Biomes

Esmeth C. Espinola
Mathematics and Natural Sciences Department
 What are
biomes?
- Biomes are large terrestrial
regions characterized by similar
climate, soil, plants, and animals,
regardless of where they are found
in the world.
- This includes, deserts, grasslands,
forests, tundra, etc.
What is climate?
Climate is an area’s general
pattern of atmospheric or
weather conditions measured
over long periods of time
ranging from decades to
thousands of years.
Weather is a local area’s
short-term temperature,
precipitation, humidity, wind
speed, cloud cover, and other
physical conditions of the lower
atmosphere as measured over
hours or days.
What factors influence climate?
1. Uneven heating
of the earth’s
surface by the
sun.
2. Rotation of the
earth on its axis.
What
factors
influence
climate?
How greenhouse gases warm
the lower atmosphere?
- These greenhouse gases allow mostly visible
light and some infrared radiation and
ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun to pass
through the atmosphere. The earth’s surface
absorbs much of this solar energy and
transforms it to longer-wavelength infrared
radiation (heat), which then rises into the lower
atmosphere.
How does climate
affect the nature
and locations of
biomes?

- Different climates
explain why one area of
the earth’s land surface
is a desert, another a
grassland, and another a
forest.
- In reality, biomes are not
uniform. They consist of
a mosaic of patches,
each with somewhat
different biological
communities but with
similarities typical of the
biome.
Three major
types of
deserts?
- In a desert, annual
precipitation is low
and often scattered
unevenly throughout
the year.
(1) Tropical deserts -
are hot and dry most of
the year. They have few
plants and a hard,
windblown surface strewn
with rocks and some
sand.
Three major
types of
deserts?
(2) Temperate deserts -
daytime temperatures
are high in summer and
low in winter and there is
more precipitation than in
tropical deserts.
- Drought resistant
shrubs and cacti or other
succulents adapted to
the lack of water and
temperature variations.
Three major
types of
deserts?
(3) Cold deserts -
Winters are cold,
summers are warm or
hot, and precipitation is
low.
Grasslands

- Grasslands occur mostly in the interiors of

continents in areas too moist for deserts and too
dry for forests.
- Grasslands persist because of a combination of
seasonal drought, grazing by large herbivores,
and occasional fires—all of which keep large
numbers of shrubs and trees from growing.
 (1)Savanna
(Tropical
grassland)-
contains widely
scattered clumps of
trees such as acacia,
which are covered
with thorns that help
to keep herbivores
away.
- This biome usually
has warm
temperatures year-
Three major types of round and alternating
dry and wet seasons
grasslands?
 (2) Temperate
grassland - winters
are bitterly cold,
summers are hot and
dry, and annual
precipitation is fairly
sparse and falls
unevenly through the
year.
- Well adapted for
wildfires.
- Two types of
temperate grassland

Three major types of (1) tall grass prairies

and (2) short grass
prairies.
grasslands?
 (3) Arctic tundra (Cold
grassland)- During
most of the year, these
treeless plains are
bitterly cold swept by
frigid winds and covered
by ice and snow.
- this biome is carpeted
with a thick, spongy mat
of low-growing plants,
primarily grasses,
mosses, lichens, and
dwarf shrubs
- One outcome of the
Three major types of extreme cold is the
formation of
grasslands? permafrost
Chaparral • Chaparral consists mostly
of dense growths of low
growing evergreen shrubs
and occasional small
trees with leathery leaves
that reduce evaporation
• Animal species of the
chaparral include mule
deer, chipmunks,
jackrabbits, lizards, and a
variety of birds.
• Research reveals that
chaparral is adapted to
and maintained by fires.
Three major types
of forests?
• Forests are lands dominated by trees.
• Tropical rain forests - are found
near the equator, where hot,
moisture laden air rises and dumps
its moisture. These lush forests
have year-round, uniformly warm
temperatures, high humidity, and
heavy rainfall almost daily
• Tropical rain forests have a very high
net primary productivity; they are
teeming withn life and boast
incredible biological diversity.
Three major types
of forests?

• Forests are lands dominated by trees.

• (2) Temperate deciduous forests - grow
in areas with moderate average
temperatures that change significantly
with the season. These areas have long,
warm summers, cold but not too severe
winters.
• This biome is dominated by a few
species of broadleaf deciduous trees
such as oak, hickory, maple, poplar, and
beech.
Three major types
of forests?

• On a global basis, this biome has been

disturbed by human activity more than
any other terrestrial biome. Many
forests have been cleared for growing
crops or developing urban areas.
Three major types
of forests?

• (3) Evergreen coniferous forests (boreal

forest and taigas) - These cold forests
are found just south of the arctic tundra
in northern regions across North
America, Asia, and Europe.
• dominated by, spruce, fir, cedar,
hemlock, and pine that keep most of
their narrow-pointed leaves (needles)
year-round.
 Mountains
- steep or high lands which
cover about one-fourth of
the earth’s land surface
- islands of biodiversity
- serve as sanctuaries for
animal species driven to
migrate from lowland areas
to higher altitudes.
- Mountains also help to
regulate the earth’s climate.
Mountaintops covered with
ice and snow affect climate
by reflecting solar radiation
back into space.
- mountains play a critical role in the
hydrologic cycle by serving as major
storehouses of water.
How have humans affected the
world’s terrestrial ecosystems?
- In many areas, human activities are impairing some of the ecological
and economic services provided by the world’s deserts, grasslands,
forests, and mountains.
- According to the 2005 Millennium Ecosystem assessment, about 62%
of the world’s major terrestrial ecosystems are being degraded or
used unsustainably.
How have
humans
affected the
world’s
terrestrial
ecosystems?
Reference
- Miller, G. T. & Spoolman, S.E. (2009). Essentials of Ecology.
Brooks/Cole, CENGAGE Learning. pp. 141-159