Biomes of the World

How does the physical environment influence communities and ecosystems?

Hoodoos in Cappadocia, Turkey

ecosystems are shaped by:

climate/weather

space

Rainfall

Soil

air

catastrophic events

abiotic factors

net primary production

Ecosystems

What might we see, driving from the top to the bottom

of North and South America?

snow, ice, shrubs

forests, pine trees, leaf trees

deserts

grasslands

tropical rainforests

What might we see, driving from the west coast

to the east coast of the United States?

Coastal ecosystems

Wetlands

Grasslands/Prairie

Forests

biome: widespread terrestrial

ecosystem

Biomes are major communities of organisms

• that have a characteristic appearance

• And are distributed over a wide land area

• defined largely by regional variations in climate.

have a characteristic appearance

are distributed over a wide land area

sweden

canada

defined largely by regional variations in climate.

world biomes

rainforest

temperate deciduous forest

chaparral

boreal or taiga forest

grassland savanna

desert

tundra

Why do we find biomes distributed across the landscape in such a way?

Why are deserts in North Africa

and Rainforests on the Equator?

If you are a plant,

where you end up on the planet is determined by:

1) latitude (colder at high latitudes, less light than at equator)

2) elevation (colder at high elevation, differences in precipitation)

The distribution of biomes on earth is influenced by annual patterns of temperature and rainfall

patterns of the annual precipitation and annual

temperatures --->

Patterns of Annual Average Precipitation in ‘lower 48’

violet >blue > green> yellow> orange> red

Map of Average HOTTEST JULY Temperature

red >orange > yellow> green> blue> violet

climatograms

Biomes of western Washington

http://www.mgbnet.net/index.html

biome information

from the mountains…

Characterized by evergreens

Temperate: rarely below 0 °C

(32 ◦F) but generally cooler

Precipitation: drought in

summer, LOTS of rain in winter

TEMPERATE PACIFIC NORTHWEST

FORESTS

Forest type dominated by conifers, which can grow over 100m, over 800 years old!

Valley of the Silent Men,Olympic forest

Coastal = Temperate rainforest!

Plant life on every surface!

Images: Hoh river,

Olympic National Park

to the prairie…

to the ocean…

TIAGA = the LARGEST terrestrial biome

Evergreen conifer-dominated; the growing season is

too short for deciduous trees to make a full canopy of

leaves

(there are a few exceptions: poplar, larch = a

deciduous conifer!)

Forests grow in dense, dark collections, so

understory vegetation is fairly sparse. Mosses,

lichens, mushrooms!

(high mountain) Boreal Forest

Climatograms That Define a Biome

Key Terms Biome biotic community

dominant plants and animals

unique climate

Biomes of the World

BIOMES

Tundra

Coniferous Forest/Taiga

Deciduous Forest/Temperate Forest

Desert

Grassland

Chaparral/Mediterranean Woodland

Rainforest

Key Terms Climatogram graph shows a biome’s monthly temperature and precipitation data in a single year

Tropical Deciduous

02468

1012141618202224262830323436

J F M A M J J A S O N D

Months

Te

mp

eratu

re

(cm

)

-36-32-28-24-20-16-12-8-404812162024283236

Pre

cip

itatio

n (C

*)

Permafrost (permanent layer of frost)

Little rain or snowfall

Least diverse biome

Flat terrain

Constant low temperature

Tundra

Coniferous Forest (TAIGA)

Spruce and Fir Trees (Cone Plants)

Mosses, lichens, small shrubs

Winter snowfall

Short, warm summer days

Snow completely thaws

Deciduous Forest Distinct 4 seasons

Trees lose leaves in the Fall

Richest Soil

Oaks, Maple, Hickory, Chestnut

Abundant snow and rainfall

Squirrels, Deer, Birds, Fox, Skunk

Desert

n Extreme temperatures

n Little precipitation

n Poor, dry conditions

n Thorny plants, cacti

n Rodents, insects, reptiles, camels

Grassland Tall, Mixed or Short grass

Deep, porous soil

Low-medium precipitation

Wolves, grasshoppers, jackrabbits,

badgers, rattlesnakes, birds,

Low winter temperatures

Climatogram

-4

1

6

11

16

21

26

31

36

J F M A M J J A S O N D

-36

-32

-28

-24

-20

-16

-12

-8

-4

0

4

8

12

16

20

24

28

32

36

Precipitation Temperature

Chaparral °C

Rainforest Most Diverse

Minimal season variation

Rainfall, Humidity, Precipitation High

Vegetation is dense

Broad leafed plants

Insects, fungi, monkeys, birds, frogs

What might the climatogram for

Olympia look like?

Purpose of Lab Graph data of temperature and precipitation

Compare biomes

Analyze a set of unknown data

Steps to do the Activity

Graph the Hawaii data on blank

climatograms

Graph the 4 unknown climatograms and

predict which biomes

Find and describe plant and animal

adaptations specific to each biome