Name: Jef Michael L.

Dahuyla Subject: Environmental Science

Year & Section: BSEM – 3 Instructor: Engr. Nathaniel D. Tiu
ACTIVITY 7

Biomes: Ecosystems on Land

1. Define biosphere – Biosphere is the parts of the Earth that supports life.

2. Define biome - A biome is a biogeographical area that consists of a distinct biological community that has
evolved in response to the local climate and topography.

3. Biomes are defined by two sets of characteristics. Define and give an example of each.

a. Abiotic - Which are nonliving

Example: some example is water, light, temperature, and soil.

b. Biotic – which are living

Example: some examples are animals like plants, fungi, bird, and also other living organism

4. The two most significant abiotic factors that influence life in a biome are average temperature and
and precipitation.

5. What is latitude?
- Latitude is the distance from the equator measured in degrees.

a. Label the equator (0°), South Pole (90°S), and North Pole (90°S) on the globe.
North Pole (90°S)

equator (0°)

South Pole (90°S)

b. What is the relationship between latitude and average temperature?
- As the latitude (distance away from equator) increases, average temperature decreases.

6. What is altitude?
- Altitude is the elevation above sea level.
a. What is the relationship between altitude and average temperature?
- As the altitude (elevation from sea level) increases, average temperature decreases.

7. What are two ways that a large body of water can affect a biome?
- Biomes located near a large body of water often have greater precipitation levels and more
moderate temperatures as winds blow across the water.

8. According to the rain shadow effect, which side of the mountain receives more precipitation?
- Windward side.
a. Which side receives less precipitation?
- Leeward side
 b. Label the windward slope and leeward slope on the mountain diagram below.

Windward slope- wet Leeward slope - dry

Climatographs
9. Define climatograph – climatograph is a combination of precipitation and temperature graph for a
specific biome.
a. What does the line graph represent?
- represent the average monthly temperature.

b. What does the bar graph represent?

- Represent the average monthly precipitation.

c. Describe the seasonal changes present in Tofino, British Columbia.

- The seasonal changes present in Tofino, British Columbia is colder temperature which is the
highest temperature is 15°.

Desert
10. Describe conditions that are true of all deserts.
- Precipitation is infrequent and unpredictable.
- Lack of water is a limiting factor for plant growth.
- Lack of plants is a limiting factor for consumers and decomposers.

11. For each of these types of deserts, explain why they are so dry, and give an example.
Desert Cause of Low Precipitation Example Location

Subtropical Located in the interior of continents Sahara Desert

The Gobi Desert (leeward side of the
Rain shadow formed primarily due to their Himalayan mountains)
position on the leeward side of a
large mountain range.

Atacama Desert in Chile

Coastal provides a cool contrast in air
temperature over the ocean and
land that is conducive to frequent
summer fog.

Sonoran Desert, Arizona, USA

Temperate It is in midlatitudes, meaning they
experience seasonal temperature
variations
Located near the poles in areas McMurdo Dry Valley, Antarctica
Polar where harsh winds carry away any
moisture.
 The little precipitation that falls takes
the form of ice or snow
12. What is a succulent plant?
- Succulent are specialized plants that store water in their leaves and/or stems. They are remarkably
adapted to harsh climates where water is scare or comes sporadically.

Grasslands
13. Describe conditions that are true of all grasslands.
- Receive more precipitation
- Cooler temperatures than deserts
- Water being less of a limiting factor
- More biomass is found here

14. For each of these types of grasslands, describe the climate and give an example.
Grassland Climate Example
Consistent temperature Serengeti
Savanna
Tropical Grassland
Seasonal temperature shifts Great plains
Prairie
Temperate Grassland

Temperature is limiting factor Canada, Coastal Alaska,

Tundra Greenland
Polar Grassland

15. How are prairie plants specially adapted to recovering from fire, cold, and grazing animals?
- Root systems of prairie plants can be many feet deep as an adaptation to the harsh winters and
sparse rainfall. Because of this, prairie plants can bounce back fast from environmental stresses
like drought and wildfire, whereas slower-growing trees remain vulnerable.

16. What is permafrost?

- Permafrost is ground that continuously remains below 0°c for two or more years, located on land or
under the ocean.

Forest
17. How to the precipitation levels of most forests compare to grasslands and deserts?
- The majority of forest biomes have steady precipitation and are dominated by hardwood trees. This
is in contrast to grasslands and deserts, which receive significantly less precipitation on average.
Although grasslands and deserts both experience large seasonal fluctuations in temperature or
precipitation, the former are characterized by sporadic and unpredictable rainfall.

18. Describe each of these layers found in forests:

a. Emergent layer – poking high above the dense treetops of the canopy layer just below.
b. Canopy – above the ground portion of a plant community.
c. Understory – a layer of vegetation under the main canopy in a forest.
d. Shrub layer – a part of land consisting of shrubs and very small trees.
e. Forest floor – mainly consists of shed vegetative parts such us leaves and is the starting mark and
home and for plants.
 19. What conditions are found in a tropical rain forest?
- receive the greatest amount of rainfall of any other biome and are consistently warm. It has four
main characteristics: very high annual rainfall, high average temperatures, nutrient-poor soil, and
high levels of biodiversity (species richness).
a. How are nutrient cycles affected by these conditions?
- Nutrients cycles occur very rapidly in rainforests due to the rapid growth of both producers and
decomposers.

20. How are temperate rainforests different than tropical ones?

- There are two types of rainforests: tropical and temperate. The main difference between the two is
that tropical rainforests are located closer to the equator, where it is warmer, while temperate
rainforests are located farther north or south of the equator, nearer the coastal areas that are
colder.

a. What kinds of leaves are typically found in a deciduous forest?

- Because of the Location on the windward side of Olympic Mountain Range. Receives constant
moisture from the wind currents off the Pacific Ocean.

21. What conditions are found in a deciduous forest?

- The trees in a deciduous forest either lose their leaves in the winter because the temperature drops
below freezing or because the summer is so hot and dry that the trees are forced to shed their
leaves. The fact that this woodland region is exposed to both warm and cold air masses is the
primary reason why this region experiences all four seasons.

a. What kinds of leaves are typically found in a deciduous forest?

- Leaves of deciduous trees are typically broad, lanceolate, and flattened. As a result of the quick
transpiration that takes place in the leaves of broadleaf trees, these plants will protect their leaves
throughout the winter months or during dry seasons.

22. What conditions are found in a boreal forest?

- The conditions found of boreal forest is characterized by long, cold, and dry winters, and short,
warm, and moist summers

a. Why do coniferous trees have needle-shaped leaves?

- the coniferous trees have needle shaped leaves because in the hilly areas the trees may
experience high snowfall. Needle-shaped leaves have a waxy coating that retains moisture in the
winter.
b. Why do coniferous trees have a cone shape?
- Coniferous trees have thick bark to protect against the cold. They are cone-shaped, with flexible
branches which help them to cope with heavy snow fall. The cone shape of the trees allows
accumulated snow to slide to the ground.

Ecological Succession
23. Define succession
- Succession is the change in either species composition, structure, or architecture of vegetation
through time. There can be many or few species in vegetation. Structure refers to the absolute and
relative abundances and other relationships of the species constituting the community.

a. What is a pioneer species?

Pioneer species are not species that are the first to colonize barren settings or formerly biodiverse
steady-state ecosystems that have been disrupted, such as by fire. Instead, pioneer species are
species that are the first to colonize a new area after an existing ecosystem has been altered.
Some lichens are able to grow on rocks in the absence of soil, making them among the earliest
forms of life. They also contribute to the formation of soil by breaking down rocks.
 b. What is a climax species?
- Plant species that can germinate and flourish despite having restricted resources, such as those
that need heat exposure or low water availability, are known as climax species. These species are
also referred to as late seral, late-successions, K-selected, or equilibrium species.

24. Define primary succession

- Primary succession is the process in which plants and animals first colonize a barren habitat. Often
these first colonizing plants are weedy species, such as fast-growing grasses, that do not grow tall
but do reproduce quickly.
a. What factors cause the breakdown of rocks into soil that can support life?
- Weathering is one of the processes that can lead to the disintegration of rocks in soil over time.
Water, wind, fluctuating temperatures, different types of living creatures, gravity, chemical
reactions, and pressure changes are all factors that contribute to the breakdown of parent material.

b. Label each of the different types of plants that grow during the stages of primary succession.

Lichens Lichens Small annual Grasses and Grasses, Shade-tolerant

plants and perennials shrubs and trees such as
lichens shade- oak and
intolerant trees hickory.
such as pines

25. Define secondary succession –

- Secondary succession is a type of ecological succession (the evolution of a biological community’s
ecological structure) in which plants and animals recolonize a habitat after a major disturbance
such as a devastating flood, wildfire, landslide, lava flow, or human activity.

a. Why is secondary succession so much faster than primary succession?

- Because the substrate is already existent, the process of secondary succession is typically much
quicker than the process of primary succession.
b. Label each of the different types of plants that grow during the stages of secondary
succession.

Annual plants Grasses and Grasses, shrubs, Mature oak and

perennials pines, young oak hickory forest
and hickory