Major Ecosystems/Biomes of

the World
 Objective:

o Explain the different types of biomes

o Earth’s Major Biomes
• Tundra, Boreal Forests, Temperate
Rainforest, Temperate Deciduous Forests,
Grasslands, Chaparral, Deserts, Savanna, &
Tropical Rainforests
• Vertical Zonation

o Aquatic Ecosystems
• Freshwater ecosystems

• Estuaries

o Marine Ecosystems
o Interaction of Life Zones and Humans
 Earth’s Major Biomes
o Biome
• A large, relatively distinct terrestrial region with a similar
climate soil, plants, and animals, regardless of where it
occurs in the world
• Nine major biomes

o Location of each biome is primarily

determined by:
• Temperature (varies with both latitude and elevation)
• Precipitation
o Biomes can also be defined by
• Winds, rapid temperature changes, fires, floods, etc.
9
FALSE
FALSE
 Vertical Zonation
o Increasing in
elevation has
similar effect
on ecosystem
as traveling to
higher
latitudes
 Tundra
o Treeless biome in the far north with harsh,
cold winters and extremely short summers
o Precipitation
• 10-25 cm/yr
o Temperature
• Short growing season
• 50-160 days
 Tundra
o Nutrient poor soils with little organic material
• Permafrost present
o Low species richness
• Veg is mostly grasses
and sedges
• Very simple food web
o Low primary
productivity
PERMAFROST
 Boreal Forests
o A region of coniferous forests in the northern hemisphere
• Just south of tundra

o Covers 11% of earth’s

land
o Growing Season
• A little longer than

tundra
o Precipitation
• ~ 50 cm/yr
 Boreal Forests
o Soils are acidic and mineral poor
o Vegetation comprised of drought resistant
conifers
• White spruce
• Balsam fir
• Eastern larch
o Mostly small animals
and migrating birds
o Some large animals
are present
• Wolves, bear, moose
TRUE OR FALSE.

Boreal region is
composed of
coniferous forests in
the northern
hemisphere.
TRUE OR FALSE.

Boreal region is
composed of
coniferous forests in
the northern
hemisphere.
TRUE
 Temperate Rainforest
o Coniferous biome with cool weather, dense
fog and high precipitation
• Ex: Northwest US
o Precipitation
• > 127 cm/yr
• Heaviest in winter
o Temperature
• Winters are mild
• Summers are cool
 Temperate Rainforest
o Soils are nutrient-poor, but high in organic material
(dropped needles)
• Cool temperatures slow decomposition
o Dominant Vegetation
• Large evergreen trees
• Old-growth forest
o Variety of cool
climate animal life
o Very high species
richness
o Heavily logged
 Temperature Deciduous
Forests
o Forest biome that occurs in
temperate areas with a
moderate amount of
precipitation
o Precipitation
• 75-150 cm/yr
o Temperature
• Seasonality
• Hot summers and cold winters
 Temperate Deciduous Forest
o Topsoil is rich in organic material and underlain
by clay
o Vegetation is primarily
deciduous
• Oak, maple, beech
o Animals
• Deer, bear and small animals
o Most of this biome land area
has been regenerated after
farming & timber harvest
 Grassland
o Grasslands with hot summers,
cold winters and too little
precipitation to support trees
o Precipitation
• 25-75 cm/yr
o Tall grass prairies
o Short grass prairies
o 90% of this biome has been
lost to farmland
 Grassland
o Soil has thick, organic material
rich organic horizon.
o Periodic fires keep the dominant vegetation
grasses
o Animals
• Once covered with
bison- no longer
true
• Smaller animals
are still present
(ex: prairie dogs)
TRUE OR FALSE.

50% of the
grassland biome
has been lost to
farmland.
TRUE OR FALSE.

50% of the
grassland biome
has been lost to
farmland.
false
 Chaparral
o Also called a
Mediterranean Climate
• Ex: Southern California
• Ex: Greece
o Temperature
• Mild, moist winters
• Hot, dry summers
o Frequent fires
Chaparral
o Soil is thin and often not
fertile
o Vegetation
• Dense growth of
evergreen shrubs
• Lush during the growing
season
o Animals
• Mule deer, chipmunks,
many species of birds
 Deserts
o Biome where lack of
precipitation limits plant
growth
o Temperature
• Can very greatly in 24-hr
period, as well as yearly
(based on location)
o Precipitation
• < 25 cm/yr
 Deserts
o Soils low in nutrients, high in salts
o Vegetation sparse
• cactus and sagebrush
o Animals are very small to regulate
temperature
Sonoran Desert
What are some
plant types that
can be seen in
deserts?
What are some
plant types that
can be seen in
deserts?
cactus &
sagebrush
 Savanna
o Tropical grassland with
widely scattered trees
o Temperature
• Varies little throughout the
year
o Precipitation
• Seasons regulated by
precipitation, not
temperature
• 76-150 cm/yr
 Savanna
o Soil low in nutrients due to leaching
o Vegetation
• Wide expanses of grass
• Occasional Acacia trees
• Have fire adaptive
characteristics
o Animals
• Herds of hoofed
animals
• Large predators-
lions, hyenas, etc.
 Tropical Rainforest
o Lush, species-rich
biome that occurs
where climate is warm
and moist throughout
the year
o Precipitation
• 200-450 cm/yr
o Very productive biome
o Most species-rich biome
 Tropical Rainforest
o Ancient, weathered,
nutrient-poor soil
• Nutrients tied up in
vegetation, not soil
o Vegetation
• 3 distinct canopy layers
o Animals
• Most abundant insect,
reptiles and amphibians
on earth
TRUE or FALSE.

Tropical forest has

the most abundant
fauna and flora
diversity.
TRUE or FALSE.

Tropical forest has

the most abundant
fauna and flora
diversity.

TRUE
 Aquatic Ecosystem
o Fundamental Division
• Freshwater
• Saltwater
o Aquatic Ecosystems also affected by
• Dissolved oxygen level, light penetration, pH,
presence/absence of currents
o Three main ecological categories of
organisms
• Plankton- free floating
• Nekton- strong swimming
• Benthos- bottom dwelling
 Freshwater Ecosystems
o Includes:
• Rivers and streams
• Lakes and ponds
• Marshes and swamps
o Represent 2% of earth’s surface
o Assist in recycling water back to the oceans
(Biogeochemical Cycling)
what is the
percentage of
freshwater
ecosystem in the
globe?
what is the
percentage of
freshwater
ecosystem in the
globe?
2%
 Rivers and Streams
o Changes greatly from
headwater to mouth
o Headwaters
• Shallow, cool, swiftly
flowing, high
oxygenated
o Mouth
• Not as cool, slower
flowing, less oxygen in
water
 Lakes and Ponds
o Body of freshwater that does not flow
o Three zones
• Littoral
• Limnetic
• Profundal
o Experience thermal stratification
(depending on depth)
 Lakes and Ponds
o Littoral Zone - shallow water area along the
shore
o Limnetic Zone - open water beyond the
littoral zone
o Profundal Zone - beneath the limnetic zone
of deep lakes
what is
beneath the
limnetic zone
of deep lakes?
what is
beneath the
limnetic zone
of deep lakes?
profundal zone
Thermal Stratification

o Temperature
changes sharply
with depth
o Thermocline
• Temperature
transition between
warmer surface
water and colder
water at depth
• Only present in
warm months
CAN FISHES LIVE
IN A LAKE,
UNDERWATER,
DURING WINTER?
 Marshes and Swamps
o Lands that shallow, fresh water covers for at
least part of the year
• Characteristic soil- water logged and anaerobic for
periods of time
• Water tolerant
vegetation
o Were once regularly
filled in
• More recently their
ecosystem services
have been better
recognized
• Flood protection, water filtering, etc.
 Estuaries
o Where freshwater and saltwater mix
o Highly variable environment
• Temperature, salinity, depth of light penetration
o Highly productive
• Nutrients transported from
land
• Tidal action promotes rapid
circulation of nutrients
• High level of light penetrates
shallow water
• Many plants provide
photosynthetic carpet
 Estuaries

..\Videos\Scientists fear 'tipping

point' in Pacific Ocean.flv
What is the body of
water wherein
saltwater and
freshwater meet?
What is the body of
water wherein
saltwater and
freshwater meet?

estuary
 Marine Ecosystems
o Subdivided into
life zones
• Intertidal zone
• Benthic zone
• Pelagic
environment
• Neritic Province
• Oceanic
Province
 Intertidal Zone
o Area of shoreline between low and high tides
o Habitat
• Sandy or rocky
o Muscles
o Crabs
o Algae
o Oysters
o Barnacles
o Animals must
adapts to
changing
conditions
 Benthic Zone

o Ocean floor, extending from tidal zone to

deep sea trenches
o Sediment is mostly mud
• Burrowing worms and clams
o Three zone
• Bathyal: 200m - 4000m deep
• Abyssal: 4000m -6000m deep
• Hadal: 6000m – bottom of deep sea trenches
What is the deepest
benthic zone?
What is the deepest
benthic zone?

Hadal
 Productive Benthic Communities
o Seagrass Beds
• Present to depth of 10 m
• Provide food and habitat to
ecosystem
o Kelp Forest
• 60-m long brown algae found off rocky shores
• Diversity of life supported by kelp rivals coral reefs
o Coral Reefs
• Built from accumulated layers of CaCO3
• Colonies of millions of tiny coral animals
• Found in shallow warm water
• Most diverse of all marine environments
Productive Benthic Communities

Left: Seagrass Bed

Right: Kelp Forest

 Coral Reef
Environments
o Three types of coral
reefs
• Fringing reef-
directly attach to
continent- no lagoon
• Atoll- circular reef in
a lagoon
• Barrier reef-
separates lagoon
from ocean
What is the
circular reef in
a lagoon?
What is the
circular reef in
a lagoon?
atoll
Human Disturbance
 Human Impact on Coral Reefs
o Sedimentation
• From clear-cutting
upstream
o Overfishing
o Coral bleaching
o Mining of corals as
building materials
o Runoff pollution

www.marinebiology.org
 Pelagic Environment

o All the open ocean water

o Two main divisions
• Neritic Province
• Water that overlies the continental shelf (to depth of
200 m)
• Organisms are all floaters or swimmers
• Oceanic Province
• Water that overlies depths greater than 200 m
• 75% of world’s ocean
• Most organisms are dependent on marine snow
• Organisms are filter feeders, scavengers and predators
Human Impacts on the Ocean