Totaled 6/8 DONE!

 

 

This map breaks down the various biomes in the world and what kind of terrain would be found there

 

http://allscienceconsidered.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/biomes.jpg

To visualize the vast amount of  biomes in the world, this link will take you to a map that directly illustrates  in color the biomes of the world,

 

http://rst.gsfc.nasa.gov/Sect3/biome_graph.jpg

This link will take you to a pie chart that illustrtates teh proportional diversity of the biomes of the world.

 

http://www.chs.k12.nf.ca/science/b3201/WebCT-Copy/images/lesson-images/lesson02/temperature.gif

http://www.chlive.org/pbeck/eastlibrary/BIOMES.gif

To continue to explain the differences between each biome, these two links will show  graph of each biomes monthly temperatures and participation, leaving it easy to compare biomes.

 

 

http://bcs.whfreeman.com/thelifewire/content/chp56/5602002.html - This link is an animation that gives a detailed overview of different biomes and what makes them unique.

 

Biomes are climatically and geographically defined as similar climatic conditions on the Earth, such as communities of plants, animals, and soil organisms, and are often referred to as ecosystems. Biomes are defined by factors such as plant structures (such as trees, shrubs, and grasses), leaf types (such as broadleaf and needleleaf), plant spacing (forest, woodland, savanna), and climate. Unlike ecozones, biomes are not defined by genetic, taxonomic, or historical similarities. Biomes are often identified with particular patterns of ecological succession and climax vegetation (quasi-equilibrium state of the local ecosystem). An ecosystem has many biotopes and a biome is a major habitat type. A major habitat type, however, is a compromise, as it has an intrinsic inhomogeneity.

 

Climate is crucial when determining the characteristics of a biome.  Temperature and precipitation are the most important factors when characterizing climate.  Often a climate diagram is used to summarize a region's climate.  An example from Germany: http://kli.uni-muenster.de/media/klimadiagramm_muenster.gif 

 

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Experiments/Biome/

This is a game you can play to learn about the different biomes. Click on the "advanced user" button once you pick your character so it's a bit more difficult and informative for you. 

 

Here is a simple video that explains each of the biomes generally, so you have a basic idea of each before you look into each one's characteristics closely. 

 

 

Biomes- Biomes represent the most superficial classification of the ecosystems of the world and cover large geographical areas. Ecologists and naturalists have long noted that geographical regions with similar climate tend to have similar appearing plants and animals. For example regions with long, dry periods with little, or sporadic, rainfall are populated by animals adapted to these dry conditions. The plants tend to be tough, woody shrubs or succulents (such as cacti). Some plants are adapted to flower and set seed during the rare periods of rainfall in the spring. The ground is sparsely vegetated and often the plants are widely separated. The types of plants animals occurring in dry conditions throughout the world's deserts tend to follow these patterns even though the species and families may be, and often are, very different. There are only so many ways for plants to adapt to such conditions. Therefore biomes are broad geographic regions of a specific climate types with plants and animals similar in morphology and adaptations, although not necessarily related phylogentically. Similarly the same climatic conditions in very different places can produce very similar ecosystems. For example the tops of mountains (alpine communities) are very cold and tend to have the same vegetation types found in the polar (tundra) regions of the world.

 

This picture is a triangle graph of all the biomes, plotting temperature vs. moisture.

 

This video has a breakdown of all the biomes and their characteristics

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P22epOXwJHg

 

This is a link to a fun biome quiz, you can test your knowledge on the different ones

http://www.biologycorner.com/bio4/qz_eco_biomes.html

 

This is a link to an interactive map of all the biomes, where you can learn more about their positions and characteristics

http://www.csun.edu/science/biology/ecology/biomes/biome.htm

 

A fundamental classification of biomes is:

1. Terrestrial (land) biomes
2. Freshwater biomes
3. Marine biomes

 

Climate is a major factor determining the distribution of terrestrial biomes. Among the important climatic factors are:

• latitude: Arctic, boreal, temperate, subtropical, tropical.
• humidity: humid, semi-humid, semi-arid, and arid.
• seasonal variation: Rainfall may be distributed evenly throughout the year or be marked by seasonal variations.
• dry summer, wet winter: Most regions of the earth receive most of their rainfall during the summer months; Mediterranean climate regions receive their rainfall during the winter months.
• elevation: Increasing elevation causes a distribution of habitat types similar to that of increasing latitude.

 

 

Here is a link to all of Earth biomes. hope it helps

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biomes/index.php

 

 

 

 

biomes are usually derived from weather conditions. this shows the amount of rainfall per year and temperature

 

The Desert Biome  

Deserts cover about one fifth of the Earth's surface and occur where rainfall is less than 50 cm/year. Although most deserts, such as the Sahara of North Africa and the deserts of the southwestern U.S., Mexico, and Australia, occur at low latitudes, another kind of desert, cold deserts, occur in the basin and range area of Utah and Nevada and in parts of western Asia. Most deserts have a considerable amount of specialized vegetation, as well as specialized vertebrate and invertebrate animals. Soils often have abundant nutrients because they need only water to become very productive and have little or no organic matter. Disturbances are common in the form of occasional fires or cold weather, and sudden, infrequent, but intense rains that cause flooding. Four major types of deserts are hot and dry, semiarid, coastal, and cold

 

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biomes/deserts.php - Website Reference that explains unique traits and types of desert biomes. There are different varieties of desert biomes, not always regions containing miles of sand dunes.

 

This is a very helpful student made video of the desert biome

This video is about the desert biome.  It gives good visuals on the animals that live there, and gives easy to understand facts. 

This video gives good images of the Desert Biome.  You really get a feel for how hot it is there.

 

This image represents what eats what in the desert biome.  It is nice and simple to interpret.

 

Cold Vs. Hot Desserts:

I was surprised when I learned that there was such a thing as a "cold desert". In order to better understand the difference between the two (other than that one is hot and one is cold), I researched some of the innate similarities and differences between the 2. Here they are:

Animals-->A Hot and Dry Desert is, as you can tell from the name, hot and dry. Most Hot and Dry Deserts don't have very many plants. They do have some low down plants though. The only animals they have that can survive have the ability to burrow under ground. This is because they would not be able to live in the hot sun and heat. They only come out in the night when it is a little cooler.

Climate--> A cold desert is a desert that has snow in the winter instead of just dropping a few degrees in temperature like they would in a Hot and Dry Desert. It never gets warm enough for plants to grow. Just maybe a few grasses and mosses. The animals in Cold Deserts also have to burrow but in this case to keep warm, not cool. That is why you might find some of the same animals here as you would in the Hot and Dry Deserts.

Location--> Deserts cover about one fifth of the Earth's land surface. Most Hot and Dry Deserts are near the Tropic of Cancer or the Tropic of Capricorn. Cold Deserts are near the Arctic part of the world.

Other quik facts--> Hot and Dry Deserts temperature ranges from 20 to 25° C. The extreme maximum temperature for Hot Desert ranges from 43.5 to 49° C. Cold Deserts temperature in winter ranges from -2 to 4° C and in the summer 21 to 26° C a year The precipitation in Hot and Dry Deserts and the precipitation in Cold Deserts is different. Hot and Dry Deserts usually have very little rainfall and/or concentrated rainfall in short periods between long rainless periods. This averages out to under 15 cm a year. Cold Deserts usually have lots of snow. They also have rain around spring. This averages out to 15 - 26 cm a year.

Hot and Dry Deserts are warm throughout the fall and spring seasons and very hot during the summer. the winters usually have very little if any rainfall. Cold Deserts have quite a bit of snow during winter. The summer and the beginning of the spring are barely warm enough for a few lichens, grasses and mosses to grow.

Hot and Dry Deserts vegetation is very rare. Plants are almost all ground-hugging shrubs and short woody trees. All of the leaves are replete (packed with nutrients). Some examples of these kinds of plant are Turpentine Bush, Prickly Pears, and Brittle Bush. For all of these plants to survive they have to have adaptations. Some of the adaptations in this case are the ability to store water for long periods of time and the ability to stand the hot weather.

Cold Desert's plants are scattered. In areas with little shade,about 10 percent of the ground is covered with plants. In some areas of sagebrush it reaches 85 percent. The height of scrub varies from 15 cm to 122 cm. All plants are either deciduous and more or less contain spiny leaves.

Hot and Dry Deserts animals include small nocturnal (only active at night) carnivores. There are also insects, arachnids, reptiles, and birds. Some examples of these animals are Borrowers, Mourning Wheatears, and Horned Vipers. Cold Deserts have animals like Antelope, Ground Squirrels, Jack Rabbits, and Kangaroo Rats.

 

http://www.algebralab.org/img/3e73b671-20f1-4795-8e2d-61bcdc521a29.gif

This link will show a graph that illustrates the differences between cold and hot desert temperatures.

 

The plants and animals in the desert adapt to their enviroment in order to survive.  For example, desert plants stay in the seed stage during the seed stage during the summer, then bloom and sprout in the rainy spring months.  Other plants are able to keep from leafing out until rain comes, then are able to shed their leaves when it gets dry again.  Mesquite plants have 30-foot long taps that reach down in the ground to get water.  Some cacti are able to bloat into a "container" for water when it rains, then use that moisture when it gets dry again.  These adaptations include being able to live on very little water, to delay water-dependant life processes like photosynthesis, and an ability to withstand large quantities of salt in the body.  It is important to pay attention to the adaptations of the plants in a biome.

 

The animals in the desert can adapt to their surroundings, too.  The animals can burrow, have a nocturnal lifestyle, getting water from prey, and get nutritious fluids from plants.  Birds in the desert biome can fly at a higher (and cooler) temperature, and their bodies work at a higher temperature.  Their feathers can protect them from the excessive heat or direct sunlight.  However, mammals in the desert like to burrow in the ground and live nocturnally.  They have lower metabolic rates than animals in other biomes, they can go a longer time without water, and they don't have to take in as much food.  This is an adaptation to the low availability of food and water in the desert.  Because of the blowing winds in the desert, the animals have adapted with small ear openings with hair covering, and thick eyelids and eyelshes.

 

 

The Tundra Biome

Tundra is the coldest of all the biomes. Tundra comes from the Finnish word tunturi, meaning treeless plain. It is noted for its frost-molded landscapes, extremely low temperatures, little precipitation, poor nutrients, and short growing seasons. Dead organic material functions as a nutrient pool. The two major nutrients are nitrogen and phosphorus. Nitrogen is created by biological fixation, and phosphorus is created by precipitation. Two types of Tundra are the Arctic Tundra and the Alpine Tundra.

 

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biomes/tundra.php - Website reference detailing special characteristics of the tundra biome. These regions are known for short vegetation and rolling landscapes.

 

Alphine tundra vs. Arctic tundra:

> Alpine tundra is located at high altitude on mountains around the world.Trees cannot grow in these regions.The growing season in the alpine tundra is approximately 180 days and the temperature is usually well below freezing after dark.

> The main differences between alpine and arctic tundra are their locations and drainage.While the arctic tundra experiences very limited drainage, the alpine tundra is well drained.

> Arctic tundra is located in the northern hemisphere, in the area encircling the North Pole and extending slightly south.The growing season in the artic tundra ranges between fifty and sixty days per year.This growing season occurs during the summer, when temperatures average between 37-54° F.Although there are approximately 1,700 kinds of plants in the arctic and sub arctic, there are no deep root systems.This is due to he layer of permanently frozen subsoil, permafrost.The permafrost is consists mostly of gravel and finer material.

>The diffrence between alpine and arctic is that the arctic is covered with snow and little animals / and alpine is not covered with snow and has hundreds of species of animals 

 

As you can imagine, animals that live in the tundra biome had to adapt to the chilling temperatures. Some of these adaptions are: 
- short and stocky arms and legs. 
- thick, insulating cover of feathers or fur. 
- color changing feathers or fur: brown in summer, and white in winter. 
- thick fat layer gained quickly during spring in order to have continual energy and warmth during winter months. 
- many tundra animals have adapted especially to prevent their bodily fluids from freezing solid. 
- resident animals like the ptarmigan and the ground squirrel use solar heating to stay warm and save energy. Both animals stay out in the sun to warm up and during the summer when the weather is warm, seek shade to cool off.

 

Characteristics of tundra include:

1. Extremely cold climate
2. Low biotic diversity
3. Simple vegetation structure
4. Limitation of drainage
5. Short season of growth and reproduction
6. Energy and nutrients in the form of dead organic material
7. Large population oscillations

 

This is a very informative video that helps with understanding the tundra biome better

I found this video to be informative and easy to understand in understanding the Tundra Biome as it has both text and visual aides 

This video is helpful in learning about the Tundra Biome and includes easy to understand information about the temperature.

This video explains the Tundra Biome.  It discusses plants and animals that grow in the biome, permafrost, and includes a food web.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WysPqt0Y_-w
 This is a video on the tundra with music and text that may help one's understanding.

The Grassland Biome

 

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biomes/grasslands.php - Website reference that offers all needed information on the grasslands biome. Website includes information on different variations of the grassland biome, as well as plant and animal species familiar to the region.

 

Grasslands are characterized as lands dominated by grasses rather than large shrubs or trees. After the Pleistocene Ice Ages, grasslands expanded in range as hotter and drier climates prevailed worldwide. There are two main divisions of grasslands:

   1. Tropical Grasslands also known as Savanas

   2. Temperate Grasslands

 

Savanas  

Savanna is grassland with scattered individual trees. Savannas of one sort or another cover almost half the surface of Africa and large areas of Australia, South America, and India. The most important factor in determining whether or not a place is a savana is climate. Savanas are always found in hot climates where the rainfall ranges from about 20-50 inches per year.

 

 

Above is an example of Savanna grassland.

 

 

Temperate Grasslands

Temperate grasslands are characterized as having grasses as the dominant vegetation. Trees and large shrubs are absent. Temperatures vary more from summer to winter, and the amount of rainfall is less in temperate grasslands than in savannas.

This video talks about the characteristics of the grassland biome

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQyrXi0GzZg&feature=related  This video is a brief presentation by other high schoolers.  It provides important climatic and geographic information while also providing appealing visuals on the grassland biome.

 

Forest Biome

 

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biomes/forests.php - Website reference indicating special properties unique to the forest biome. Variations of forests include tropical rain forests, temperate woodland forests, and taiga forests.

 

Forests occupy approximately one-third of Earth's land area, account for over two-thirds of the leaf area of land plants, and contain about 70% of carbon present in living things. There are three types of forests:

1. Tropical

     Commonly found along the equatorial regions of central america, south america, asia and pacific islands, tropical rainforests are charcterized by a temperature of over 64 degrees year round and get between 70 and 80 inches of rainfall a year. Tropical rainforests are incredibly rich with life, and are home to 80% of the world's biodiversity. Tall evergreen trees are the dominant trees in the forests. In deciduous forests, vines, shrubs and small trees overgrow the forest floor and become what is known as jungle. The highest layer of a tropical rainforest is the emergent layer which grows above to canopy to over 50m tall. The second layer is the canopy which forms a smooth layer of trees which give home to monkey, snakes and tree frogs.

 

Here is a student made video about the facts and details of deciduous forests. It tells you were the forests are located, what the climate is like, and the plant growth and animal population.

 

 

This is a video about the temperature of the tropical rainforest, and why the vegetation affects the life on the forest floor.  It also explains the ability of the soil to absorb the decomposed matter.

 

2. Temperate

     Temperate deciduous forests can be found in the United states, Europe, China and parts of Russia. This type of forest consists of trees that shd their leaves annually. These include maple, oak, elm, beech, cherry and ash. Adaptations ahve occured to allow these trees to survive harsh winters. By losing their leaves the trees to not transpire and can therefore retain water for the winter until spring. Much of this ears is being deforested for timber and only 25% of the original deciduous forests of the world remain. Many of the forest inhabitants are animals that seasonally hibernate, such as bears, squirrels, raccoons and the like.

 

What exactly is deciduous?

Deciduous means falling off at maturity or tending to fall off and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe. In a more specific sense deciduous means the dropping of a part that is no longer needed, or falling away after its purpose is finished. In plants it is the result of natural processes.

 

The average temperature of the forest is about 50 degrees F. The average amount of rainfall in the forest is 30 to 60 inches a year. As the seasons change, so do the colors of the leaves of the deciduous. During the winter months water is generally not available to keep the leaves of some plants alive. Therefore, the leaves of some plants fall off and grow back in the spring. Those plants, like evergreens, keep their leaves during the winter have special adaptations to stay alive.

Precipitation in the temperate deciduous forest is spread throughout the year. However, during the winter months it is usually frozen and unavailable to animals. Animals living within this biome must adjust to cold winters and hot summers. Leaves generally fall off in the fall, leaving animals with less cover to hide themselves from predators. Also in the deciduous forests are such animals as black bear, fox, brown bear, cardinals, etc.

The Deciduous forest does not have much vegetation but there are many trees that contain outrageous amounts of flowers. Animals need these trees because they provide shelter and some use them for food and even water from the leaves. The trees adapt to this forest by having thick bark barriers on the trees to keep the animals out and the trees from dying.

 

In the United States, most of the deciduous forests were cut down for agricultural use in the first 100 years of the nation's existance.  Although most of the trees are beginning to grow back, the increasing population growth in America will never allow the forests to grow back completely.  There are also different types of rocks that deciduous forests can be based on: for example, granite or schists.  Forests that are based on granite will have soil that was thick and able to hold large amounts of moisture, while forests that are based on schists will have large-grained soil that will not be able to hold as much moisture.  You can see that where a forest grows can affect the proporties of it's soil and the growing proporties of it's plants.

 

The animals that live in deciduous forests have adapted to the cold, non-productive winter season.  Some animals hoard seeds and nuts and stay active throughout the winter months, while others hibernate underground or in caves, and depend on their layers of fat to help them get through the winter.  This makes sure that the animal will not be disturbed, so it can be healthy in the spring.  It is important to pay attention to animal's adaptations to their environment, becuase this shows how the environmental factors of the biome affect it's inhabitants.  Other creatures that live in the deciduous forests, like beetles, millipedes, and earthworms help the bacteria and fungi in the ground to break down the vegetative matter in the leaves that fall from the trees.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4cnSHMagR0  Here is a humorous video that provides statistics and information on the deciduous forest biome.

 

Tropical

 

Temperature is on average 20-25° C and varies little throughout the year: the average temperatures of the three warmest and three coldest months do not differ by more than 5 degrees.

 

Precipitation is evenly distributed throughout the year, with annual rainfall exceeding 2000 mm.

 

Soil is nutrient-poor and acidic. Decomposition is rapid and soils are subject to heavy leaching.

 

Canopy in tropical forests is multilayered and continuous, allowing little light penetration.

 

Flora is highly diverse: one square kilometer may contain as many as 100 different tree species. Trees are 25-35 m tall, with buttressed trunks and shallow roots, mostly evergreen, with large dark green leaves. Plants such as orchids, bromeliads, vines (lianas), ferns, mosses, and palms are present in tropical forests.

 

Here's a video with some kids discussing the tropical forest biome in the style of a newscast. It gives a bunch of helpful facts about the biome and is a little funny.

http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/rnfrst_plant_page.htm- This biome is called a Chaparral, which is usually the type of climate seen in "wild west" movies. It is a very hot and dry climate with light winters and searing hot summers, where drought and fires come easily. They occupy small parts of most continents, such as the west coast of the United States and South America. Most plants and animals are adapted to these dry conditions such as poison oak, shrubs, and cacti. Some flaura and fauna as well as animals are similar to some of those found in arid climates like deserts. They could be made up of all different kinds of terrain, from rocky hills to flat plains.

 

Besides the visual beauty of tropical forests, consumers worldwide rely on the products produced by materials found in the tropical forest. I found these facts to be intereting as the debate about destroying the rainforest continues, leaving me to question what humans would do if the destruction of rainforests stopped, thus leaving us without these every day products. Here are some quik facts:

 

 

 

Running the Numbers

• Fact: We lose 50 species everyday due to deforestation of tropical forests.
• Fact: Over 2,000 tropical forest plants have been identified as having anti-cancer properties.
• Fact: Less than 5 percent of the world's tropical forests are protected.
• Fact: Only 3 percent of all tropical tree species used for timber and paper products are grown on plantations.
• Fact: Temperate rainforests used to exist on almost every continent in the world, but only 50 percent — 75 million acres — of these forests remain worldwide.

Fast Facts

• Fact: Tropical forest fibres are found in rugs, mattresses, ropes, strings and fabrics.
• Fact: Tropical forest oils, gums and resins are found in insecticides, rubber products, fuel, paint, varnish and wood-finishing products, cosmetics, soaps, shampoos, perfumes, disinfectants and detergents.
• Fact: Tropical forests help regulate global temperatures and climate.
• Fact: Tropical forests are a source of valuable wood such as teak, mahogany, rosewood and sandalwood.

 

 

 

 

 

http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/B/Biomes.html ---> This link goes into great detail to describe all of the biomes and their specific features that make them each unique.

 

http://www.radford.edu/swoodwar/CLASSES/GEOG235/biomes/intro.html ---> This website describes the different types of biomes in good detail, and goes into specifically what factors make each of them different from each other.

 

http://www.worldbiomes.com/biomes_map.htm ---> This website has a great map that goes into detail in showing where different biomes exist on the planet today.