Biomes

1. Biomes

2. Tundra: Climate:In U.S., found only in Alaska. Is extremely cold and dry. Receives less than 25cm of precipitation a year. Frozen layer of soil is called permafrost.Plant: Consists mostly of mosses, grasses, and lichens.Animals: Caribou, wolves, and lemmings.

3. Wetlands of the tundra.

4. Caribou on Arctic Tundra of Alaska

5. Alpine Tundra of the Rocky Mountains. What animals might you find in this biome?

6. Alpine Tundra of the White Mountains, New Hampshire

7. Aerial View of Arctic Tundra and Tiaga of Alaska

8. Coniferous Forests: Climate: Also called a taiga. Forest floor is frozen in the winter months, wet and swampy in the warm months. Found in Alaska and high Rocky Mountains. Rainfall is between 50 and 125 cm/yr.Plants: Needle leaved trees called Conifers. Includes the Redwoods of California.Animals: Includes Wolves, Deer, Bear, Moose,Beaver, Hares, Squirrels, and Owls.

9. Paper Birch, Balsam Fir, and White Spruce in eastern Michigan.

10. What animal is shown on this slide?

11. The climate of the mountains high above Death Valley is cooler and more moist than the valley below, allowing for the growth of White Fir and Limber Pines.

12. Outside the Olympic National Park, the world's largest species of Spruce and Thuja (Western Redcedar) are harvested, leaving another 200-300 years for the forests to regain old-growth characteristics (if they don't cut again in 60 years).

13. The two foot thick bark of a Giant Sequoia normally prevents such large fire scars as this tree has. But within the thousands of years that these trees persist, many fires may have "tried" and failed to kill the tree.

14. Lichens, Fraser Fir (branches), and Red Spruce (Bark) in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennesse.

15. Giant Sequoia, the largest of tree species on Earth, grows along side of Sugar Pine (just left of big tree), the biggest of pines on Earth.

16. Giant Sequoias as shown here, grow only in patches in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. The tallest trees on earth are the Coast Redwoods, which grow only along the coastal fog belt of California. Despite their increasing rarity, old-growth Coast Redwoods are still being cut for lumber outside of parks. The Giant Sequoias are safe from loggers, because their wood ruptures as soon as the giants hit the ground. What are the largest trees(in diameter) in the world?

17. Coniferous Firs in Glacier National Park, Montana.

18. Many different trees in more than one biome.What are some biomes represented?

19. Trilisa and Saw Palmetto grow as understory plants in this pine forest in the Florida panhandle.

20. This is a pine forest in a southern Mississippi. Note the fire-blackened bark. Small frequent fires help keep this forest healthy.

21. Longleaf Pine. Longleaf Pine grows as a grass like plant for its first few years; its bud protected from from ground fires by its long needles. Later, the tree shoots up from the ground without branching, reaching over five feet in a season (foreground).

22. In the mixed forests of the Great Lakes, conifers dominate under two different conditions. Dry south-facing upland bluffs (especially sand) support pines. Wet, boggy (acidic) soils support other trees such as fir and tamarack.

23. Deciduous Forests: Climate: Cover eastern half of U.S. warm summers and cold winters. Rainfall is 75 to150 cm/yr. Plants: Deciduous trees shed leaves in autumn. Include Oak, Birch, Maple, Beech, and Hickory. Animals: Include many song birds, snakes, Squirrels and Racoons.

24. The different colors of orange are from Sugar Maples.

25. Fall time view looking southeast from the fire tower in Frozen Head State Park.

26. This slide represent Michigan's largest stand of virgin Great Lakes Mixed Forest. Red and White Pines occur along the south facing ridge (left). The many other dark green patches are Eastern Hemlock in the virgin forests. Sugar Maple flowers give the light yellow-green patches.

27. Tuliptree is a pioneer tree which persists in old-growth stands in the Great Smoky Mountains. The Smokies have the largest remaining stands of virgin forests in the eastern U.S. They are known for their decidous forests.

28. Tropical Rainforests: Climate:Found in Hawaii. Rainfall is at least 200 cm/yr. Temp is warm.Plants: Many and diverse. Tops of trees form a canopy.Animals: Include Parrots, Toucans, bats, insects, tree Frogs and snakes.

29. Hoh Rain Forest in Olympic National Park, Washington. Mosses drape the branches of Sitka Spruce and Western Hemlock.

30. Cloud forests of Costa Rica are similar to those in southern Mexico. What are some animals that could be found in this forest?

31. A view of the Tropical Rain Forest in Costa Rica.

32. Areas of rain forests are cleared to make room for banana plantations and cattle ranches. Although this practice is detrimental to biodiversity, it has not stopped similar practices that have destroyed temperate forests.

33. Grasslands: Climate: Rainfall is 25 to 75 cm/yr. Has hot summers and cold winters.Plants: Mostly Grasses. Few trees because of low rainfall and fires.Animals: Include Gophers, Prairie Dogs, Prairie Chickens and Bison.

34. Iowa Grassland - Low wet spot

35. This guy is waving to the buffalo...

36. This is the Iowa Prairie with different grasses Biome:

37. Deserts: Climate: Rainfall is less than 25 cm/yr. Located in SouthWestern U.S. Plants: Include Cacti and Yucca(tree.) Animals: Include Kangaroo Rat, Jack Rabbits and Cougars.

38. Plants in the desert usually have very small-thick leaves (or none at all). Why would desert plants have small thick leaves or none at all?

39. Because the dry climate inhibits plant growth, there are few roots to hold down the soil. Sand Dunes form in some desert areas as Death Valley (shown here). Death Valley is in the rain shadow of the Panamint Range and the Sierra Nevada. Death Valley is below sealevel, and would be become large lake if it received enough rain.