4-3 Biomes I) Biomes â A) Groups of terrestrial ecosystems that ...
4-3 Biomes I) Biomes – A) Groups of terrestrial ecosystems that share biotic and abiotic conditions 1) Definition - a complex (group) of terrestrial environments that covers a large area and is characterized by certain soil and climate conditions and particular assemblages of plants and animals B) Biome – Name & Determination 1) Biomes are named after their Plants in them ecosystem 2) ALL determined by CLIMATE – temperature, precipitation, humidity, and winds . C) Climate: Average conditions, including temperature and precipitation, over long periods of time in a given area 1) Climate plays a major role but can vary within a biome 2) Microclimate – the climate differs in one small area compared to the area surrounding it (Fog) 3) Weather: Day-to-day conditions in Earth’s atmosphere D) Biome Variation 1) Biomes have particular factors but may contain variation due to land masses or may contain transitional areas where one biome becomes another 2) Each biome has a set of characteristic organisms adapted to its particular climate conditions. 3) Tolerance – the ability of animals and plants to withstand, survive, and reproduce at certain conditions that is NOT optimal (perfect) II) Types of Biomes A) Tropical Rain Forest – Near Equator, Most species, tall leafy trees (canopy – top of trees) and the ground is the under story 1) Temperate Rain Forest - Mid-latitudes, US Pacific Northwest, Tree branches draped with mosses and lichens, Floor has lush ferns, Conifers (Cones!), Huge Spruce and Fir, Moist, cool, and humid B) Tropical Dry Forest – rainfall is seasonal and trees shed leaves to conserve water by season (called deciduous) C) Tropical Savannah – more rain than a dry forest, mostly grassland with some trees, compact soil, and frequent fires D) Desert – Dry (less than 25 cm of rain annually), extreme conditions, extreme changes daily 1) Often occur in the rain shadow of mountains that block the passage of moisture filled clouds E) Temperate Grassland- grasses and very fertile soil, plains and prairies, periodic fires keep vegetation stable F) Temperate Woodland and Shrub land – semiarid climate with shrubs and open woodlands, with frequent fires
G) Temperate Forest – deciduous and coniferous trees (cone bearing), cold winters, deciduous trees shed leaves in autumn, soil high in humus (decomposing organic matter) which leads to fertile soil H) Northwestern Coniferous Forest- Mild, moist air from Pacific Ocean with large rainfall amounts, many pine trees with shrubs and flowers, often called a Temperate Rainforest I) Boreal Forest (Taiga)– at end of temperate zone with evergreen and coniferous trees, found in northern regions with harsh winters and mild summers with a ground thaw J) Tundra- permafrost – a permanent frozen subsoil layer, summer is mild with a slight ground thaw which affects plant growth, plants are small and short K) Polar Ice and Mountains 1) Not classified as biomes 2) No land under polar ice in Northern Hemisphere; ice sits atop Antarctica in Southern Hemisphere 3) Very few plants; most life is in surrounding ocean 4) Mountain communities change with elevation, similar to how biome communities change with latitude.
4-4
Aquatic Ecosystems
**Aquatic Ecosystems are determined primarily by depth, flow, temperature, and chemistry of the water
I)
Freshwater Ecosystems A) Dividied into 2 main types 1) Flowing Water – Rivers, streams, and creeks (a) High flow areas have organisms adapted to holding on to rocks or the bottom (b) Lower flow areas have more vegetation and slower organisms like turtles 2) Standing Water – Lakes and ponds (a) Some circulation throughout to distribute oxygen, nutrients, and heat (b) Have plankton – tiny microscopic organisms in freshwater and saltwater (i) Phytoplankton – unicellular algae (ii) Zooplankton – planktonic animals B) Freshwater wetlands 1) Water covers the soil or is present in most of the soil (a) Can be fresh, salt, or brackish 2) Bogs, marshes, and swamps II) Estuaries A) Wetlands formed when rivers meet the sea 1) High level of producers and provides a safe haven for baby organisms 2) High levels of detritus – tiny pieces of organic material that provides food for organisms at the base of the food chain B) Salt marshes – temperate zone estuaries dominated by salt tolerant above the low tide line and sea grasses below the low tide line C) Mangrove Swamps- coastal wetland across tropical regions 1) Dominated by salt tolerant trees like mangroves and sea grasses III) Marine Ecosystems A) Sunlight only penetrates a short area of the water 1) Photic zone – top 200m of water where primary producers (algae) grows 2) Aphotic zone – below 200m and is permanently dark with only chemosynthetic producers B) Further divided into 3 zones based on depth and distance from shore 1) Intertidal zone – area affected by low and high tide and organisms are exposed to extreme differences – (a) Different levels of tolerance leads to zonation – condition where certain organisms are found in bands along the intertidal zone depending on water availability 2) Coastal Ocean –outer low tide mark to continental shelf (a) Usually richest in marine species especially producers as this is mostly a photic zone (ex Kelp Forests) 3) Coral Reefs – names for the organisms which secrete a calcium carbonate outer shell (a) Many algae and other organisms live symbiotically with corals 4) Open Ocean- extends from the edge of the continental shelf and outward (a) Production is low and there are species that live here but most stay near the coastal waters 5) Benthic Zone- ocean floor and animals living there are called benthos (a) Many organisms are sedentary here and those that aren’t often feed on dead organisms and detritus that settles from currents (b) Deep sea vents are hot ocean springs away from light that supports chemosynthetic bacteria and other organisms that live in symbiosis with the bacteria
Name_______________________________
North American Biomes Color the map according to the clues listed below. You may need to look at a map of North America if you get stuck. Place a check mark in the box once you have completed that step. 1. The dotted lines represent the border between the U.S. and Mexico and Canada. All other lines show biome borders. Color the U.S. borders (dotted line) red. 2. Northern Canada and Alaska are tundra – color the tundra light blue 3. Most of Canada is coniferous forest. Color the coniferous forest dark green. 4. The west coast of the U.S. is mainly deciduous forest where California is. The east coast, all the way to the center of the country is also deciduous forest. Color the deciduous forest light green. 5. The Midwest (middle of the country) is grassland. Color the grassland yellow. 6. The eastern edge of Mexico and Central America, Hawaii, and the Caribbean Islands are all tropical rain forests. Color those purple. 7. There is a temperate rain forest located in the far corner of the U.S., the northwest. Color the temperate rain forest brown. 7. The great lakes and the lakes in Canada are freshwater. Find each freshwater lake and color it pink. 8. The bodies of water surrounding the continent are salt water. Color the coastal areas dark blue. 9. The western region of the U.S. as well as Northern Mexico is desert. Color the desert orange. 10. The western edge of Mexico is deciduous forest. Color it the same color as you did the other deciduous forests. 11. Color code the squares at the bottom to match your biome colors. 12. Label the countries: U.S.A., Canada, Mexico
Questions
1. Name the 3 main biomes of the United States (land only).____________________________ 2. What two biomes are closest to where you live? __________________________________ Place an X on the map to show your approximate location. 3. What U.S. state could a person visit a tropical rain forest in? _________________ How about a temperate rain forest? ______________________ 5. Point out Alaska by drawing an arrow to it. What biome is found in Alaska? ____________ 6. If you traveled due north of your current location, what biomes would you pass through (just going to the north pole) ______________________________ 7. A person is driving from Los Angeles, California to Washington D.C. Name the biomes the person will pass through, in the correct order. ___________________________________ 8. A person is driving from Alaska to Mexico, staying close to the west coastline. Name the biomes the person will pass through, in the correct order. ___________________________
Tundra
Desert
Fresh Water
Deciduous Forest
Tropical Rain Forest
Temperate Rain Forest
Grassland
Salt Water
Coniferous Forest
G) Temperate Forest – deciduous and coniferous trees (cone bearing), cold winters, deciduous trees shed leaves in autumn, soil high in humus (decomposing organic matter) which leads to fertile soil H) Northwestern Coniferous Forest- Mild, moist air from Pacific Ocean with large rainfall amounts, many pine trees with shrubs and flowers, often called a Temperate Rainforest I) Boreal Forest (Taiga)– at end of temperate zone with evergreen and coniferous trees, found in northern regions with harsh winters and mild summers with a ground thaw J) Tundra- permafrost – a permanent frozen subsoil layer, summer is mild with a slight ground thaw which affects plant growth, plants are small and short K) Polar Ice and Mountains 1) Not classified as biomes 2) No land under polar ice in Northern Hemisphere; ice sits atop Antarctica in Southern Hemisphere 3) Very few plants; most life is in surrounding ocean 4) Mountain communities change with elevation, similar to how biome communities change with latitude.
4-4
Aquatic Ecosystems
**Aquatic Ecosystems are determined primarily by depth, flow, temperature, and chemistry of the water
I)
Freshwater Ecosystems A) Dividied into 2 main types 1) Flowing Water – Rivers, streams, and creeks (a) High flow areas have organisms adapted to holding on to rocks or the bottom (b) Lower flow areas have more vegetation and slower organisms like turtles 2) Standing Water – Lakes and ponds (a) Some circulation throughout to distribute oxygen, nutrients, and heat (b) Have plankton – tiny microscopic organisms in freshwater and saltwater (i) Phytoplankton – unicellular algae (ii) Zooplankton – planktonic animals B) Freshwater wetlands 1) Water covers the soil or is present in most of the soil (a) Can be fresh, salt, or brackish 2) Bogs, marshes, and swamps II) Estuaries A) Wetlands formed when rivers meet the sea 1) High level of producers and provides a safe haven for baby organisms 2) High levels of detritus – tiny pieces of organic material that provides food for organisms at the base of the food chain B) Salt marshes – temperate zone estuaries dominated by salt tolerant above the low tide line and sea grasses below the low tide line C) Mangrove Swamps- coastal wetland across tropical regions 1) Dominated by salt tolerant trees like mangroves and sea grasses III) Marine Ecosystems A) Sunlight only penetrates a short area of the water 1) Photic zone – top 200m of water where primary producers (algae) grows 2) Aphotic zone – below 200m and is permanently dark with only chemosynthetic producers B) Further divided into 3 zones based on depth and distance from shore 1) Intertidal zone – area affected by low and high tide and organisms are exposed to extreme differences – (a) Different levels of tolerance leads to zonation – condition where certain organisms are found in bands along the intertidal zone depending on water availability 2) Coastal Ocean –outer low tide mark to continental shelf (a) Usually richest in marine species especially producers as this is mostly a photic zone (ex Kelp Forests) 3) Coral Reefs – names for the organisms which secrete a calcium carbonate outer shell (a) Many algae and other organisms live symbiotically with corals 4) Open Ocean- extends from the edge of the continental shelf and outward (a) Production is low and there are species that live here but most stay near the coastal waters 5) Benthic Zone- ocean floor and animals living there are called benthos (a) Many organisms are sedentary here and those that aren’t often feed on dead organisms and detritus that settles from currents (b) Deep sea vents are hot ocean springs away from light that supports chemosynthetic bacteria and other organisms that live in symbiosis with the bacteria
Name_______________________________
North American Biomes Color the map according to the clues listed below. You may need to look at a map of North America if you get stuck. Place a check mark in the box once you have completed that step. 1. The dotted lines represent the border between the U.S. and Mexico and Canada. All other lines show biome borders. Color the U.S. borders (dotted line) red. 2. Northern Canada and Alaska are tundra – color the tundra light blue 3. Most of Canada is coniferous forest. Color the coniferous forest dark green. 4. The west coast of the U.S. is mainly deciduous forest where California is. The east coast, all the way to the center of the country is also deciduous forest. Color the deciduous forest light green. 5. The Midwest (middle of the country) is grassland. Color the grassland yellow. 6. The eastern edge of Mexico and Central America, Hawaii, and the Caribbean Islands are all tropical rain forests. Color those purple. 7. There is a temperate rain forest located in the far corner of the U.S., the northwest. Color the temperate rain forest brown. 7. The great lakes and the lakes in Canada are freshwater. Find each freshwater lake and color it pink. 8. The bodies of water surrounding the continent are salt water. Color the coastal areas dark blue. 9. The western region of the U.S. as well as Northern Mexico is desert. Color the desert orange. 10. The western edge of Mexico is deciduous forest. Color it the same color as you did the other deciduous forests. 11. Color code the squares at the bottom to match your biome colors. 12. Label the countries: U.S.A., Canada, Mexico
Questions
1. Name the 3 main biomes of the United States (land only).____________________________ 2. What two biomes are closest to where you live? __________________________________ Place an X on the map to show your approximate location. 3. What U.S. state could a person visit a tropical rain forest in? _________________ How about a temperate rain forest? ______________________ 5. Point out Alaska by drawing an arrow to it. What biome is found in Alaska? ____________ 6. If you traveled due north of your current location, what biomes would you pass through (just going to the north pole) ______________________________ 7. A person is driving from Los Angeles, California to Washington D.C. Name the biomes the person will pass through, in the correct order. ___________________________________ 8. A person is driving from Alaska to Mexico, staying close to the west coastline. Name the biomes the person will pass through, in the correct order. ___________________________
Tundra
Desert
Fresh Water
Deciduous Forest
Tropical Rain Forest
Temperate Rain Forest
Grassland
Salt Water
Coniferous Forest
