Charles Darwin

plants/animals adapt to changes in the enviroment (will die if they don't)

"Biomes are classified by predominant vegetation which is characterized by adaptations of organisms to the particulat enviorment." [Campbell]

biomes have changed/moved many times

TUNDRA

When formed?

Where?

Temperature?

Animals?

Name an adaptation of the animals.

• formed 10,000 years ago
• northern fringes of Canada/Russia/Finland; southern Greenland; 55 degrees N to 70 degrees N
• -70 degrees F (-56 degrees C)
• 48 species of land mammals --> shrews, rodents, hares, foxes, wolves, deer, bears
• adaptation: thick fur

TAIGA

Where located?

Temperature?

What plants/animals?

Adaptation?

• Canada/Russia (below tundra)
• half of the year = below freezing; range = -65 to 30 degrees F (-54 to -1 degrees C); long winters, short summers
• Plants: coniferous (keep leaves year round?) trees with needle-like leaves
• Animals: many predators --> lynx, wolverines, bobcats, red deer
• Adaption: hibernation, fly south

DECIDUOUS FOREST

Where?

Rainfall?

Temperature?

Adaptations?

• Eastern North America, Mid Europe, Eastern Asia (China)
• 30 - 60 in./year
• 50 degrees F (avg.); has 4 seasons
• Adaptatation: hibernate in winter (shorter); camaflouge; eat fruits, fish, and roots; trees have big wide leaves to get rid of water because there is so much
• There are more HUMANS (predators)

RAINFOREST

Covers how much land, home to how many organisms, and provides how much oxygen?

Where located?

Rainfall?

Temperature?

Plants/Animals?

• Covers 6% of land (was once 20%); 50% of plants and animals; 40% of oxygen of world
• Mid South America, Mid Africa, Indonesia/Indo Pacific, equator?
• 50 - 260 in./year
• year-round warmth
• tall trees, rough underbrush; colorful birds, butterflies, plants; many monkeys (species unique to each rainforest)

TROPICAL SAVANNA

Where located?

Temperature?

Plants?

Largest?

• Africa, north Australia, India, EQUATOR
• can get as high as 50 degrees (F or C?)
• grasses/trees --> more variety than in a dry savanna
• LARGEST = Australian Tropical Savanna
  • seperated from rest of world for 35 million years
  • contains endemic species --> only place with marsupials
  • saltwater dominator = crocodiles

DESERTS

Covers how much of land surface?

How formed?

Subdivide into types:

Where located?

Temperature? (for one)

Animals?

Adaptations?

• Covers 20% of land surface
• formed because of not much precipitation (because of ocean currents and winds)

HOT DESERTS

• Located between Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn
• 43 - 49 degrees C
• nocturnal carnivores (it's cool at night); borrowers, mourning wheatears, horned vipers
• Camaflouge

COLD DESERTS

• Located in the Arctic and Antarctic
• antelope, ground squirrels, kangaroo rats (?), rabbits
• (Camaflouge)

FRESH WATER BIOME

How much of water is fresh?

Animals?

Problems?

• 1% of water is fresh
• Variety of fish, plankton; species can't live in high salt concentrations; has fish that require less oxygen; fish can live in rivers/streams
• Fertilizer and industrial waste kill plants/animals and people will eat the organisms that DON'T die

SALTWATER BIOME

How much of surface covered in saltwater?

Animals?

• 75% of surface covered with oceans, coral reefs, estuaries
• many invertibrates, fishes, worms, clams, predatory crestaceans, crabs, shore birds
  • Estuaries --> diverse fauna (?), variety of worms

UV hits earth directly:

• causes algae (protective shield of coral reefs) to die
  • UV will bleach corals
• Skin cancer

the one and only crop that is grown in a field; also, monoculture is the practice of growing only one crop in a field

1. light,
2. temperature,
3. precipitation,
4. and wind.

1. altitude
2. aspect
3. slope angle

1. effects of plants (for example, the measures a plant takes because of competition or parasitism)
2. effects of animals (the balance between different consumers)
3. effects of fire (forest fires)