This document discusses the major terrestrial biomes of the world. It defines biomes as large ecosystems characterized by climate and organisms adapted to that climate. The major biomes discussed include tropical rainforest, tropical dry forest, tropical savannah, desert, temperate grasslands, temperate woodlands/shrublands, temperate forest, northwestern coniferous forest, boreal forest/taiga, and tundra. For each biome, the document lists characteristics to research such as temperature, precipitation, soil type, common plants, animals, human impacts, and other interesting facts. Additional ecosystems described briefly are mountain ranges and polar ice caps.

1. Walk Thru The Biomes
and Ecology Part 2

2. Biomes
 Terrestrial ecosystems that cover a large region of Earth
 Characterized by communities of plants and other organisms adapted to the
climate and other abiotic factors

3. Major Terrestrial Biomes
 Temperate Woodland/shrubland
Tropical Rainforest (Chaparral)
Tropical Dry Forest  Temperate forest
Tropical Savannah  Northwestern Coniferous
Desert  Boreal Forest/Taiga
Temperate Grasslands (Prairie)  Tundra
What You Need To Find For Each Biome:
Temp:
Precipitation:
Soil:
Plants:
Animals:
Human Impact/degradation:
Other Facts:

4. What You Need To Find For Each Biome:
Temp:
Precipitation:
Soil:
Plants:
Animals:
Human Impact/degradation:
Other Facts:

5. Tropical Rainforest
 Canopy: dense covering of tree
tops
 Understory: 2nd story of shorter
trees and vines under the canopy
 Fern Gully/Medicine Man

6. Tropical Dry Forest
 Deciduous trees: broad leaves that fall
 Wet/Dry season
 “Jungle Book” forest

7. Tropical Savannah
 In the tropics
 Wet/dry season
 Large mammals keep large trees from
growing in
 Less rainfall than tropical Dry forest
 Organisms ADAPT to fires during dry
season
 Think “Lion King”

8. Desert
 Around 25-35o Latitude N and S
 Hot Days and Cold Nights
 Plants and animal adaptations
 Spines, waxy cuticles, scales
 Think “The Mummy” and “The Sahara”
 Rain shadow effect

9. Rain shadow
Effect
 Warm air on coast
rises rapidly because
of mountain
 “Orographic lifting”
 Lots of precipitation
on one side=lush
vegetation
 Other side very dry
air=desert like
conditions

10. Temperate
Woodland/Shrubland/Chaparral
 Dense shrubs
 Mediterranean, California coast
 Brush fires

11. Temperate Grassland
 prairies
 Midwest (Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri)
 Brush fires
 Think movie “Twister” “Wizard of Oz” and
“Little House on the Prairie”

12. Temperate Forest
 Mix of coniferous and deciduous trees
 Humus (HUE-Mus) material formed from
decaying leaves….very fertile!!!
 Forests with leaves that change colors
 Think fairy tale forest “Snow White” and
“Sleeping Beauty”

13. Northwestern Coniferous
 “Rainforest” of the temperate climate
zone…very DIVERSE vegetation
 Mild, moist temperatures
 Think “Twilight” “New Moon” “Eclipse”

14. Boreal Forest/ Taiga
 Bitter cold winters
 Coniferous trees
 Make the timberline…border between taiga
and the tundra…LINE of TREES
 Think “X-Men Origins”…Wolverine’s home

15. Tundra
 Permafrost: layer of
permanently frozen subsoil
 “Ice Age”

16. Other interesting
ecosystems…
 Mountain Ranges
 On all continents
 Abiotic and biotic factors change with ELAVATION (as u go
up)
 Therefore plants and animals change VERTICALLY
 Grassland at base woodland/pines spruce/conifer
forest tundra like open area at summit with
wildflowers
 Polar Ice Caps
 Border the Tundra
 Cold year round
 Characterized by ice and snow
 Plants and algae are few but include Mosses and Lichens
 North Pole
 Sea ice and ice cap that covers Greenland
 Polar bears, seals, insects and mites
 South Pole
 5 km thick layer of ice
 Penguins and marine mammals