Ecology: The BiomesYou will understand and explain the difference s between Earth’s major Biomes

Recall: What is the basis for most ecosystems?Energy derived from Sunlight

is converted to food energy

Organisms that do this are called Primary Producers or Autotrophs

Recall: How is energy Transferred? Food Energy transferred through

predator/prey relationships

Herbivores- eat plants Carnivores – eat animal tissue Omnivores- eat both types of material Scavengers- eat dead or decaying

organic matter

Food Relationships produce a structure to the ecosystem Structure is best known as the Trophic

Pyramid

Pyramid design shows both the numbers of organisms goes down (by power of 10) as you go up pyramid

It also shows how energy is lost through each transition between levels

TROPHIC PYRAMID

So What is a Biome?

Biome – is the precise habitat of organisms as defined by its Abiotic Factors (primarily vegetation and precipitation amounts for land and amount of light, salinity, pressure and depth for aquatic environments)

4 Basic Land Biomes Forests - dominated by tree growth

Tropical Deciduous (Temperate) Taiga (Coniferous Trees)

Temperate Forest Biome

Tropical Forest

4 Land Biomes Grasslands- dominated by grasses

Savannah (tropical) Temperate Grassland Biome

Savannah Biome

4 Land Biomes Tundra- treeless, and cold with

permafrost year-round Arctic- Extreme Northern area Alpine- mountain regions

Tundra Biome

4 Land Biomes Deserts – dominated by lack of rainfall

Hot n Dry “traditional deserts” Coastal -found near coastlines Semi-Arid- Warm summers, cool winters Cold- Antarctica

Desert Biome

2 Basic Aquatic Biomes Freshwater- low salinity, created from

Run off from land Rivers and Streams Ponds and Lakes Wetlands Aquatic Biomes

2 Aquatic Biomes Marine- largest Biome on Earth

Intertidal/Coastal Estuaries (rivers enter oceans) Pelagic Deep Water Aquatic Biomes