Week 5 - Biomes

Week 5 - Biomes

What is a biome?

The community of plants and animals that live in a certain climate is called a biome. Examples of biomes include forest, desert, and tundra.

The plants and animals of the Amazon rainforest are completely different from those in the Arctic tundra. But not all scientists agree on what exactly constitutes a biome.  

Multiple Choice

According to the previous slide

forests, deserts, and tundra are

• the definition of biome

• other words that mean the same as biome

• examples of biomes

• completely unrelated to biomes

What is difference between biome and ecosystem?

According to National Geographic, the biome definition is a large area of the planet that is classified by the animals and plants in that area.

An ecosystem, on the other hand, is defined as a biological community of interactions between all living (biotic) and nonliving (abiotic) things in a particular area.

Biomes can include many habitats and ecosystems because they describe life on a much larger scale. 

Multiple Choice

What is a biome?

• the interaction between the plants and animals, forming a community

• a large area of the earth that shares similar plants and animals.

How many biomes are there?

Not all scientists agree about the number of defined biomes. They disagree about how to classify biomes.

Most agree that climate and the organisms that live there are important.

The main types of biomes that come out of the different definitions are tundra, desert, grassland, coniferous forest, deciduous forest, tropical rainforest and aquatic biomes. 

Multiple Choice

Let's say you find two different world maps showing biomes. According to the previous slide, why might one map look a lot more complicated than another map?

• There are different opinions as to how to classify biomes.

• There are different definitions of desert or tundra.

Tundra Biomes 

The tundra is located at the northernmost parts of the globe and is defined by long, cold winters and cool summers.

The tundra is a treeless polar desert found in the high latitudes in the polar regions, primarily in Alaska, Canada, Russia, Greenland, Iceland, and Scandinavia, as well as sub-Antarctic islands.

The animals and plants that live in these areas have evolved to have thick fur and the ability to hibernate. This allows them to survive in the cold environment. 

Multiple Choice

Based on the information on the previous slide, we can conclude that the tundra is located in and near

• the tropical climate zone

• the temperate climate zone

• the polar climate zone

Desert Biomes

Deserts are defined by dryness, and can be located in both cold and warm climates. Life in these areas is adapted to a lack of water and nutrients. 

The desert biome covers about one-fifth of Earth’s surface. This biome has a layer of soil that can either be sandy, gravelly, or stony, depending on the type of desert. Deserts usually get at most 50 centimeters (20 inches) of rainfall a year, and the organisms that live in deserts are adapted to this extremely dry climate.

The largest desert on earth is the Antarctic desert, covering the continent of Antarctica with a size of around 5.5 million square miles.

Multiple Choice

Deserts are

• always hot and sandy

• can be hot or cold

Multiple Choice

The Sahara and Kalahari Deserts are in

• Asia

• North America

• Europe

• Africa

• South America

Multiple Choice

Look at the map legend (key) to help you interpret the colors on the map.

Two large cold desert biomes are

• Sahara, and Mojave

• Antarctic, and Patagonia

• Pacific, and Atlantic

• Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere

Multiple Choice

The Gobi Desert is classified as a

• Cold Desert Biome

• Hot Desert Biome

• Grasslands Biome

Grassland Biomes 

The grassland biome can be found on every continent except Antarctica. It is flat and grassy, with very little tree cover. Large mammals that graze, such as elephants or bison, inhabit these areas, along with small mammals, birds and predators. 

Multiple Choice

Grasslands are on every continent except

• Antarctica

• Asia

• Europe

• Africa

• South America

Two types of Grasslands

The two distinct types of grasslands are savannas and temperate grasslands. These two types of grasslands may look similar, but they differ in some significant ways.

Savanna

Savannas are present in areas that have a warm climate with a rainy season and a dry season. Most of the precipitation falls during just a few months of the year. This results in a long dry season that inhibits the growth of trees.

Savannas and their abundant wildlife are famous in Africa, but savannas can also be found in South America, Asia, and Australia.

Temperate grasslands

Temperate grasslands, on the other hand, are known for their rich soil that yields abundant growth of grasses. 

Temperate grasslands are found in places such as North America and Eastern Europe.

Multiple Choice

A savanna is a type of

• desert biome found in Africa

• tundra biome found in northern Europe and Asia

• grasslands biome found in Africa, Asia, and South America

• grasslands biome found only in Africa

Types of rainforest biomes: temperate and tropical rainforests.

When people here the term "rainforest," they usually think of tropical rainforests. But not all rainforests are in the tropical zone of earth.

There are rainforests right here in Washington State! We are in the temperate climate zone of earth. So our rainforests are temperate, not tropical.

The Olympic and the Hoh Rainforests are on the Olympic Peninsula. These are beautiful forests, full of lush green trees and moss.

Multiple Choice

Rainforests are located

• in the tropical climate zone, and are always hot

• in the tropics and in the temperate climate zones

Tropical Rainforests

Tropical rainforests are found In the Tropics. Tropical rainforests are lush and warm all year long! Temperatures don’t even change much between night and day. 

The environment is pretty wet in tropical rainforests, maintaining a high humidity of 77% to 88% year-round. The yearly rainfall ranges from 80 to 400 inches, and it can rain hard. It can downpour as much as 2 inches in an hour!

Tropical Rainforests

Tropical rainforests can be found around the world: In Central and South America; in Western Africa, eastern Madagascar, and the Zaire basin; and in Indo-Malaysia along the west coast of India, Assam, Southeast Asia, New Guinea, and Queensland, Australia.

Temperate Rainforests

Temperate rainforests are also wet, but not as rainy as tropical rainforests. It rains about from 60 - 200 inches each year. Temperate rainforests are a lot cooler than tropical rainforests, but the temperatures are still mild.

They often have two distinct seasons: one long wet winter, and a short drier summer.

Temperate rainforests are found along coasts in temperate regions. The largest temperate rainforests are on the Pacific coast in North America, stretching from Alaska to Oregon.

Multiple Choice

There are temperate rainforests in Washington State.

• Yep, that is true.

• No, we aren't in the tropics.

Aquatic Biomes

There are many ways to classify aquatic biomes. One way is freshwater vs. saltwater (also called marine) .

Ocean biomes are saltwater. Another word for things related to the ocean is marine.

Lakes and rivers are freshwater.

Multiple Choice

A marine biome would be located in

• a lake or river

• an ocean or sea

• a game against navy

Multiple Choice

Which is NOT an example of a biome?

• TUNDRA

• MARINE

• RAINFOREST

• DESERT

• CITY