World climate & biomes
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The document discusses the major biomes of the world. It defines climate as long-term weather patterns in a large region, while a biome describes the community of living and non-living things in an area including the climate, plants, animals, soil and more. The five main biomes described are aquatic, desert, grassland, forest, and tundra. Each biome has a unique climate and supports distinct plant and animal life adapted to that environment.
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World climate & biomes
- 1. World Climates & Biomes Where the world's "spheres" come together.
- 4. Areas around the globe within the tropics are warm & wet Areas within 23.5 o N and S of the Equator are called the tropics
- 7. World Climate - Overview
- 10. Aquatic Biomes - cover 75% of our planet
- 17. Desert Biomes - cover 20% of land surfaces
- 25. Forests - cover 30% of Earth's surface
- 33. Tundra - covers 20% of Earth's land
- 37. Overview of World Biomes
Editor's Notes
- By far the biggest factor of global climate is latitude.
- - water absorbs a great amount of heat (it heats up and cools down slower than land) - water evaporates into the air, which blows inland and cools as it is pushed over mountain ranges, resulting in rain and snow
- - water absorbs a great amount of heat (it heats up and cools down slower than land) - water evaporates into the air, which blows inland and cools as it is pushed over mountain ranges, resulting in rain and snow
- Pacific Ocean, Dead Sea, Great Salt Lake Lake Erie, Amazon River
- Pacific Ocean, Dead Sea, Great Salt Lake Lake Erie, Amazon River
- Birds, fish, marine mammals, insects, mollusks, crustaceans, etc.
- Bull kelp, Barnacles, Puffin, frosted nudibranch, octipus, lionfish, rockweed, sea star (echinoderm), Albino manta ray, seal, shark, coelacanth, swimming sea cucumber, basket star, brine shrimp, blue whale, plankton
- Pacific Ocean, Dead Sea, Great Salt Lake Lake Erie, Amazon River
- lake Malawi fish (Africa)
- diatoms (algae), beaver, lily pads, crane, dragonfly, catfish, garter snake eating spotted frog, water strider, carnivorous pitcher plant
- 20% or 1/5 of land surface Africa, Australia, Middle East, Southwestern US Polar Regions considered deserts because all moisture is trapped as ice. Few coastal deserts
- When it does rain, it is not uncommon for the rain to evaporate before hitting the ground Sahara Desert in western Libya (Middle East), Sonoran Desert in Arizona
- Gobi Desert (Bactrian camels), Utah Great Basin Desert
- camels store fat in humps that, when metabolized, provide some of the water they need (Bactrian, 2-humped camels in cold deserts) (Dromedary, 1-hump camels in subtropical deserts) Prickly pear, Old Man Cactus, White-Winged Dove on Saguro cactus, Sand Cat kitten, Zebratail lizard, Rock Hyrax
- Joshua Tree, Iguana, Barrel cactus, Pinyon Jay, Lichen (fungus) Coyote, Gila Monster, Diamondback rattlesnake, Bactrian Camel, fishhook cactus Lots of birds and insects, too
- Prairies a.k.a. Steppes in Europe & Asia with shorter grass and less moisture
- Buffalo Grass, (prairie dogs, jack rabbits, ground squirrels, and gophers) and bison, pronghorn antelope, and elk badger, coyote, ferret, wolf, and cougar.
- Conifers = cone-bearing trees such as pine, fir and cedar, spruce. (Tamarack, Hemlock) Needles conserve water loss, allow for photosynthesis any time temperature rises above freezing. Moose, beaver, squirrel, lynx, bats, bears, hawks, bald eagle, deer (wolverine, snowshoe rabbit - brown in summer, pine marten, hairy woodpecker, Andean Condor, red fox)
- Canopy is thinner, allowing more light for photosynthesis and warmth for growth on the forest floor. Oak, maple, sycamore, beech, chestnut, walnut, and hickory. (Gingko, Sumac, Sweet Gum) (Spring peeper - frog the size of a paper clip, Eastern Newt, Box Turtle) (skunk - doesn't hibernate, but enters a state of torpor, Cardinal)
- However, constant warmth and moisture promote rapid decay of organic matter that is quickly utilized (often without it returning to the soil).
- Cacao & Rubber - trees, Black pepper & Rattan - vine, Vanilla - an orchid, Sugar cane & bamboo - grasses, Cassava & Banana - starchy fruits of plants, Nutmeg/Mace & coffee- shrubs Rafflesia arnoldi - largest flower in the world. Its flowers may be eaten by rodents and small mammals. It is a parasite of the tetrastigma vine and since it lacks chlorophyll, leaves, and roots, it relies on the vine's nutrients to sustain it. It must be in the proximity of a flower of the opposite sex in order to reproduce. Pollinating insects aid this process. The rafflesia emits a pungent odor that smells of rotting flesh. This attracts insects and so helps the process of pollination. it can grow to up to 150 centimeters in diameter. Its large size increases the likelihood that more insects and other animals will find it and carry its seeds to another flower, enabling it to reproduce.
- 2-toed Sloth, Kinkajou, Okapi, Spider monkeys, ocelot Blue Jeans Dart frog, Anaconda, Komodo Dragon - “After digestion, the Komodo Dragon regurgitates a mass of horns, hair, and teeth known as the gastric pellet, which is covered in malodorous mucus. After regurgitating the gastric pellet, it rubs its face in the dirt or on bushes to get rid of the mucus, suggesting that it, like humans, does not relish the scent of the mucus.” Capybara, tree shrew, bats blending in with bark Toucan, Macaw, Cockatoo Katydid, Caterpillar, Pleasing fungus beetles
- Mammals: reindeer, musk ox, bighorn sheep, lemmings, Birds: ptarmigan, snow bunting, grouse Insects: bumblebees (snowy owl, caribou, pika, polar bear, tundra swans)