Biomes
The World’s Major Communities
• Biomes are the
What are biomes? 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.
Terrestrial biomes
• Desert Biome
• Tundra Biome
• Coniferous Forest
Biome
• Rainforest Biome
• Grassland Biome Freshwater Marine Desert Forest Grassland Tundra
• Deciduous Forest
1. Desert
Ecosystems
Location:
Depending
on type of
desert, you
will find
them in
various
locations.
Desert
• Climate: very hot
and dry
• Temperature: Hot
during the day and
cold during the
night.
• Soil: Sandy, dry and
loose; contains minerals
like calcite.
Desert
Abiotic
factors
<10 in/yr of
rain
Little to no
topsoil due to
high winds.
Minerals not
deep in soil. While there are many types of
Too dry for deserts, they all share one
decay characteristic: They are the
http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/
earthsysflr/taiga.html
driest places on Earth!
Barrel Cactus
Desert Plant
Adaptations:
Spines
Succulents
Thick, waxy cuticle
Shallow, broad
roots
Joshua Tree
Ocotollio
desert vegetation
Fishhook cactus
cactus
peyote
Bob Cat
Desert Animal Adaptations:
Armadillo Lizard Get water from food
Thick outer coat
Burrow during day
Large ears
Smaller animals =
less surface area
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/desert_animal_page.htm
Javelina
coyote Kangaroo mice
Thorny devil
Spare foot toads
Rattle snake
gilamonster
iguana
jackrabbit
4 major types of desert
Hot and dry desert Semiarid desert
Cold desert Coastal desert
Cold desert
• 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.
Hot and dry desert
• 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.
Semiarid desert
• Summers are moderately long and dry and like hot
deserts
• Winters normally bring low concentration of rainfall
• Summer temperatures usually average between 21-27
0
C. 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
Coastal desert
• 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.
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/world_biomes.htm
Threats to the Desert
Residential development
Off road recreational activities
destroy habitat for plants
and animals.
Some plants are removed by
collectors, endangering the
population. Dry Desert
Sonoran Desert
Health Issues in Desert
2. Tundra
“treeless plain”
Location:
Found
north of
the Arctic
Circle
http://www.runet.edu/~swoodwar/CLASSES/GEOG235/biomes/tundra/tundra.html
Tundra- coldest biome
• Climate :Cold and limited sunlight
• Temperature: Average temperature is 23F or 5 0C.
tundra
• Soil: Ground covered with little snow.
Below the surface soil is permanently
frozen (permafrost). Decomposition is very
slow because of the extreme cold.
Tundra Abiotic Factors
<25 in/year
Short growing season
http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/taiga.html
Reindeer lichen
Tundra Plant Adaptations
Growing close to the ground
Having shallow roots to absorb the limited
water resources.
Trees grow less than 1 m high!
cottongrass
Perennials
Woody shrubs
Heaths
Examples of Tundra Plants
http://www.runet.edu/~swoodwar/CLASSES/GEOG235/biomes/tundra/tundra.html
snowy owl Arctic fox
Small ears
Insulation, thick
coat
Tundra Animal
Adaptations
Many visitors, migration
Few predators
Little Competition Grizzly Bear
Types of tundra
Arctic Tundra
Alpine Tundra
The Arctic Tundra
• 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:
North America- Northern Alaska, Canada,
Greenland
Northern Europe- Scandinavia
Northern Asia- Siberia
Alpine Tundra
• 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:
North America- Alaska, Canada, U.S.A. and
Mexico
Northern Europe- Finland, Norway, Russia, and
Sweden
Asia- Southern Asia( Mt. Himalayan ) and
Japan (Mt. Fuji)
Africa- Mt. Kilimanjava
South America- Andes Mountains
Threats to the Tundra
One of the
most fragile
biomes on
the planet
Tufted Saxifrage
Polar Bear
Oil drilling is
proposed in The tundra is slow
Alaska and to recover from
other areas! damage.
3. Taiga
Northern Coniferous Forest
Boreal Forest
Location: Found only in Northern Hemisphere
Northern parts of Alaska, Canada,
Asia and Europe.
Taiga/Coniferous Forest
“ coming from the cones”
• Climate:
Very long and cold winter
lasting to about half a year;
precipitation is in the form of
snow about 60 cm.
• Temperature:
Below -20 0C in winter and
about 15 0C in summer.
Taiga
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.
Taiga
Abiotic factors
Winters are long and cold
Averages 100 in/yr
precipitation—mostly snow
Soil poor in nutrients and
very acidic
Growing season is very
short
Taiga Plant adaptations Balsam Fir
Fireweed
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
http://www.inchinapinch.com/hab_pgs/terres/coniferous/plants.htm
Moose
Animal
Adaptations of
the Taiga
Adapt for cold winters
Burrow, hibernate, warm
coat, insulation, etc.
http://www.inchinapinch.com/hab_pgs/terres/coniferous/animals.htm Great Grey Owl
mosquito bear
deer
hares porcupine squirrel
Threats to the
Taiga
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.
4. Rainforest biome
Tropical Rainforest Temperate Rainforest
Tropical
Rainforest
• 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.
Tropical Rainforest
• Climate:
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.
Tropical Rainforest
Abiotic factors
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.
Tropical rainforest
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
Bougainvillea
Tropical Rainforest
Plant adaptations
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.
Bangul Bamboo
Silvery Gibbon
Tropical Rainforest
Animal
Adaptations
Many animals are
specialists and require
special habitat
components to survive
Wagler’s pit viper
Camouflage is common
Many symbiotic
relationships
Live in different
levels of canopy Slender Loris
Threats to the Tropical
Rainforest
Humans strip the rainforests
for uses including logging and
cattle ranching.
In addition to the plants and
animals that are displaced by
this destruction, entire
civilizations of people are also
without a home.
You can help by promoting
sustainable use of the
rainforests’ products
Temperate Rainforest
• Location:
found near coastal areas
along the Pacific coast of
Canada at the USA, and in
New Zealand, Tasmania,
Chile, Ireland, Scotland and
Norway.
Temperate rainforest
Climate:
• 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.
Temperate Rainforest
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.
Temperate Rainforest
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.
Temperate Forest & Its Animals
Bobcat Cougar Chipmunk
5. Grassland
• characterized as lands
dominated by grasses
rather than large shrubs.
Prairie and Steppe:
Grassland areas
They are called by different names- plains or prairies
in North America, pampas in Argentina, steppes in
Soviet Union, and veldt in South Africa.
Steppe
Dry, cold, grasslands
Location: Found in Russia
and the Ukraine
Precipitation:50-75 cm/yr.
high Winds. It occurs in all
continents.
Plant adaptations of the Steppe
most abundant are plants called Bunch grasses,
fine bladed grasses that grow in clumps to
preserve water
Tumbleweed
Sweet Vernal
Adaptations of Steppe Animals
Mongolian Gerbil
Many migrate, hibernate or burrow
during extremes in temp and
precipitation
Saiga Antelope
Gazelle herd
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/steppe_animal_page.htm
Threats to the Steppe
Overgrazing…nomadic tribes
have started to spend more time
in one location,
Infrastructure development
(roads, buildings, etc)
Lynx Unmanaged hunting and poaching
is destroying herds of animals
Corsac fox
Milk vetch
Prairie Plant Adaptations
Sod-forming grasses that
won’t dry out or blow
away in wind.
Fleabane
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/prairie_plants_page.htm
Buffalo Grass
Prairie Animal Adaptations
Many adaptations to survive
in extremes temperature and
precipitation
Geoffrey’s cat
Prairie dog
Bobcat
Grassland
It has two main divisions,
1. Savannah Tropical grassland
2. Temperate grassland.
Savannas (Tropical Grasslands)
Contain the greatest number of grazing animals on Earth.
Location: Found in the tropics…near equator
Amount of precipitation supports tall grasses but only occasional
trees.
The word savanna stems from an Amerind term for plains
http://www.runet.edu/~swoodwar/CLASSES/GEOG235/biomes/savanna/savanna.html
Tropical Savanna
Abiotic Factors
Rainy and dry season
25-150 in/yr precipitation
Fire plays a large role in this ecosystem
http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/savannah.html
Whistling
Thorn
Tropical Savanna
Umbrella Thorn Acacia
Plant
Adaptations
Grows in Tufts
Resistance to Drought
Many plants have thorns and
Kangaroos Paws
sharp leaves to protect
against predation.
Baobab
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/savanna_plant_page.htm
Chacma Baboon
Zebras Tropical Savanna
Animal Adaptations
Adapt for short rainy
season—migrate as Reproduce during rainy
necessary season—ensures more
young survive
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/savanna_animal_page.htm
Threats to the Tropical
Savanna
Invasive species
Changes in fire management
Elephant
Because of their low elevation,
some savannas are threatened
by minor rises in sea level
associated with global climate
change
Koala http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/savanna_animal_page.htm
Temperate grassland
This grassland is characterized as having
grasses as the dominant vegetation.
Location:
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.
Temperate grassland
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 grass land 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.
Milk
vetch
Grasses
Sweet vernal
Temperate Grassland Animals
http://www.runet.edu/~swoodwar/CLASSES/GEOG235/biomes/tbdf/tbdf.html
6. Temperate Deciduous Forests
Location:
found in temperate zone
(about 480 North lat)
Much of the human population lives in this biome
http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/taiga.html
Temperate Deciduous Forests
Abiotic Factors
Characterized by an Soils: Deep soil layers,
abundance of deciduous rich in nutrients
(leaf bearing) trees
Precipitation: 30–100 in/yr
Characterized by 4 seasons in all forms (snow, rain,
hail, fog, etc.)
Lady Fern
Temperate Deciduous forest
Plant adaptations
More diversity in the deciduous forest vs.
the coniferous forest due to increased
sunlight.
White Birch Trees adapt to varied climate by
Birchhttp://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/
deciduous_plant_page.htm
becoming dormant in winter
Deciduous forests grow in layers Geulder Rose
More sunlight reaches the ground
compared to a rainforest so you
will find more ground dwelling
plants.
Bald Eagle
Temperate Deciduous
Forest
Animal Adaptations
Lose Winter
Coat
Adapt to many
seasons
Least Weasel Eat from
different layers
of the forest
Fat Dormouse
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/deciduous_animal_page.htm
Threats to Temperate Deciduous
Forests
Many forests are
cleared to
provide housing
for humans.
Careful use of the
resource can
provide a
renewable http://www.runet.edu/~swoodwar/CLASSES/GEOG235/biomes/tbdf/tbdf.html
system if we
don’t take too
much habitat
away.
Conclusion
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.
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.
