Vocabulary Words-- Write these down and leave room for definitions and examples Biome Climate Temperature Estuaries Salt Marshes Deciduous Coniferous Permafrost Niche

Marine Freshwater Taiga or coniferous

forest Temperate deciduous

forest Arctic Tundra Tropical Rainforest Savannah Temperate grassland Desert

What is a biome?

Definition: the world's major communities, classified according to the predominant vegetation and characterized by adaptations of organisms to that particular environment.

So what? What does this mean and why do we care about biomes?

Characteristics of Every Biome Breakdown:

Major world community Certain climate- temperature and

precipitation in an area or region Organisms have adapted to the climate Many ecosystems Have changed over the history of the

Earth Every square inch of the planet is

located in a biome

Types of Biomes

Freshwater Marine Temperate

Deciduous Forest

Coniferous & Boreal Forest (Taiga)

Arctic Tundra Tropical

Rainforest Savannah Temperate

Grassland Desert

Freshwater

3% of the world’s water 99% of freshwater is located in glaciers, pack ice, & aquifers (underground water)

The other 1% Lakes and ponds Rivers and streams

Marine

Bodies of salt water Covers 70% of the Earth’s surface Oceans Estuaries- where the mouth of the

river meets the sea tides Salt Marshes- low, flat, poorly

drained ground that becomes flooded by oceans and/or seas

Coral Reefs Coastal areas

Temperate Deciduous Forest Where you live ~30˚C on average 75-150 cm (30-60 inches) of rainfall

a year Deciduous trees- the leaves fall off of

the trees during the fall and winter months

Animals Found Here

Coniferous and Boreal Forest (Taiga) Northern part of North America and Eurasia Contains conifer- trees that have leaves

shaped like needles instead of flat leaves. These trees do not lose their leaves in the fall and winter.

~40˚C to 20˚ 30-90 cm (12-33 inches) of rain a year Warm and rainy summers Cold cold winters! Temperatures can reach

a low of 65° F BELOW zero! Brrrr….

Animals in the Coniferous and Boreal Forests

Plants in the Coniferous and Boreal Forest

Arctic Tundra

North Pole, Arctic Circle, and Greenland Covered in snow for most of the year Permafrost- The layer of earth located

below the tundra is frozen all year long Less than 10 inches of precipitation a

year ~40˚C to 18˚ Strong winds!! Create “white outs”,

which occurs when the winds blow snow so much that it is hard to see.

Animals in the Tundra

Plants in the Tundra

Tropical Rainforest

~20°C to 25˚ 200-1000 cm (100-400 inches) of

rain a year Basically, a lot of heat and a lot of

moisture! The seasons do not change and the

rainforests have rarely changed over the history of the Earth

Animals in the Tropical Rainforest

Plants in the Tropical Rainforest

Temperate Grassland

South America, South Africa, Eurasia, and mid-west United States

~20˚C to 30˚ 50-90 cm of rainfall a year Tall grasses but no trees There are a lot of fires in this

biome!

Animals of the Temperate Grassland

Plants of the Temperate Grasslands

Savanna

Africa and South America 50-130 cm (30-50 inches) of rain a

year ~16˚ C to 34˚ Rains for 6-8 months out of the year

followed by a drought Tall grasses and trees with high

branches

Animals of the Savanna

Plants of the Savanna

Desert

Western United States, South America, Africa, Eurasia, and Australia

~4˚C to 38˚ Less than 25 cm of rain a year Very few plants and animals live in

this dry biome

Animals of the Desert

Plants of the Desert