Biomes and the Biospheres Flashcards
What is a biome?
A large area characterised by certain types of animals
How does the global circulation model link to biomes
There is a desert bit above the equator as sinking air means no rainfall so hot and dry climates
Give an example where high and low pressure of cells influence the position of biomes
The polar cell I’m the poles is low pressure so no precipitation hence the arctic and tundra biomes present there
Give 5 factors that affect biome location and state wether the scale of their impact is on a local or a global scale
- solar radiation = global scale
- precipitation = global scale
- temperature = global scale
- altitude = local scale
- geology = local scale
What are the 7 different biomes
For each one describe the climate, resulting vegetation and where it is
- tropical savanna: hot and dry grassland scattered with shrubs and isolated trees between tropical rainforest and desert biome
- tropical rainforest: very hot and wet with greatest biodiversity on earth found near the equator
- Arctic and alpine tundra: below freezing at night all year, there is little precipitation, short growing season and no nutrients. It covers 1/5 of the earth
- desert: very hot and dry and little grows
- temperate boreal Forest: a cold woodland located north of the temperate deciduous forest as a north coniferous forest. It’s found in Canada, Europe Asia and the USA covering 50 million acres of land as the largest biome
- temperate deciduous Forest: there are the four seasons and no extreme climates. And can be found in Eastern half in North America, middle of Europe and Asia
- chaparral: it is very hot and dry so fires and droughts are common, most plants have small hard leaves and have adapted to the climate, found in west coast USA, west coast of South America, the Cape Town area of South Africa, western tip of Australia and areas of the Mediterranean
- grassland: annual precipitation is great enough to support grasses, flowers and herbs with rolling terrains but is unpredictable so drought and fire prevent large forests growing
How does latitude affect the temperature of biomes?
Sunlight arriving in t tropics is highly concentrated so there be more plants compared to the poles where it’s more thinly spread out so less plants
How does altitude affect biomes?
Temperatures fall by 0.6° for every 100 meters increase in altitude so tropical rain forest develops into coniferous forest and tundra as you gain height and move inland
How does drainage affect biomes?
Affects local conditions and vegetation as poorly drained land close to rivers is often occupied by swamps rather than grasslands or forests
How does geology affect biomes?
Limestone bedrock creates dry soil conditions as percolating rainwater passes through it relatively easily
What biome does the U.K. have?
A temperate deciduous forest biome
What biome is in the northern polar region?
The arctic alpine tundra biome
What are the local factors that affect biomes?
Rock and soil type
Water availability and drainage
Altitude
How are rock and soil types a local factor for biomes?
- as rocks undergo chemical weathering and release chemicals into the soil
- soils can have different pHs
- plants that grow depend on the pHs of the soil
How is water availability and drainage a local factor for biomes?
- some plants can grow in very wet soils while others prefer it dry
- soil wetness depends on the amount of evaporation from soil and permeability of the soil
How does height of land affect biomes?
- temp drops by 6.5°C for every 1000m increase in height
- high altitudes are commonly below 0° limiting type of plants that can grow
- amount of rainfall increase with height
How is the altitude a local factor for biomes?
- Altitudinal zone is formed as temp and precipitation changes with height causing changes to the ecosystem
- below 1000m is the tropical rainforest
- above the tree line trees can’t grow as the temps are too cold
What height is the tree line?
4000m
Describe the altitudes and the environment/ vegetation at each level
▪️0-1000 = tropical rainforest
▪️1000-2000 = mountain forest
▪️2000-3000= cloud forest
▪️3000-4000=shrubs grasses and flowers (here is the tree line)
▪️4000-5000= mountain and tundra
▪️6000= snow line and above this glaciers are common
What is the biotic part of a biome?
It’s the living part made of flora (plants) and fauna (animals)
What are Indigenous people?
People who naturally originate in a certain place as natives
What are transnational corporations?
Countries that operate in more than one country and operate branches overseas
What is the monetary value of rainforests each year?
$4-trillion dollars to the worlds economy each year