Biomes

Section 3

Section 3: Grassland, Desert, and Tundra

Biomes
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Bellringer
Objectives
Grassland, Desert, and Tundra Biomes
Savannas
Temperate Grasslands
Threats to Temperate Grasslands

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Section 3

Section 3: Grassland, Desert, and Tundra

Biomes
Preview, continued
Chaparral
Threats to the Chaparral
Deserts
Tundra

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Bellringer

Section 3

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Section 3

Objectives
Describe the difference between tropical and temperate
grasslands.
Describe the climate in a chaparral biome.
Describe two desert animals and the adaptations that
help them survive.
Describe one threat to the tundra biome.

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Grassland, Desert, and Tundra Biomes

In climates that have less rainfall, forest biomes are
replaced by savanna, grassland, and chaparral biomes.
As even less rain falls in these biomes, they change into
desert and tundra biomes.
As precipitation decreases in an area, the diversity of the
species in the area also decreases. But, the number of
individuals of each species present may still be very
large.

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Savannas
Savannas are plains full of grasses and scattered trees
and shrubs that are found in tropical and subtropical
habitats. Found mainly in regions with a dry climate,
such as East Africa and western India.
Although savannas receive little precipitation throughout
the year, they do have a wet season and a dry season.
Many animals are only active during the wet season.
Grass fires help to restore nutrients to the soil during the
dry season.

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Savannas

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Plants of the Savanna

Because most of the rain falls during the wet season,
plants must be able to survive prolonged periods without
water.
Some plants have large horizontal root systems to help
them survive the dry season. These roost also enable
the plant to grow quickly after a fire.
The grasses also have coarse vertical leaves that
expose less surface area to help conserve water, while
some trees shed their leaves. Almost all have thorns for
protection from herbivores.

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Animals of the Savanna

Grazing herbivores, like the elephant, have adopted
migratory ways of life, following the rains to areas of new
grass and fresh watering holes. Predators often stalk
these animals for food.
Many savanna animals give birth only during the rainy
season, when food is abundant and the young are more
likely to survive.
Some species of herbivores reduce competition for food
by eating vegetation at different heights than other
species do.

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Temperate Grasslands
Temperate grasslands are communities (or biomes)
that are dominated by grasses, have few trees, and are
characterized by hot summers and cold winters, with
rainfall that is intermediate between that of a forest and a
desert.
Temperate grasslands have the most fertile soil of any
biome. Few natural temperate grasslands remain
because many have been replaced by grazing areas and
farms growing crops such as corn, soybeans, and wheat.

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Temperate Grasslands
Temperate grasslands are located on the interiors of
continents where too little rain falls for trees to grow and
include the prairies of North America.
Mountains often play a crucial role in maintaining
grasslands as rain clouds from the west are blocked.
However, rainfall does increase as you move eastward,
allowing taller grasses to grow.
Heavy precipitation is rare in the grasslands, allowing the
hot temperatures in the summer to make the grasslands
susceptible to fires.

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Temperate Grasslands

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Plants of Temperate Grasslands

The roots system of prairie grasses form dense layers
that survive drought and fire allowing the plants to come
back from year to year.
Few trees survive on the grasslands because of the lack
of rainfall, fire, and the constant winds.
The amount of rainfall in the area determines the types
of plants that will grow in that area with varying root
depth and grass height.

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Grassland Plants

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Animals of Temperate Grasslands

Some grazing animals, such as the bison and pronghorn
antelope, have large, flat teeth for chewing the coarse
prairie grasses.
Other grasslands animals, such as prairie dogs, owls,
and badgers, live protected in underground burrows that
protect them from predators on the open grasslands.

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Threats to Temperate Grasslands

Farming and overgrazing have changed the grasslands.
Grains crops cannot hold the soil in place as well as
native grasses can because the roots of crops are
shallow, so soil erosion eventually occurs.
Erosion is also caused as the grasses are constantly
eaten and trampled.
Constant use can change the fruitful grasslands into
desertlike biomes.

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Chaparral
Chaparral is a type of temperate woodland biome with
vegetation that includes broad leafed evergreen shrubs
and is located in areas with hot, dry summers and mild,
wet winters.
Chaparrals are located in the middle latitudes, about 30
north and south of the equator.
Chaparrals are located primarily in coastal areas that
have Mediterranean climates.

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Chaparral

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Plants of the Chaparral

Most chaparral plants are low-lying, evergreen shrubs
and small trees that tend to grow in dense patches and
include chamise, manzanita, scrub oak, and herbs like
sage and bay.
These plants have small, leathery leaves that contain
oils that promote burning, allowing natural fires to
destroy competing trees.
Chaparral plants are well adapted to fire and can
resprout from small bits of surviving plant tissue.

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Animals of the Chaparral

A common adaptation of chaparral animals Is
camouflage, shape or coloring that allows an animal to
blend into its environment.
Animals such as quail, lizards, chipmunks, and mule
deer have a brownish gray coloring that lets them move
through the brush without being noticed.

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Threats to the Chaparral

Worldwide, the greatest threat to chaparral is human
development.
Humans tend to develop lands of the chaparral for
commercial and residential use because these biomes
get a lot of sun, are near the oceans, and have a mild
climate year round.

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Deserts
Deserts are regions that have little or no vegetation,
long periods without rain, and extreme temperatures.
Although there are hot and cold deserts, one
characteristic they both share is the fact that they are the
driest places on Earth.
Deserts are often located near large mountain ranges
because mountains can block the passage of moisturefilled clouds, limiting precipitation.

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Deserts

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Plants of the Desert

All desert plants have adaptations for obtaining and
conserving water, which allows the plants to live in dry,
desert conditions.
Plants called succulents, such as cactuses, have thick,
fleshy stems and leaves that conserve water. Their
leaves also have a waxy coating to prevent water loss,
while sharp spines on the plant keep animals away.
Many plant roots spread out just under the surface to
absorb as much rain as possible.

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Plants of the Desert

Some plants are adapted to survive for long periods of
time without water.
When conditions are too dry, these plants die and drop
their seeds that stay dormant until the next rainfall. Then,
new plants quickly germinate, grow, and bloom before
the soil becomes dry again.
These plants can survive their water content dropping to
as low as 30 percent of their mass.

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Animals of the Desert

Animals of the desert have adapted many different ways
to prevent water loss.
Reptiles have thick, scaly skin that prevents water loss.
Amphibians survive by estivating, or burying themselves
in the ground and sleeping through the dry season.
Insects are covered with body armor that helps them
retain water.
In addition, most desert animals are nocturnal, meaning
they are active mainly at night or dusk when it is cooler.

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Tundra
The tundra is a treeless plain that is located in the Arctic
or Antarctic and that is characterized by very low winter
temperatures, short, cool summers, and vegetation that
consists of grasses, lichens, and perennial herbs.
Summers are short in the tundra, so only the top few
centimeters of soil thaw.
Permafrost is the permanently frozen layer of soil or
subsoil and can be found in the tundra regions.

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Tundra

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Vegetation of the Tundra

Mosses and lichens, which can grow without soil, cover
vast areas of rocks in the tundra.
The soil is thin, so plants have wide shallow roots to help
anchor them against the icy winds.
Most flowering plants are short, which keeps them out of
the wind and helps them absorb heat from the sunlit soil.
Woody plants and perennials have evolved dwarf forms
that grow flat along the ground.

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Animals of the Tundra

Millions of migratory birds fly to the tundra to breed in the
summer when food is abundant.
Caribou migrate throughout the tundra in search of food
and water. Hunters such as wolves prey on migratory
caribou, deer, and moose.
Rodents stay active, but burrow underground to avoid
the cold. Other year-round residents, such as arctic
foxes, lose their brown summer coat for white fur that
camouflages them with the snow.

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Threats to the Tundra

The tundra is one of the most fragile biomes on the
planet. The food chains are relatively simple so they are
easily disrupted.
Until recently these areas have been undisturbed by
humans. But oil was located in parts of the tundra, and
oil exploration, extraction, and transport has disrupted
many tundra habitats.
Pollution caused by spills or leaks of oil and other toxic
materials may also poison the food and water sources of
organisms of the tundra.

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Quick LAB

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Graphic Organizer

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Math Practice

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