Ecosystems and Biomes
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Transcript of Ecosystems and Biomes
Ecosystems and Biomes
Module 12
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.
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.
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
Arctic Moss
Arctic Fox
Temperature never gets above 50 degrees F.
Located near the Poles
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
Characteristics of 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
Alpine Tundra
Alpine Tundra
Mammals: Arctic fox, mountain goats, sheep, elk
Birds: grouselike birds, snowy owls, Harlequin duck
Insects: springtails, beetles, grasshoppers, butterflies
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.
Temperate (Deciduous) Forest
squirrels, rabbits, skunks, birds, deer, mountain lion, bobcat, timber wolf, fox, and black bear.
Temperate (Deciduous) Forest
Bamboo
Hardwood trees
Tropical birds: parrots
Hot, humid and very rainy
Found at 15 to 25 degrees latitude
Tropical Rainforest
Tropical Rainforest
Cactus
Lizards
Snakes
Owls
Little rain
Temperatures can vary widely
Covers 12% of the earth
Desert
There are four major types of deserts:
Hot and Dry
Semiarid
Coastal
Cold
Four Major Types of Desert
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.
Savanna
Savanna
Grasslands
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.
Grassland
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
Chaparral
Mountains
Piedmont
Coastal Region
Regions of North Carolina
Fir Trees
Spruce Trees
Mammals
Amphibians
Fish
Mountains
Pines
Hardwoods
Reptiles
Mammals
Birds
Fish
Piedmont
Bald cypress
American Alligator
Coastal Plain
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/grasslands.cfm
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/tundra.htm
http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/habitats/tundra-profile/
http://www.windows2universe.org/earth/ecosystems.html