Chapter 5: Biomes: Global Patterns of Life Flashcards
Biomes
large regions having similar climates, soils, plants and animals
Temperate
Clearly goes through all four stages of the year. For example, it is cold and somtimes snows in the winter. It is very hot in the summer. Flowers are blooming in the spring. Leaves are changing colors in the fall.
What are the three types of biomes?
- Terrestrial (Land)
- Marine
- Freshwater
What are the four types of terrestrial biomes?
- Forest Biomes
- Grassland Biomes
- Desert Biomes
- Chaparral Biomes – AKA Temperate Shrubland
What are the forest biomes?
- Tropical Rain Forests
- Temperate Forests (deciduous or evergreen)
- Taigas or Boreal Forests
Tropical Rain Forest
- The tropical rain forest is usually found within 30 degrees N or S of the equator (Ex. Brazil, Indonesia)
- This ecosystem experiences high average temperatures and a significant amount of rainfall. Tropical rainforests exhibit high levels of biodiversity.
- Tropical rainforests are populated with butterflies, spiders, and other insects arachnids, worms, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals.
Temperate Forests
- The temperate forests are 30-60 degrees N or S of the equator (Ex. Eastern U.S., most of Europe)
- Main characteristics include: wide leaves, large and tall trees and non seasonal vegetation. Contains four distinct seasons.
- A wide variety of animals like deer, squirrels, and other mammals, birds, insects, and reptiles can be found in this biome.
Taigia or Boreal Forests
- The taiga is just below the Arctic tundra (above 60 degrees) in North America, Asia and Europe.
- This biome typically has short, wet summers and long, cold winters.
- Animals living in the taiga include foxes, lynxes, bears, minks, squirrels, while larger ones include grey wolves and their preys: caribou, reindeer and moose. Coniferous trees live here as well.
What are the grassland biomes?
- Savannas (tropical grasslands)
- Temperate Grasslands
- Tundra (Arctic Tundra)
they are usually in places where there is too little rainfall to support forests
Savannas
- Savannas are mostly found in Eastern Africa, parts of South America and Australia.
- It is a grassland region with scattered trees (not too many trees). It contains dry seasons that may experience several months of little to no rainfall.
- Some organisms are wildebeest, warthogs, elephants, zebras, rhinos, gazelles, hyenas, cheetahs, etc.
Temperate Grasslands
- The temperate grasslands are in midwestern U.S. as well as parts of South America and Russia.
- Grasses are the dominant vegetation, trees and large shrubs are largely absent; there are seasonal droughts, and occasional fires.
- Temperate grasslands have a low diversity of wildlife, but a high abundance of wildlife. In North America the dominant grazing animals are bison and pronghorn. Rodents include pocket gophers and prairie dogs. Carnivores include wolves, coyotes, swift foxes, badgers. Birds include quails, hawks and owls.
Arctic Tundra
- The arctic tundra is in the northern regions of North America, Europe, and Asia.
- The tundra is noted for its frost-molded landscapes, extremely low temperatures, little precipitation, poor nutrients, and short growing seasons.
- There are about 1,700 kinds of plants in the arctic and subarctic, and these include: low shrubs, sedges, reindeer mosses, liverworts, and grasses, 400 varieties of flowers, and crustose and foliose lichen.
What are the desert biomes?
In general, areas with limited rainfall and are always dry:
- Tropical Deserts
- Temperate Deserts
- Cold Deserts
Tropical Deserts
- Tropical deserts are found in the Sahara of Africa, parts of Saudi Arabia, and the Middle East.
- It is the driest and hottest place on earth and rainfall is rare.
- Some organisms that live here are coyotes, kangaroo rats, creosote bush, bur sages, etc.
Temperate Deserts
- Temperate deserts are found in the Mojave and Sonoran of southwest United States.
- There is more rain here than in tropical deserts and the floor of the temperate desert is often covered by rocks and small pebbles.
- Examples of organisms that live here are cacti and patchy drought resistant shrubs.
Cold Deserts
- The cold deserts are found in places like the Gobi Desert of China and Mongolia, as well as some areas of the U.S. Great Basin.
- The cold deserts has sparse vegetation and extremely cold winters.
- Many extremophile microorganisms exist in this desert, and the only known plants are algae and lichen.
What is a chaparral biome?
- Chaparral biomes are found along coastal areas in California, parts of the Mediterranean, and central Chile.
- There are low-growing evergreen shrubs and occasional small trees. There are usually summer droughts and occasional fires.
- Some organisms include aardvarks, coyotes, foxes owls, hedgehogs, etc.
How do mountains impact ecosystems?
Mountain ranges are not really classified as a major biome, but they impact ecosystems:
- They provide habitat for species sometimes found nowhere else in the world.
- Help regulate Earth’s climate; snow and ice reflect solar radiation.
- Provide surface water during spring and summer snow melts for use by animals.
What are the types of marine biomes?
- Open Oceanic Waters
- Coastal Zones/Shorelines
- Tide Pools
- Estuaries
- Coral Reefs
- Mangroves
What is an open ocean biome?
- Open oceanic waters are found in the middle of the ocean (Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, etc.).
- It is an open ocean (Self Explanatory), and has an overall low productivity; however, there are isolated areas of rich productivity and diversity.
- Examples of organisms that live here are phytoplankton (free-floating marine plants) and zooplankton (micro-animals).
What are the zones of the open ocean?
In descending order:
- epipelagic
- mesopelagic
- bathypelagic (below 1,000 m)
- abyssal (below 4,000 m)
- hadal (below 6,000 m)
What four biomes make up the shoreline biome?
- coral reefs
- estuaries
- mangroves
- tide pools
What is a coral reef biome like?
- Coral reefs are located in tropical oceans near the equator. The largest coral reef is the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.
- They are slow-growing, highly diverse ecosystems in warm tropical waters and are sensitive to salinity and temperature changes (coral bleaching).
- The coral provides shelter for many animals in this complex habitat, including sponges, nudibranchs, and fish.
What is an estuary?
- Estuaries form in temperate regions and form where freshwater rivers meet the ocean.
- They form bays, inlets, sounds and salt marshes and are highly productive areas due to large inputs of nutrients and sunlight.
- Estuaries are one of the most productive ecosystems in the world, so there is a great diversity of animals and plants that live there. Example: Fish, shellfish, and migratory birds.
What is a Rocky Shore/Tide Pool?
- Rocky Shores/Tide Pools form in intertidal zones (between high and low tides) along rocky shorelines.
- Tide pools are areas on rocks by the ocean that are filled with seawater. Tide pools can be small, shallow puddles found high up on the shore or huge, deep holes nearer to the sea.
- Examples of organisms that live here are anemones, starfish, barnacles, sea urchins, etc.
What are mangroves?
- Mangroves biomes form in tropical zones and produce forests of mangrove trees. Along the Atlantic coast they are found from Florida all the way down to Argentina. Mangroves grow on both the western and eastern coasts of Africa.
- Mangroves are trees or shrubs that grows in chiefly tropical coastal swamps that are flooded at high tide. Mangroves typically have numerous tangled roots above ground and form dense thickets.
- Some organisms that live here are oysters, raccoons, snails, etc.
Freshwater biomes can be divided into what two categories?
It can be divided into 2 types:
- lentic (standing bodies of water)
- lotic (moving bodies of water)
What is a lentic ecosystem?
- Lentic ecosystems are anywhere with slow or stagnant water. Examples are lakes, ponds, wetlands, etc.
- Lentic ecosystems are either are clear with little live (oligothrophic) or murky will lots of life(eutrophic)). Water levels fluctuate greatly. There are high levels of net primary productivity and an abundance of biodiversity.
- Some organisms that live here lentic vertebrates, including salamanders, frogs, alligators, and many kinds of birds.
What is a lotic ecosystem?
- Lotic ecosystems are anywhere with moving water like rivers, streams, creeks, springs.
- Lotic ecosystems have running fresh water, always flow in one direction, and often begin in the mountains. They have high amounts of oxygen content as well.
- Organisms that live here are beavers, crocodiles, salamanders, snakes, turtles, river otters, hippos, etc.
What percent of water on Earth is fresh water?
Less than 1%
*Lakes contain the majority of our freshwater
What are the types of lake zones?
- Littoral Zone: shallow zone close to shore, plenty of sunlight and nutrients. Will find submergent and emergent plant species.
- Limnetic Zone: upper layer of lake away from shore, lots of sunlight and phytoplankton which supply the majority of DO (dissolved oxygen) for the lake.
- Profundal Zone: mid-level lake zone; low nutrients, less sunlight, low DO, colder water, higher pressure.
- Benthic Zone: lake bottom, mostly decomposers feeding on organic waste.
What are the types of inland wetlands?
- Swamps (with trees),
- Marshes (with grasses)
- Floodplains
- Bogs (with layers of undecayed plant material called peat)
- Fens (groundwater fed bogs)
What is cultural eutrophication?
Cultural Eutrophication – a form of water pollution due to human impact and causes overgrowing of plants; fertilizer runoff, etc.
What are some wetland ecosystem services?
- Natural recharge to groundwater system
- Habitat space for many types of organisms
- Nursery for many fish and fowl species
- Filters toxins and excess nutrients from waterways
- Reducing floods and erosion
What is a river?
Rivers are lotic bodies of water.
- River recharge comes from runoff from precipitation or snow melt.
- It also picks up sediments and dissolved substances along the way.
- Drainage basin or water shed contains the tributaries that feed the river.
What are some disturbances in the environment humans have caused?
- It is estimated that humans preempt about 40% of the net terrestrial primary productivity by direct consumption, interference with productivity, or altering the species composition/physical processes of the ecosystem.
- Temperate (Broad-leaf/Deciduous) Forests are the most affected of any biome.
- Tundra and Arctic Deserts are the least disturbed.
- Half of all original U.S. wetlands have been disturbed.
Why are tropical moist forests often less suited for agriculture and human occupation than tropical deciduous forests?
Deciduous forests have moist moderate climates, so they can regrow quickly.
What are some deteminants in biome distribution?
Temperature and precipitation are among the most important. Landforms, mountains, and winds are also important.
temperature and precipitation change when ___ and ___ change.
latitude (distance from the equator) and altitude (distance from sea level)
Vertical Zonation
the term applied to to the fact that vegetation zones change with change of elevation. A mountain side can be divided into many different zones due to the differences in temperature and precipitation
Tropical Seasonal Forests
drought-tolerant forests that look brown and dormant in the dry season but burst into vivid green during rainy months
What is the difference between deciduous and coniferous?
Deciduous means to lose leaves seasonally. Coniferous means cone-bearing
