Biomes

What causes the seasons on Earth?

Biome – a biome is a complex communities that cover a large area and is characterized by defined abiotic conditions (i.e. climate and soil) and assemblages of organisms.

Climate has the most dramatic effect on determination of terrestrial biomes. Climate is made up of average annual precipitation, the rate of potential evapotranspiration, and altitude/latitude.

Aquatic biomes can be split into two major groups -freshwater and marine - and are determined by water depth, flow rate, temperature, and chemistry.

Fig. 52-19

Tropical forest

Savanna

Desert

Chaparral

Temperategrassland

Temperatebroadleaf forestNorthernconiferous forestTundra

High mountains

Polar ice

30ºNTropic ofCancerEquatorTropic ofCapricorn

30ºS

Fig. 52-15

LakesCoral reefsRiversOceanicpelagic andbenthic zonesEstuariesIntertidal zones

Tropic ofCancerEquator

Tropic ofCapricorn

30ºN

30ºS

Terrestrial Biomes & Climate

The amount of precipitation depends on closeness to large bodies of water, global air circulation patterns, and geographic features, like mountains.

Evapotranspiration rate is “the process of transferring moisture from the earth to the atmosphere by evaporation of water and transpiration from plants”(www.dictionary.com).

Lower air pressure at high altitudes causes lower average temperature and higher latitudes receive less solar energy per year than lower latitudes.

Fig. 52-10aLatitudinal Variation in Sunlight Intensity

Low angle of incoming sunlight

Sun directly overhead at equinoxes

Low angle of incoming sunlight

Atmosphere90ºS (South Pole)60ºS

30ºS

23.5ºS (Tropic ofCapricorn)

0º (equator)

30ºN23.5ºN (Tropic ofCancer)

60ºN90ºN (North Pole)

Seasonal Variation in Sunlight Intensity

60ºN30ºN

30ºS

0º (equator)

March equinox

June solstice

Constant tiltof 23.5º

September equinox

December solstice

Fig. 52-10dGlobal Air Circulation and Precipitation Patterns

60ºN

30ºN

0º (equator)

30ºS

60ºS

Global Wind Patterns

Descendingdry airabsorbsmoisture Ascending

moist airreleasesmoisture

Descendingdry airabsorbsmoisture

Aridzone

Tropics Aridzone

0º

66.5ºN(Arctic Circle)

60ºN

30ºN

0º(equator)

30ºS

60ºS66.5ºS(Antarctic Circle)

Westerlies

Northeast trades

Doldrums

Southeast trades

Westerlies

23.5º30º 23.5º 30º

Fig. 52-12

Warm airover land rises.1

23

4

Air cools athigh elevation.

Cool air over watermoves inland, replacingrising warm air over land.

Coolerair sinksover water.

Fig. 52-13

Winddirection

Mountainrange

Leeward sideof mountain

Ocean

Animals, plants, and all the other organisms are adapted to live within the biomes where they are found.

Different adaptations allow for organisms to thrive in the different conditions found in each biome. A plant’s and animal’s ability to survive and reproduce under conditions that differ from their optimum condition is called tolerance .

Some organisms are adapted to live in microclimates within each biome. A microclimate is an area that differs significantly from the climate of the surrounding area.

Major Terrestrial Biomes:• Tropical Rain Forest• Tropical Dry Forest• Tropical Savanna• Temperate Grassland• Desert

• Temperate Woodland and Shrubland(Chaparral)• Temperate Forest• Northwestern Coniferous Forest• Boreal Forest (Taiga)• Tundra• Mountains• Ice Caps

Fig. 52-21a

A tropical rain forest in Borneo

Fig. 52-21b

A desert in the southwesternUnited States

Fig. 52-21c

A savanna in Kenya

Fig. 52-21d

An area of chaparralin California

Fig. 52-21e

Sheyenne National Grasslandin North Dakota

Fig. 52-21f

Rocky Mountain National Parkin Colorado

Fig. 52-21g

Great Smoky MountainsNational Park in North Carolina

Fig. 52-21h

Denali National Park, Alaska,in autumn

1. The major abiotic & biotic characteristics of each biome including their worldwide distribution.

2. Representative diagrams of the four biogeochemical cycles from within each biome.

3. Four possible habitats within the biome.4. A food web containing at least five species, their names, and

associated trophic relationships.5. Examples of three of the five symbiotic relationships.6. One potential candidate for a keystone species.7. Climatograph from an city associated with your biome.

Time for action!Everyone select one of the biomes from the list (no duplications) and uncover more information about it. Compile the results in your notebooks, but be prepared to share with the class.

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, EMAIL Mr. Schmalz BEFORE SUNDAY NIGHT: TSchmalz@maryville.edu

Making a Climatogram

Climatograph STL

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Tem

p (C

)

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Pre

cipi

tatio

n (I

n)

AVG Temp Precip

Aquatic BiomesDO NOT GO ANY FURTHER!

Fig. 52-11

Labradorcurrent

Gulfstream

Equator

Cold water

Warm water

Describe different ocean zones

Discuss major plants and animals found in oceans and in freshwater ecosystems

Apply the knowledge gained in studying ecological principles to an investigation of a living ecosystem