BIOMES

Chapter 12
Page 518
Biomes of the Earth
 Warm Up
• 1) What is the difference between
a tropical and temperate
rainforest?
• 2) Name 2 other facts about the
tropical rainforest.
• 3) What makes a Biome a Biome?
 Foldable
You will need 5 pieces of • Label the front “Biomes
white paper. of the World”.
• Each tab gets a biome
Stack them to make a as shown on the next
foldable and staple the slide.
top.
 Biomes
• Rain Forest (Temperate/Tropical)
• Desert
• Grassland (Savanna/Prairie)
• Deciduous Forest
• Boreal Forest (Taiga) (Coniferous)
• Tundra
• Freshwater
• Saltwater (Marine)
 Label Each Page of Your Biomes
Foldable
• Name of Biome (On the tab)
• Temperature of Biome
• Precipitation of Biome
• Three organisms from the Biome
• 3 additional facts about that Biome
 Ecosystems and Biomes
Biomes?
• A group of land ecosystems
with similar climates and
organisms
• Climate
(temperature+precipitation)
 Terrestrial Biomes vs. Aquatic
Biomes
• Terrestrial – 6 major land biomes

• Aquatic- Freshwater and Marine

Ecosystems

• Mountain Ranges- climate changes

as you increase in elevation
 6 Major Terrestrial Biomes
• Tropical Rain Forest
• Desert
• Grassland
• Deciduous Forest
• Taiga
• Tundra
 Aquatic Biomes
• Freshwater- Streams, rivers,
ponds and lakes

• Estuary- where the freshwater of a river meets

the salt water of the ocean (nursery)

• Ocean- Intertidal zone, Neritic zone, and the

Open ocean
Tundra
Did you know that the Arctic Tundra is the world's
youngest biome?
*Found in the far north and on the tops of
mountains.
*No trees are found in the tundra.
*It is the coldest biome average temp. -20 to -30 F
* Precipitation totals 6- 10 inches a year, which
includes snow
*There are two types of tundra: arctic and alpine

Tundra
 Artic Tundra
• *Has permafrost which stays frozen year
round
• Water is available and the surface is wet and
soggy
• Summer last for 6-10 weeks, temp high 45 F
• Small shrubs, grasses, moss and lichens grow
during the summer months.
 Alpine Tundra
• Lots of sunshine and precipitation in the form
of snow
• Located above the tree line of tall mountains
The tundra is located above the
taiga in the northern
hemisphere. It spans from most
of Greenland, to parts of Alaska,
northern Canada, and northern
Russia.
 Forests
There are three types of forests…

Temperate Deciduous Forests

Tropical Rain Forests

Taiga (Coniferous Forests/Boreal Forests)

Taiga
 Taiga
• This biome has long cold winters
• Has evergreen trees – trees that stay green all
year long.
• *Conifers are trees that produce seeds in
cones and have needle-like leaves (pine trees)
• *Animals in this biome often hibernate or
migrate
• *This is the largest biome
• *AKA: coniferous forest and boreal forest
Taiga
• Rainfall – 35 - 75cm
• Temp.- Summer :70 F
• Winter : -65 to 30 F
• The taiga is the largest of all land biomes and
has long cold winters.
• Animals of the taiga tend to be predators like the lynx and members of the
weasel family like wolverines, bobcat, minks and ermine. They hunt
herbivores like snowshoe rabbits, red squirrels and voles. Red deer, elk,
and moose can be found in regions of the taiga where more deciduous
trees grow.
The taiga is only found in the northern
hemisphere and it’s the largest biome

Click to the next slide to see plants and

animals commonly found in this biome
 Tundra
1. What is the average temp in the tundra?
2. What is the average rainfall in the tundra?
3. What is the Permafrost?
4. What are the two types of tundra?
5. Name three animals that live in the tundra?
Tropical Rain Forest
Tropical Rain Forest
• More species live here than any other biome
• Canopy – treetops in the rainforest. Most
animals live there
• Very little light reaches the ground b/c of the
canopy
• This is the wettest and warmest biome
• Rainfall – up to 400cm
• Temp.- Daytime– 34C, 93F
Nighttime– 20C, 68F
 The world’s rainforest’s are
found in tropical locations near
the equator.

Click to the next slide to see plants and

animals commonly found in this biome
 Temperate
Deciduous Forest
Temperate Deciduous Forest
• Deciduous means “to fall off” – the trees in
this region have leaves that fall off.
• We live in a temperate forest!

• Rainfall – 75 – 125cm
• Temp.- Summer – 28C, 82F
Winter– 6C, 43F
 Temperate Deciduous
Forest’s are typically found
in the northern hemisphere.

Click to the next slide to see plants and

animals commonly found in this biome
 Tropical Rain Forest
1. Where is this biome located?
2. Where do all of the animals live?
3. Name three animals that are from this
biome?
4. What are two resources that we get from the
Tropical Rain Forest?
5. How much rain does it get per year?
 Grasslands
-Grasses are the main vegetation.

-There biomes are typically found between forests and

deserts.

-These biomes exist on every continent except

Antarctica.

-They are also known as plains, prairies, savannas, and

steppes.
Temperate Grassland
Temperate Grasslands

•This biome has mixed grasses with

various plants and a few trees

•Rainfall – 25-75cm
•Temp.- Summer – 30C, 86F
Winter – 0C, 32F
Savanna
 Savanna
• Tropical grassland with scattered clumps of trees.
• It has a rainy season and a dry season.
• The majority of the world’s savannas are in Africa.

• Rainfall – 150cm
• Temp.- Rainy Season : 16C, 61F
Dry Season : 34C, 93F
 The Earth’s Grasslands

Click to the next slide to see plants and animals

commonly found in this biome
Desert
 Desert
• Hot and dry with a variety of plants and animals.
• Animals are most active at night (nocturnal)
• This is the biome with the least rainfall

• Rainfall – less than 25cm

• Temp.- Summer: 49C, 100F
Winter : 7C, 45F
 The Earth’s Deserts

Click to the next slide to see plants and animals commonly

found in this biome
 Desert and Grassland
1. Why can it be 100 F during the day in the
desert and 50 F at night?
2. What is the most rainfall per year a desert
can receive to be considered a Desert?
3. Where are most prairies located?
4. What is the difference between a prairie and
a savanna?
5. What type of seasons does a grassland have?
 Forest
1. What biome do you live in?
2. How is it different from the Taiga biome?
3. What is the average rainfall for the Taiga?
4. Where is the Taiga located?
 Aquatic
Ecosystems
 Aquatic Ecosystems

• 70-75% of Earth is made up of water.

• *3% of water is fresh water, 97% is salt water.
• *Less than 1% of fresh water is available for
drinking.
• *The main producers in aquatic biomes are
algae.
 Freshwater Ecosystems

• The water is drinkable and has no salt

• Examples: streams, rivers, lakes, ponds, swamps, marshes
• A small stream that leads into a big stream is called a tributary
• A place where the water is above ground for the majority of
the year is called a wetland
• A swamp has many trees, but a marsh has few trees
• 5 great lakes – Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior
• Longest river in the world – Nile River
 Marine Ecosystems

• The water is undrinkable and has lots of salt

• Salt is the main abiotic factor in a marine ecosystem
• Examples: oceans, seas, gulfs, bays
• The place where freshwater from a river and
saltwater from the ocean mix is called an estuary.
• Most organisms in a marine ecosystem live near the
shore