A large group of ecosystems that are characterized by certain soil, climate, conditions, plants, and animals

• Percipitation - 200-400cm of rain per year
• Soil - low in nutrients
• Plants - broad-leaved evergreen trees, ferns, large woody vines and climbing plants, orchids
• Animals - birds, snakes, monkeys, frogs, ants
• Temperature - warm year round 25-29°C
• Located near equator
• One small acre may support 100 species of plants
• Species live at various levels
• Contains more species of organisms than anywhere else

• Percipitation - less than 10cm of rain per year
• Soil - sandy soil, low in nutrients
• Plants - succulent plants that have needle shaped leaves to reduce water loss
• Animals - rattlesnakes, lizard, spider, roadrunner
• Temperature - humidity islow, suns rays penetrate and heat the ground quickly so its hot during the day and cold at night
• Plants are adapted to growing, flowering, and producing seed quick
• Plants are deep rooted
• Desertification

• Percipitation - 25-100cm of rain per year
• Soil - very rich in nutrients and deep layer of topsoil
• Plants - tall and short grasses and small plants
• Animals - bison, wolves, prairie dogs, foxes, coyotes
• Temperature - warm summers and very cold winters
• Found in the interior of continents
• Also called prairies
• Not enough rain to support trees

Precipitation - 30-50cm of rain per year

Soil - compact soil

Plant - grasses, scattered trees

Animals - lions, cheetahs, elephants, giraffes, zebras, rhinoceros

Temperature - warm year round 24-29°C

• Precipitation - 25-60cm of rain per year
• Soil - low in nutrients and highly acidic
• Plants - hardened tough evergreens, wildflowers, grasses
• Animals - coyotes, foxes, bobcats, mountain lions
• Temperature - hot dry summers with periodic fires and cool moist winters
• Western or southern coastal region
• Also called chaparral

• Precipitation - 70-200cm of rain per year
• Soil - moist and fertile, rich in humus
• Plants - birch, maple, elm, oak, evergreens
• Animals - deer, foxes, raccoons, squirrels, birds
• Deciduous Trees - lose leaves annually
• 1/4 of bird species

• Precipitation - 30-70cm of rain per year
• Soil - low in nutrients and highly acidic
• Plants - cone bearing trees, pines, firs, spruces
• Animals - moose, bears, timberwolves
• Temperature - warm during the summer and cold in the winter
• Needle shape leaves is adaptation for water loss
• Lies south of the tundra

• Precipitation - 20-60cm of rain per year
• Soil - thin moist and nutrient poor
• Plants - mosses, lichens, and grasses that survive in soggy soil
• Animals - caribou, reindeer, artic fox
• Temperature - cool in summer and freezing in winter
• Permafrost - permanently frozen ground
• Treeless land

Long summer days and short periods of winter sunlight

• Originate in mountains or hills
• Ex. rivers, streams, creeks, brooks

1. Riffle

2. Pools

3. Runs

• Water flows swiftly over rough bottom of sand and rock
• Shallow
• Type of stream habitat

• Deep water flows slowly over smooth bottom
• Type of stream habitat

• Smooth surface but fast flowing water
• Type of stream habitat

• Water does not flow
• Ex. lake and pond

1. Littoral

2. Limnetic

3. Profundal

• Area around the shore
• Water is shallow and well lit
• Diversity is greatest
• Type of lake zone

• Open water
• Sunlit water that extends to where photosynthesis takes place
• Type of lake zone

• Open water
• Below depth of photosynthesis
• Bacterial decomposers
• Type of lake zone

Dissolved Oxygen (DO) from the surface moves to deep water and nutrients released by decomposition moves to surface

Nutrient rich and oxygen poor

High rate of primary productivity

Water covers the soil or is present at or near the surface of the soil at least part of the year

1. Bog

2. Marsh

3. Swamp

• Wetland that form in depressions where water collects
• Type of wetland

• Shallow wetland along river
• Type of wetland

• Look like flooded forests
• Water flows slowly
• Type of wetland

• Coastal wetland that occur in tropical regions
• Trees have propping roots
• Great filter of of pollutants

1. Intertidal Zone

2. Benthic Zone

3. Pelagic Zone

• Portion of the shoreline between the high and low tides
• Type of ocean zone

• Includes all sediments and rocks of the ocean bottom
• Starts at continental shelves and extends to deep sea trenches
• Type of ocean zone

• Full volume of ocean water
• Divided into 2 zones: neritic zone and oceanic zone

• All water above continental shelves
• Zone in the pelagic ocean zone

• Water of the ocean basins past the continental shelves
• Included photic and aphotic zone
• Most of the photosynthetic activity on Earth occurs in the photic zone
• Zone of the pelagic ocean zone