Biomes Flashcards
What is a biome and how is it defined?
A biome is a large ecological area which contains plants and animals showing adaptation to their environment. It’s defined by:
- Topography (region’s physical features such as mountains and elevation)
- Climate
- Soil
- Vegetation
What is a Tundra?
A Tundra is the coldest of all land biomes and has the least bio-diversity capacity. There are two types:
- Arctic Tundra
- Alpine Tundra
What is the arctic tundra?
The arctic tundra is located around the north pole in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern Russia, Canada, and part of Scandinavia
- Moss, Lichen, grasses, and low growing shrubs
- Very Cold
- Less than 10 in of rain a year
- Permafrost is seen, soil is permanently frozen, this prevents drainage, thus soil stays waterlogged
- Treeless biome
- Oxen, bears, wolves, arctic foxes, and birds are found here. Fish such as cod and salmon too.
- -30 C is seen during the winter and 10 C is seen during the summer
- Caribou herds can be seen during its annual migration
- This is a fragile biome, since plants and animals must survive extreme cold
What is the Alpine Tundra?
The Alpine Tundra is found at high altitudes on mountain tops, about 11,000 feet or more.
- Similar to the arctic tundra, but lacks a permafrost or if one is present, it is poorly developed
- Trees cannot grow here, and there is little vegetation cover.
- Birds and mountain goats are seen frequently, sheep and elk too
- The Alps, Himalayas, and Scandinavian mountains have alpine tundras
- Climate becomes colder as you climb in elevation
- Plants such as grasses and low woody shrubs dominate the landscape. These plants are subject to high radiation, wind, cold, and snow
- low precipitation, around 10 inches a year
What is the Taiga?
The Taiga is also known as the coniferous forest
- It’s the largest terrestrial biome apart from the ocean
- vegetation dominated by Spruce, Fir, Hemlock, and Pine Trees. (Cone trees - Coniferous)
- Cool Summers, cold winters, and short growing season of about 4 months
- Also called the boreal forest
- Alaska, Canada, Russia, Norway, Sweden, Finland, etc.
- Many animals like bears, moose, lynx, fox, wolves, deer, hawks, etc. Most have fur to protect them from the cold
- Extensive logging may one day lead to the loss of a lot of these forests.
- Fires are common, but not as devastating as logging, as fires help release potassium back into the ground and promote new life
- The fallen pine needles do not decompose easily. The mycorrhizal fungi that grows on the roots of the coniferous trees help to decompose them. In return they provide nutrients for the fungi
Temperate deciduous forest
The temperature deciduous forest is found south of the Taiga with similar plants
- Relatively high rainfall, about 50 in a year. 50 F is the annual temperature
- Dominated by deciduous trees that lose their leaves every year
- Warm moist summers, mild winters
- Oak, Maple, beech, and elm trees. Very fertile soil
- Seasonal appearance and disappearance of a canopy
- Many animals are here, including: deer, raccoons, porcupines, and foxes.
- The animals show adaptations for the changing seasons. Hibernation, migration, fur growth, etc
- Found in the eastern US, Canada, Europe, China, and japan, NYC, Boston, Toronto, Chicago, Minneapolis, etc
What is the tropical rain forest?
The tropical rain forest is found in the equatorial parts of Central America, South America, Africa, and SouthEast Asia
- Mean daily temperature is the same throughout the year
- Rainfall is abundant all year long, 155 inches is not unusual
- The highest diversity of plants and animals inhabit this biome. The hot and humid environment allows for an ideal climate for microorganisms. Millions of unknown insects and arthropods still exist in this biome
- Tropical rainforests produce 40% of the oxygen on earth
- 70% of the plants are trees with very elaborate stereochemistry. We can use these elaborate chemicals to make drugs. Quinine from the cinchona tree can be used to treat malaria, etc.
- Epiphytes are seen here
- Highly stratified canopy is seen. The soil is not very fertile, but due to the high temperature, net production is very high
- Mycorrhizal associations are common, they allow trees to obtain nutrients
- The dense canopy prevents little light from reaching the forest floor. Few plants grow on the forest floor, giving animals and humans a fairly easy path to walk through.
- The amazon basis is the largest continuous rain forest
What is a desert
A desert occurs in regions having less than 10 in of rainfall a year
- Found in latitudes about 30 degrees north and south or even interior latitudes such as the Gobi desert
- Can be warm or cold. The North American deserts are hot like mexico, but cold deserts include Antarctica and Greenland. Only about 5% of North America is desert
- Very dry land
- The Sahara desert is the worlds largest hot desert
- Since there is very little water vapor in the air, the nights in the desert are often very cold. A 30 degree C temperature swing is easily seen
- Animals include seed eating rodents such as the Kangaroo rat, lizards, scorpions, etc
- Animals like the Kangaroo Rat have a very long loop of henle which allows it to survive in the desert with very little water. It is 5X more concentrated than human urine, thus allowing it to conserve a lot of water.
- Deserts are associated with what is called a rain shadow. This is an area that has very little rainfall because it is sheltered by mountains or hills
- Plants include succulents (cacti, etc), as well as small woody shrubs
- Desert plants need adaptation to things such as heat, water storage, and decreased surface area to their leaves
What is the Savanna?
The Savanna is found in places like Africa, Australia, India, and South America
- Usually warm climate - tropical
- Mostly grasses with a few scattered trees
- In African savannas we find elephants, zebras, horses, and giraffes. The African elephant is the largest land mammal in the world.
- This is a transitional biome - it is an intermediate between a forest and a desert
- Seasons are defined by the amount of rainfall. There are two seasons: Wet (Monsoon Season) six months, and Dry season six months
- Seasonal droughts and fires are common. Animals migrate and plants have adaptations for the drought seasons
What are ungulates?
Ungulates are any animals with hooves such as elephants, zebras, hippos, giraffes, horses
- They are found on the savanna.
What are epiphytes?
Epiphytes are plants that nourish themselves, but grow on the side of another plant for support.
- Orchids for example
What is the Chaparral Biome?
The Chaparral biome is found in areas such as the west coasts of the USA and South America. Santa Barbara and LA are examples.
- Very hot and dry, most rain comes in the winter. The summer is hot and dry
- Mainly grassland and desert animals such as lizards, rabbits, and coyotes. Many animals are nocturnal (They sleep in the day and play at night)
- Trees and cacti are present
- Many types of terrain can be present (rocky, flat, mountain slopes)
- Most plants have small hard leaves that hold moisture
- This biome has both grasslands and forests
- 15 in of rain a year and 65 degrees F avg temp is common
- It receives more rainfall than the desert
What is the grassland biome?
The grassland biome is large and rolling
- The great plains of the USA, areas of South Africa and Australia. All continents except Antarctica
- grasses, herbs, and flowers with few trees
- Called prairies with many animals, insects, and hundreds of bird species
- Winters can be -20 degrees F while summers can be over 100 degrees F
- 25 inches of rain a year
- Grasslands have some of the richest soils in the world. These soils are used for farming
- Some grasslands are flooded annually or year round such as the Florida Everglades
- Some grasslands are found in the Montane Zone, at high altitudes
- Some authors classify Savannah, american prairie, and Chaparral under grasslands
What does biotic mean?
Biotic: Pertaining to living organisms (includes behaviors and interactions)
What does abiotic mean?
Abiotic: Pertaining to non-living organisms
- sunlight, temperature, water, etc
