biome
large region characterized by climate and types of plants and animal
named by their vegetation
plants that grow in an area determine the organism that live there
Climate versus WeatherClimate - average weather conditions in an area over a
long period of time
2 most important factors that determine region’s climate:
Temperature and precipitation
Weather – day-to-day conditions
sunny, snowy,
Climatographs – describe conditions of a biome
• Latitude (distance from equator) and altitude (height above sea level) determine the temperature and precipitation of a biome
• same biomes are in the same latitude
• Some variations among organisms in same biome based on soil, elevation, wind exposure, and sun exposure
Net Primary Production
• Gross primary production – rate the producers carry out conversion of energy
• Net primary production – biomass that remains after cellular respiration
• Net primary productivity – rate that producers convert energy to biomass
• Warmer, wetter biomes have higher net primary productivity (plants need sunlight, water, and warm temps to grow)
Tropical Rain Forest• Near the equator
• Year-round warm temps
• 12 hour days
• More rain than any other biome – almost 7 feet per year
• Nutrient- poor soil
• 20% of the earth was once covered with tropical rain forest
• Now, only 7%
most nutrients are within plants, not within the
soil
leaves and other plant material fall to the
ground, decomposers break down dead
organism
nutrients returned to soil, but plants quickly
absorb the nutrients
Layers of the Rain ForestEmergent Layer
top layer, tallest treesgrow in direct sun
Canopytall dense coveringkeep forest dark and damp
Understoryshorter trees and plantsand shrubscompete for available sunlight
Plant Adaptations• Tall trees to gather sunlight
• Large, flat leaves to maximize light absorption
• Pitcher plants to trap animals
• Predatory plant life
• Epiphytes – grow on other plants to gain height advantage for sunlight
• Buttresses – aboveground roots to provide stability for thin soil
• Bright colors – lure pollinators because not much wind
• Fast growing seeds – compete for sunlight
• One hectare in the deciduous forest: only a few species
• One hectare in the Tropical Rain Forest: more than a 100 species
• One hectare =10,000m or 2.471 acresAnimal Adaptations• Live in canopy because more fruits and
flowers• special adaptations for capturing prey• Camouflage• anteater uses long tongue to reach
insects in small cracks • shaped like leaves or twigs• Long prehensile tails and limbs
Tropical Dry Forest• Warm year-round• Wet and dry seasons• Plant adaptations
– Deciduous lose leaves to reduce water loss during dry seasons
– Some trees have bark that contains chlorophyll (ceibo tree) to still maintain photosynthesis
– Extra coating of wax on leaves to prevent water loss
– Deeper roots to seek water– Store water– Thick bark to protect against fires
Animal Adaptations
• Adapted to seasonal fluctuations in precipitation and temperature
• Estivation
• migrate
Savanna (tropical grassland)grasslands cover some parts of Africa, Western India, Northern Australia, and parts of South America (between tropical dry and deserts)
• Less rain than tropical dry forests but more rain than deserts
• Grasses interspersed with trees
• Frequent fires and strong winds
• Vertical leaves to prevent water loss
• dry and wet seasons
• Soil is porous so water drains quickly
Plant Adaptations
Deciduous and extra waxy coatings to prevent water loss
Grow quickly to recover from fires
Deep roots to access water
Thick bark to protect from fires
Store water for dry season (baobab trees)
Bitter tastes, rough texture, thorns
Animal Adaptations
Dig for water during dry season (tusks)Grazing Migrate Burrow for protectionEstivationGive birth during rainy season when food and
water is abundant
Temperate rain forest • Characterized by cool
to moderate, humid weather
• Abundant rainfall• Plant Adaptations
• Lots of water and not much light under trees so most plants are low-laying mosses, lichens and ferns
• Coniferous trees – seed-bearing cones• Thick, waxy needles to prevent water loss• Compete for sunlight so being tall is an
advantage
Where is North America’s only temperate rain forest?
located in the Pacific Northwest, the Olympic
National Park in Washington State
Deserts
• less than 25 cm of rain
• little to no vegetation
• extreme temperatures – hot
during day, cold at night
• Soil contains little organic matter
Plant Adaptations• Thick, leathery leaves to reduce water loss
• Succulents – store water in tissues
• Sharp, tough spines – protection and prevents water loss
• Green stems and trunks for photosynthesis
• Shallow roots to gather water quickly
• Taproots – deep roots to search for water
Animal AdaptationsGet water from the food they eat
Release concentrated urine – conserve water
Nocturnal – active at night when cooler
Burrow to avoid hot daytime temperatures
Exaggerated appendages to release body heat
quickly
Sidewinders move so that only small areas of their
bodies contact the hot sand at a given time
Temperate Forest
• Broad-leafed deciduous trees
– Seasonal loss of leaves to avoid damage in winter and remains dormant until spring
– Dropped leaves enrich the soil
• Precipitation is relatively even
• Range of temperatures
• Most of Europe, eastern Asia, and eastern U.S.
Adaptations
Snowshoe hares shed brown summer fur and grow white fur that camouflages it in the winter snowMigrationHibernation – deep, sleeplike state for winter
live off stored fatBuild up fat reserves and hide food
temperate grassland• Mainly grass with very few trees• hot summers and cold winters• Rainfall – moderate (50- 88 cm of precipitation
per/yr)• Most fertile soil of any biome
– Much of U.S. grasslands have become farmland
• prairies and steppes• Susceptible to fires and droughts
adaptations
• Large, flat back teeth for chewing coarse prairie grasses
• Underground burrows- protect from fires, weather, and predators
• Grasses grow from base so they can grow back after grazed upon or fires
• Roots form thick mats to capture moisture and nutrients
Chaparral BiomePrimarily in coastal areas that have Mediterranean climates
California, southern Australia, southern Africa, Europe
Chaparral biomes get lots of sun, are near the oceans, and have a mild climate year-roundideal for commercial and residential use
• dominated by more broadleaf evergreen shrubs • located in areas with hot, dry summers and
mild, wet winters
• plants have small, waxy leaves that retain water
• contain oils that promote burning• Hairs on leaves to retain moisture• Thick bark, deep roots
Why is burning of a chaparral an advantage?
• fires destroy trees that might compete for light and space, helps seeds germinate, recycles nutrients
Boreal forest/taiga
•A region of coniferous forests located in
a broad band across the Northern
Hemisphere just below the Arctic Circle
Long cold winters
Short cool summers
Nutrient poor, acidic soil
winters are 6-10 months long
Adaptations
conical shape of trees sheds snow easilywaxy needlessymbiotic relationship with fungi to take in nutrients
animals feed, breed, and have young in few warm, winter monthssmall extremities and thick insulationchange colors
tundra
Treeless plains located in the Arctic or Antarctic
characterized by:•Very low winter temperatures•Very dry•Short cold summers•Harsh wind, nutrient poor soil•Vegetation close to groundPermafrost - permanently frozen layer of soil or subsoil
Adaptations
Ideal conditions for mosquitoes and other
biting insects when ice in soil melts
Animals migrate to feed on insects or
lichen
Polar bears and musk oxen survive year
round, most others migrate
Thick coats with insulating air spaces and
wide hooves
Polar Ice
• Between tundra and the poles
• Most life found in the water
• Algae grow on ice and snow
• Some fish developed an “antifreeze” protein to keep blood from freezing
• Thick fur or blubber
Mountains
• Climbing in elevation causes rapid climate change
• Plants communities change along the slopes
• Can pass through several biomes by going up a mountain
What factors determines which organisms live in which areas of water?
• Temperature, sunlight, oxygen, salinity (amt. of salt) and nutrients determine which organisms live where
3 Zones• Photic zone
– Uppermost layer– Enough sun for photosynthesis– Most life in this region– More dissolved oxygen– Warmest layer
• Aphotic zone– No sunlight penetrates so no photosynthesis
• Benthic zone– Can be sunlit or pitch dark– Bottom of body of water– Coldest layer– Decomposers, insect larvae, and clams
Littoral zone - shallow zone where light reaches the bottom and nurtures plants
Limnetic - Further from shore
plants, algae, and bacteria use photosynthesis to gain energy
Amphibians bury themselves in the littoral
mud to avoid freezing temperatures.
Whiskers allow catfish to find food on dark bottom of lake
12 types of freshwater wetlands.
• Marshes-contains nonwoody plants, such as cattails.
• Swamps-dominated by woody plants such as trees and shrubs.
important environmental functions that wetlands perform
• Filters or sponges- absorb and remove pollutants; improves water quality
• Control flooding- absorb extra waterwhen rivers overflow
• Feeding and spawning areas for game fish
• Habitat for native and migratory birds• Carbon dioxide trap
– help to reduce atmospheric CO2
• Produce many commercially important products– Example- cranberries.
• Recreation– fishing, bird watching, hiking,
canoeing, photography, and painting
• Provide buffer zone against erosion– protect shorelines
What is the difference between a Mangrove swamp and a freshwater swamp?
Fresh water – water is
non salty, and are ideal
habitat for amphibians,
such as frogs and
salamanders
-A Mangrove swamp
occurs in warm climate,
near the ocean and the
water is salty.
-Prevent erosion
-Protect against damage
from storms
• Salt marshes contain saltier water.
• Organisms are adapted to live within the ecosystem’s range of salinity.
What are the different
kinds of marshes
characterized by?
Their salinity;
Brackish marshes
have slightly salty
water.
What makes a swamp different than a freshwater marsh?
• They occur on flat poorly drained land often near streams, but woody shrubs or water loving trees dominates them.
Where do salt marshes develop?
They develop in estuaries where rivers deposit their load of mineral- rich mud.
salt marshes
estuary
Why are estuaries such a productive ecosystem?
• constantly receive fresh nutrients from both the river and ocean ecosystems
• Provide access to ocean and rivers
• Because estuaries receive plenty of light for photosynthesis and plenty of nutrients for plants and animals
• Producers feed consumers etc.
What special adaptation must organisms have to be able to live in an estuary?
• salt content of the water varies as fresh water and salt water mix when tides go in and out.
• Must be able to tolerate changes in salinity
Why are estuaries vulnerable to the effects of pollution?
• ocean, lake, and river pollutants enter estuaries
• dense human settlements surround most estuaries
Organic pollution from humans
• Marine ecosystems are located mainly in coastal areas and in the open ocean
• Neritic ecosystem – entirely sunlight, great productivity– Kelp forests and coral reefs
• Open ocean– Begins at continental shelf– 90% of ocean water– Most is aphotic
• bioluminescence
coral reef• limestone ridge found in tropical climates and composed of coral
fragments that are deposited around organics remainsHow are coral reefs formed? • Coral polyps secrete skeletons of limestone, (calcium carbonate), which slowly accumulate and forms coral reefs. • Rebuild very slowly
Water that is too hot or cold can damage reefsby killing coralsMuddy water can kill the algae that live within corals
Formation of Coral Reefs