Earth’s biomes

2. Earth’s biomes • Around the world, communities share strong similarities. • Biome: a major regional complex of similar communities recognized by: • Plant type • Vegetation structure

3. A variety of factors determine the biome • The biome in an area depends on a variety of abiotic factors. • Temperature, precipitation, ocean and air circulation, soil • Climatograph: a climate diagram showing an area’s temperature and precipitation Similar biomes occur at similar latitudes (though altitude may also be a factor).

4. Aquatic systems have biome-like patterns • Various aquatic systems have distinct communities. • Coastlines, continental shelves • Open ocean, deep sea • Coral reefs, kelp forests • Coastal systems (marshes, mangrove forests, etc.) • Freshwater systems (lakes, rivers, etc.) • Aquatic systems are shaped by: • Water temperature, salinity, and dissolved nutrients • Wave action, currents, depth • Substrate type and animal and plant life • More about this in the next unit!

5. Temperate deciduous forest • Deciduous trees lose their leaves each fall and remain dormant during winter • Mid-latitude forests in Europe, East China, Eastern North America • Fertile soils • Forests: oak, beech, maple

6. Temperate grasslands • More extreme temperature difference between winter and summer • Less precipitation • Also called steppe or prairie • Once widespread throughout parts of North and South America and much of central Asia • Much was converted for agriculture • Bison, prairie dogs, antelope, and ground-nesting birds

7. Temperate Grassland

8. Temperate Grassland Purple needlegrass Blue Grama Buffalo grass Galleta Asters Blazing Stars Coneflowers Goldenrods Sunflowers Clovers Psoraleas Wild Indigos

9. Temperate rainforest • Coastal Pacific Northwest region • Great deal of precipitation • Coniferous trees: cedar, spruce, hemlock, fir • Moisture-loving animals • Banana slug • The fertile soil is susceptible to erosion and landslides. • Overharvesting has driven species to extinction and ruined human communities.

10. Temperate Forest

11. Temperate Forest Oak Hickory Beech Hemlock Maple Basswood Cottonwood Elm Willow Spring-flowering herbs

12. Bank Vole Black Bear Gray Squirrel Raccoon White-tailed Deer Wild Boar Cardinal Goshawk Turkey Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Rat Snake Spring Peeper

13. Temperate Forest

14. Tropical rainforest • Central and South America, southeast Asia, west Africa • Year-round rain and warm temperatures • Dark and damp • Lush vegetation • Highly diverse species, but at low densities • Very poor, acidic soils • Nutrients contained in plants

15. Tropical Forests

16. Tropical Forests Lianas Epiphytes (grow on another plant) Ferns Moss Curare Forest Canopy Palms

17. Tropical Forests White-faced Monkey Tree frog Toucan Vine Snake Gecko Vested Anteater Transparent butterfly Jaguar Unicorn grasshopper Red-eyed tree frog Silver-throated Tanager Tropical king snake Scorpion

19. Tropical dry forest • Tropical deciduous forest • India, Africa, South America, northern Australia • Wet and dry seasons • Warm, but less rainfall • Much has been converted to agriculture • Erosion-prone soil

20. Savanna • Tropical grassland interspersed with trees • Africa, South America, Australia, India • Precipitation only during rainy season • Water holes • Zebras, gazelles, giraffes, lions, hyenas

21. Giraffes Zebras Water buffaloes Cheetah Baboon Ants Crocodile Wild Dog Termites Meerkats Lions Leopards Hyenas Elephants Rhinoceros

22. Desert • Minimal precipitation • Some deserts are bare, with sand dunes (Sahara). • Some deserts are heavily vegetated (Sonoran). • They are not always hot. • Temperatures vary widely • Saline soils (“lithosols”) • Nocturnal or nomadic animals • Plants have thick skins or spines.

24. Hot and Dry Desert Yuccas Ocotillo Turpentine bush Prickly Pears False mesquite Sotol Ephedras Agaves Brittlebush

25. Snakes LizardsTortoiseBighorn Sheep CoyoteAnts TarantulaTarantula Wasp

26. Semiarid Desert Creosote bush Bur sage White thorn Cat claw Mesquite Brittle bushes Lyciums Jujube

27. Semiarid Desert Kangaroo rats Rabbits Skunks Side-blotched Lizard Mountain Lion Mule Deer Rattlesnake Burrowing owls Western Bluebird

29. Tundra • Canada, Scandinavia, Russia • Minimal precipitation • Nearly as dry as a desert • Seasonal variation in temperature • Extremely cold winters • Permafrost: permanently frozen soil • Few animals: polar bears, musk oxen, caribou • Lichens and low vegetation with few trees

30. Tundra: The Not-So Barren Land

31. Boreal forest (taiga) • Canada, Alaska, Russia, Scandinavia • Variation in temperature and precipitation • Cool and dry climate • Long, cold winters • Short, cool summers • Poor, acidic soil • Few evergreen tree species • Moose, wolves, bears, migratory birds

32. Taiga Plants Balsam Fir Black Spruce Douglas-fir Paper Birch Eastern Red Cedar Jack Pine Siberian White Fir White Poplar Spruce White Spruce

33. Taiga Animals American Black Bear Bald Eagle Bobcat Canadian Lynx Gray Wolf Grizzly Bear Long-Eared Owl Red Fox River Otter Snowshoe Rabbit Wolverine

34. Boreal forests, or taiga

35. Chaparral • Mediterranean Sea, California, Chile, and southern Australia • High seasonal • Mild, wet winters • Warm, dry summers • Frequent fires • Densely thicketed, evergreen shrubs