temperate Deciduous Forests

Question 41

 Characterized by an Abiotic Factors abundance of deciduous (leaf bearing) trees  Soils: Deep soil layers, rich in nutrients  Precipitation: 30–100 in/yr in all forms (snow, rain, hail, fog, etc.) - Characterized by 4 seasons

Answer 41

Temperate Deciduous Forests Abiotic Factors

Question 42

- More diversity in the deciduous forest vs. the coniferous forest due to increased sunlight. - Trees adapt to varied climate by becoming dormant in winter - Deciduous forests grow in layers - More sunlight reaches the ground compared to a rainforest so you will find more ground dwelling plants.

Answer 42

Temperate Deciduous forest Plant adaptations - Lady Fern - White Birch - Geulder Rose

Question 43

 Lose Winter Coat  Adapt to many seasons  Eat from different layers of the forest

Answer 43

Temperate Deciduous Forest Animal Adaptations - Least Weasel - Fat Dormouse - bald eagle

Question 44

Threats to Temperate Deciduous Forests

Answer 44

- Many forests are cleared to provide housing for humans. - Careful use of the resource can provide a renewable system if we don’t take too much habitat away

Question 45

Biomes as "the world's major communities”, are classified according to the predominant vegetation and characterized by adaptations of organisms to that particular environment". The importance of biomes cannot be overestimated.

Answer 45

Thus, conservation and preservation of biomes should be a major concern to all. Because we share the world with many other species of plants and animals, we must consider the consequences of our actions. It is important to preserve all types of biomes as each houses many unique forms of life.