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Chapter 9 Forest Biomes. Covers 30% of the Earth Contains 75 % of Earth’s Biomass. 9.1 Coniferous Forest. Limited to the Northern Hemisphere (far from the equator) High latitudes (closer to the Arctic) Summers are warm and last 2-5 months Winters are long and very cold - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Chapter 9Forest Biomes
Covers 30% of the EarthContains 75 % of Earth’s Biomass
9.1 Coniferous Forest Limited to the Northern
Hemisphere (far from the equator)
High latitudes (closer to the Arctic)
Summers are warm and last 2-5 months
Winters are long and very cold
40-200 cm of precipitation (as rain and snow) per year
9.1 Coniferous Forest Coniferous means
“cone bearing” Conifers (coniferous
trees) producer seeds in cones
Leaves have adapted to conserve water by producing long-thin with a thick waxy coat called needles
9.1 Coniferous Forest Tree is also a cone-
shaped - the needles allow heavy snow to fall through the branches
Conifers are “evergreen” they do not loose all their leaves in winter but keep them all year round
9.1 Coniferous Forest Examples of
conifers: Hemlock, Spruce, Cedar, Pine
Forests are not diverse – usually only one or two types of pine.
Soil is poor and very acidic
Hemlock
Blue Spruce
Scotch Pine
Eastern Cedar
9.1 Coniferous Forest Plants: Ferns,
Lichens and Sphagnum moss grown on forest floor
Animals: Large herbivores – moose, elk
Small herbivores – beaver, snowshoe hare, squirrel, mouse, blue jay
Carnivores – grizzly bear, wolves, fox, weasel, lynx, owl, eagle
9.2 Deciduous Forest Deciduous tree
sheds its leaves during the winter
Temperature ranges from 30oC in summer to -30oC in winter
Precipitation 50 – 300 cm (rain/snow) per year
Forests found in the temperate zones – mostly Europe and North America
Maple tree
9.2 Deciduous Forest Growing season is 6
months long Sunlight is used by
chlorophyll in the leaves to make food
Autumn has shorter days – chlorophyll fades –other pigments show through
All pigments fade, leaves dry up and fall off tree
9.2 Deciduous Forest Deciduous forest has
4 layers: Canopy – top layer Understory – third
layer Shrubs – second layer Floor – bottom Lots of biodiversity so
lots of organic matter in the soil (humus-Ch 8)
9.2 Deciduous Forest Food web has many
organisms: Decomposers (fungi
and bacteria) Insects (bees, flies)
and invertebrates (worms)
Herbivores (deer, rabbits, mice)
Carnivores (mountain lions, wolves, eagles, owls)
9.2 Deciduous Forest Human activity has
shrunk the vast area that was the temperate deciduous forest.
Two reasons: rich soil for farming and the trees for wood, fuel and paper
Replanting trees does not restore the forest ecosystem
9.3 Rain Forest Tropical zone is
located at or near the equator.
Direct rays from the sun keep temperatures warm 25oC or higher
Growing season is 12 months
Precipitation 100-450 cm of rain a year
9.3 Rain Forest Dense canopy of
evergreen broadleaf trees
Contains 70-90% of all species on Earth
Only 6% on the Earth’s surface
40% of the Earth’s biomass
Most biodiverse biome
9.3 Rainforest Several levels: Emergent trees- top layer,
99% sunlight (50-60 m) Upper canopy – next layer
– less than 1% filtered sunlight
Lower canopy – third layer, less than 1% filtered sunlight
Understory – fourth layer, dense shade
Forest floor – little or no sunlight
9.3 Rainforest Top soil is thin – 99%
of available nutrients in only 5 cm of top layer soil
Tree roots are shallow and trees develop extra roots - Buttresses - to support the immense height
Dead organic matter decomposes and is recycled quickly
9.3 Rainforest Most activity takes place
in the canopy layer Many rainforest
organisms never touch the ground
Vast diversity of plant life leads to vast diversity of animals
Habitats vary from tree to tree and level to level
Complex food webs with many species interactions
9.3 Rainforest Greatest biodiveristy for
plants, animals and insects Many species haven’t even
been discovered yet Fungus beetle, toucans
and howler monkeys spend their time in the upper canopy
Blue bird-of-paradise travels from the lower canopy to the forest floor
Margay cat hunts understory and forest floor
Tapir lives on the forest floor
9.3 Rainforest Deforestation