Ecosystems Touch Back

Ecosystems Touch Back

Deeper Insights of Ecosystems

Quick Question

All the wolves in an ecosystem have been driven away by farmers in order to protect their animals. How will the ecosystem change because the wolves are no longer around?

A) The ecosystem will have more land

B) The amount of grass will increase

C) The amount of deer will increase

D) The ecosystem will have more water.

Biomes

Biomes are the regions that have similar living and nonliving features. In other words, biomes have ecosystems, climates, vegetation, and wildlife. Ecosystems vary around the world. Many Factors such as temperature, location of water sources, type of soil, and amount of sunlight contribute to the differences in ecosystems. A climate is the average weather pattern for a region over a period of time.

Types of Ecosystems

There are six major land biomes:

Desert

grassland

tundra

taiga

rain forest

deciduous forest

Ecosystems

Near the equator are tropical rain forests rich with thousands of species of plants and animals. Closer to the poles are could-weather taiga and tundra biomes. Fewer living organisms are found in these colder environments. Some biomes, such as the desert biome in Northern Africa, can stretch across and entire continent. A taiga biome covers the distance across Northern Asia for a length of abut 10,000 kilometers (6,000).

The Ecosystems: Desert

A Desert is a sandy or rocky biome with little precipitation or plant life. There is at least one desert on each continent. Desert biomes can be hot or cold. Temperatures in hot deserts can range from over 38 degrees Celsius (100 degree Fahrenheit) in the daytime and as low a -4 degrees Celsius during the night. Few organisms can live in such an extreme environment. Plants and animals need special adaptations to survive. Cactus plants have thick, waxy cuticles that prevent stored water from evaporating in the hot sun. Many cold-blooded animals, such as reptiles, use the Sun's heat to warm their bodies. However, most desert animals are active at night, and they find shelter or stay underground during the heat of the day.