This document provides information about different ecosystems and biomes. It defines an ecosystem as the interactions between living and nonliving things in a place, and a biome as a large region with similar climate and organisms. It then describes several major biomes in more detail, including tundra, temperate forest, tropical rainforest, desert, savanna, grassland, and chaparral. Each biome section provides examples of characteristic plants, animals, climates, and locations.

1. Ecosystems and Biomes
Module 12

2. Ecosystems
 Ecosystems are the
interactions between the living
things and the nonliving things
in a place. In an ecosystem,
the plants, animals, and other
organisms rely on each other
and on the physical
environment – the soil, water,
and nutrients, for example.
 Even though they are living in
the same place, each species
in an ecosystem has its own
role to play. This role is called
a niche. The niche for one
species might be to climb trees
and eat their fruit, while the
niche for another species
might be to hunt for small
rodents. For a tree, a niche
might be to grow tall and make
food with the Sun’s energy
through the process of
photosynthesis. If the niche of
two species is very similar,
they might compete for food or
other resources.

3. Biomes
 A biome is made of
many similar
ecosystems. An
ecosystem is often
much smaller than a
biome, although the
size varies.
 Biomes are large
regions of the world
with similar plants,
animals, and other
living things that are
adapted to the climate
and other conditions.

4. Biomes
 Biomes are large regions of the world with similar plants, animals,
and other living things that are adapted to the climate and other
conditions. Explore the links below to learn more about different
biomes.
 Tundra
 Taiga
 Temperate forest
 Tropical rainforest
 Desert
 Grassland
 Ocean biome

6. Tundra
Arctic Moss
Arctic Fox
Temperature never gets
above 50 degrees F.
Located near the Poles

7. Characteristics of Tundra
Extremely cold climate
Low biotic diversity
Simple vegetation
structure
Limitation of drainage
Short season of growth
and reproduction
Energy and nutrients in
the form of dead organic
material

8. Alpine Tundra
Alpine tundra is located on
mountains throughout the
world at high altitude where
trees cannot grow. The
growing season is
approximately 180 days.
The nighttime temperature
is usually below freezing.
Unlike the arctic tundra, the
soil in the alpine is well
drained
Very Cold All Year
High Elevation

9. Alpine Tundra
 Mammals: Arctic fox, mountain goats, sheep, elk
 Birds: grouselike birds, snowy owls, Harlequin
duck
 Insects: springtails, beetles, grasshoppers,
butterflies

10. Temperate (Deciduous) Forest
Temperate forests occur in
eastern North America,
northeastern Asia, and
western and central
Europe.
Well-defined seasons with
a distinct winter
characterize this forest
biome.
Moderate climate and a
growing season of 140-200
days during 4-6 frost-free
months distinguish
temperate forests.

11. Temperate (Deciduous) Forest
squirrels, rabbits, skunks,
birds, deer, mountain lion,
bobcat, timber wolf, fox,
and black bear.

12. Tropical Rainforest
Bamboo
Hardwood trees
Tropical birds: parrots
Hot, humid and very rainy
Found at 15 to 25 degrees
latitude

13. Tropical Rainforest

14. Desert
Cactus
Lizards
Snakes
Owls
Little rain
Temperatures can vary
widely
Covers 12% of the earth

15. Four Major Types of Desert
There are four major types
of deserts:
Hot and Dry
Semiarid
Coastal
Cold

16. Savanna
LOCATION: Savannas are
comprised mostly of
grasses and a few
scattered trees. They cover
half the surface of Africa,
large areas of Australia,
South America, and India.
Savannas can result from
climate changes, soil
conditions, animal behavior,
or agricultural practices.
Humans create savannas
by burning grasslands and
cutting down trees so they
can plant crops. Elephants
destroy trees and trample
seedlings.

17. Savanna

18. Grasslands

19. Grassland
Grasslands are
characterized as lands
dominated by grasses
rather than large shrubs or
trees. There are two main
divisions of grasslands:
tropical grasslands, called
savannas, and
temperate grasslands.

20. Chaparral

21. Chaparral
The chaparral biome is found in a
little bit of most of the continents -
the west coast of the United
States, the west coast of South
America
Lay of the land: The chaparral
biome has many different types of
terrain. Some examples are flat
plains, rocky hills and mountain
slopes. It is sometimes used in
movies for the "Wild West".
Chaparral is characterized as
being very hot and dry. As for the
temperature, the winter is very mild
and is usually about 10 °C. Then
there is the summer. It is so hot
and dry at 40 °C that fires and
droughts are very common

22. Regions of North Carolina
Mountains
Piedmont
Coastal Region

23. Mountains
Fir Trees
Spruce Trees
Mammals
Amphibians
Fish

24. Piedmont
Pines
Hardwoods
Reptiles
Mammals
Birds
Fish

25. Coastal Plain
Bald cypress
American Alligator

26. Sources
 http://www.mbgnet.net/sets/taiga/animals/
 http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/alpine.htm
 http://a-z-animals.com/reference/temperate-forest/
 http://kids.nceas.ucsb.edu/biomes/taiga.html
 http://idahoptv.org/dialogue4kids/season13/id_ecosystems/grasslan
ds.cfm
 http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/tundra.htm
 http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/habitats/tun
dra-profile/
 http://www.windows2universe.org/earth/ecosystems.html