biome

biome

• Regions that have distinctive climates and organisms and that contain many separate but similar

ecosystems

Tropical rain forests

• Warm, wet biome that occurs in a belt around the Earth near the equator and that contains the greatest diversity of organisms on Earth

canopy

• In a forest, the covering of tall tress whose intertwining branches absorb a great amount of sunlight and shade the area beneath

Temperate rain forests

• Cool, humid biome where tree branches are draped with mosses, tree trunks are covered with lichens, and the forest floor is covered with ferns

Temperate deciduous forest

• Forest in an area of extreme seasonal variation in which trees drop their leaves each fall

taiga

• Biome dominated by conifers and characterized by harsh winters; occurs just below the Arctic Circle; also called northern coniferous forest

Chapter 4: Kinds of Ecosystems

• Section 4.1: Forests• Biomes:– Each biome contains many individual ecosystems– Named for their plant life – Climate determines what plant life can grow in a

certain area -temperature and precipitation


• Tropical Rain Forests:– Air is hot and heavy with humidity– Get 100 in of rain a year– Strong sunlight year round, little seasonal variation

in temperature– Climate is ideal for growing plants – more than

another other biome– 1 acre of temperate forest contains about 10 species

of trees, the same area of a tropical rain forest may contain over 100 species


• Tropical Rain Forests:– Plant Adaptations:• Plants grow in layers• Trees more than 100 ft tall form a dense canopy which

absorbs at least 95% of the sunlight• Below the canopy, only trees and shrubs adapted to

shade can grow there – herbs with large leaves• Orchids and monkey ladder vines, use the tall tree

trunks for support high in the canopy, where there is light for photosynthesis


• Tropical Rain Forests:– Animal Adaptations:

• Most rain-forest animals are specialists – organisms adapted to exploit a specific resource in a particular way to avoid competition– Ex: several species of birds called antwrens that eat insects,

but each species catches insects in a different layer of forest vegetation

• Escaping predators• Snaring prey• Camouflage – shaped like leaves or twigs, blend in

perfectly with plants, poisons in their skin that are bright colored to warn predators


• Tropical Rain Forests:– Threats to Rain Forests:• Used to cover 20% of the Earth’s surface, now about

7%• Logging strips rain forests the size of North and South

Carolina combined each year– This leads to plants and animals becoming extinct– Malaysian nomads are often displaced, culture and tradition

lost


• Temperate Forests:– Temperate Rain forests:

• Occur in North and South America, Australia and New Zealand

• Pacific Northwest is the only area of temperate rain forest in America

• 300 ft. tall evergreen trees, ferns; cool, humid climate, rarely freezes

– Temperate Deciduous Forests:• Trees drop their leaves in the fall• Seasonal variations can be extreme (95° - below freezing)• Rainfall = 30 – 100”/ year – contributes to rich, deep soils


– Temperate deciduous forests• Plant adaptations:

– Plants grow in layers» Forest floor gets more sun than in the rain forest so

ferns, herbs, and mosses grow– Adapted to survive seasonal changes

» Winter: shed leaves (not enough moisture to support them), underground stems become dormant

» Spring: grow leaves, seeds germinate


– Temperate deciduous forests:• Animal Adaptations:

– Exploit the forest plants for food and shelter » Squirrels eat nuts, seeds, and fruits in the tree tops» Bears eat the leaves and berries of plants» Birds nest in the safety of the canopy» Mammals and insects hibernate for the winter, birds fly

south


• Taiga:– Rough terrain– Forest floor is sparsely vegetated– Also known as the northern coniferous forest– Stretches across the northern hemisphere, just

below the arctic circle• Long, extremely cold winters • 50 days of growing season• Most precipitation falls as snow


• Taiga:– Plant adaptations:

• Conifer: a tree whose seeds develop in cones• Leaves’ narrow shape and waxy coating retain water for the

tree when the moisture in the ground is frozen• Pointed shape helps shed snow which would otherwise

crush it• Dominate tree species: pine, hemlock, fir, and spruce• Conifer needles contain acidic substances that acidify the

soil when the needles fall– Most plants can’t grow in acidic soil so forest floor is bare except

for blueberries, ferns, and mosses


• Taiga:– Animal Adaptations:

• Lakes and swamps attract birds, fish, and other wetland organisms

• Birds migrate south for the winter• Shrews and voles burrow underground during the winter• Moose and arctic hares (rabbits) eat what vegetation

they can find• Hares have adapted to avoid predation by lynx, wolves,

and foxes by shedding their brown summer fur and growing white fur to blend into the snow.

biome

Documents

Transcript of biome