Biomes Flashcards
What are Biomes?
Biomes are communities of plants and animals that extend over large areas due to similarities of climate within the area of the biome
What is an ecosystem?
An ecosystem is the interaction of living and non-living things in an environment.
What are 4 types of biomes?
Tropical Rainforest
Temperate Forest
Desert
Tundra
Taiga/ Boreal Forest
Grassland (Temperate)
Mountain
Polar
What is spatial Distribution?
Spatial distribution is the arrangement of a phenomenon across the Earth’s surface
What factors affect a biome?
Climate
Latitude
Altitude and landforms
Ocean currents
Soil
What is Climate?
Climate refers to the average temperature and rainfall of a place over a period of time (usually annually).
It affects flora and fauna
What is latitude?
Latitude is where you are situated in regards to the equator for example the suns rays are most direct near the Equator. The closer you are to the Equator, the more you will feel the heat and energy from the sun.
CLOSER TO EQUATOR - HIGHER TEMP CLOSER TO POLES - LOWER TEMP
What is altitude?
Altitude (the height of something above sea level) affects climate. The higher a place is above sea level, the colder the air temperature. Temperatures fall by 0.65ºC for every 100m elevation.
What are ocean currents and air movement?
When cold ocean currents flow close to a warm land mass, a desert forms. This is because when the ocean is cold, it cools the air above it, which means it will not evaporate, making the air drier.
This dry air moves over the warm land and heats up, making it less likely to release any moisture (rain). These areas of land then become arid and desert like.
What is soil?
The quality of soil is determined by a number of factors including temperature, rainfall and the rock and minerals that make up bedrock (which is the basis of soil).
