Biomes Land Biomes Biomes land biomes show large
Biomes
Land Biomes • Biomes (land biomes) show large areas of land with similar climate, soil types and communities • No sharp lines between biomes • Very artificial boundaries • Different systems for classifying biomes • We will use the text system of 10 biomes
Microclimate • Relatively small area in which the climate differs from the larger surrounding area. • Can be natural or artificial • Examples: some urban areas, desert oasis
Climate Diagram
Tropical Rain Forest • Warm and wet • Very high biodiversity • Occurs in tropical regions, at equator, etc. • You won’t like it if you are really afraid of bugs and spiders because there are LOTS of them.
Tropical Dry Forest • Warm like TRF • Have a rainy season and a dry season. • Lower biodiversity than TRF
I’d trade my cats (and my wife and kids…no, I guess not) for this one! This is an ocelot.
Tropical Savanna • Less rain fall than TDF or TRF • Characterized primarily by grass land • Typical “Africa” that we see on National Geographic, etc.
Desert • Desert biome often characterized by having less than 25 cm of precipitation per year. • Deserts are by no means dead • Deserts are not necessarily hot or sand dune ladened
Thorny Devil
Temperate Grassland • Grasses and fertile soil. • Much of this is now agricultural land in the USA. • Often referred to as prairie.
Temperate Woodland Shrubland • Characterized by a semiarid climate • Mix of shrub communities and open woodlands
Temperate Forest (Welcome Home!) • Deciduous and coniferous trees both common (plenty of room for variation here, think of here and the U. P. ) • 4 distinct seasons (usually, there is plenty of room for variation here) • Usually much humus in the soil (organic/decaying material)
Northwestern Coniferous Forest • Mild, moist air from Pacific Ocean provides abundant rainfalls here. • Lots of rain (think of Seattle? ) • Sometimes this is referred to as the temperate rain forest • Occurs as far north as Alaska.
Boreal Forest (Tiaga) • Occurs along the norther edge of the temperate zone. • Dense evergreen forests • Long winters and mild summers • Boreal comes from the Greek word “north” • This is real “up north”
Tundra • Way up north or way up high (elevation) • Permafrost • Cold • Low biodiversity • Well developed tundra doesn’t occur in southern hemisphere • Low rainfall (actually a desert) but much standing water due to the low rate of evaporation.
Trees Please……. .
Grrrrr…. seal has appeal!
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