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Chapter 13 "Biomes and Ecosystems"
Lessons 1&2
A biome is a group of ecosystems with similar climates and organisms. In fact, it is mostly the climate conditions-temperature and rainfall-in an area that determine its biome. Climate limits distribution of plants. The types of plants determine the kinds of animals that live there.
Rain forest biomes are warm and humid regions found near the equator. They are found in Africa, South America, and Indonesia. They receive a lot of rainfall and sunlight year-round. There have many species of plants and animals. They have warm temperatures constantly throughout the year. They have a canopy and an understory of vegetation. The canopy has tall trees that form a leafy roof in rain forest. The understory is a second layer of shorter trees and vines
Temperate rain forests are found farther north. They receive a lot of rain but are cooler than tropical rain forests. They are found in the northwest of the USA.
Desert biomes are areas that receive less than 25cm of rain each year with large shifts in temperature during the day. Desert organisms are adapted to the lack of rain and the extreme temperatures. They can be very cold at night. They have more evaporation than precipitation.
Grassland biomes are regions that are populated by grasses and receive between 25cm and 75cm of rain each year. They have few trees. They are home to the largest animals on Earth. Savannas are grasslands closer to the equator that receive as much a 120cm of rain each year.
Deciduous forest biomes receive at least 50cm of rain each year with varying temperatures during the year. Some of the mammals in the deciduous forests migrate or hibernate. Deciduous trees shed their leaves and grow new ones each year. This biome has many habitats.
Boreal forest biomes have long, very cold, and snowy winters and summers that are rainy but warm enough to melt snow. Coniferous trees are found in a boreal forest. These trees produce seeds in cones and have needle-like leaves. The most common tress are fir, spruce, and hemlock. These forests are farther north than deciduous forests.
Tundra biomes are extremely cold and dry, often with no more precipitation than deserts. The soil, called permafrost, is frozen most of the year. Plants in the tundra include low-growing mosses, grass, and shrubs. Some animals in the tundra are caribou, foxes, wolves, and rabbits.
Some areas on Earth do not fall into one of the biomes. These areas include mountain ranges and land covered by ice. If you hiked to the top of a tall mountain, you would travel through a series of biomes. Some of the organisms adapted to live on ice are seals, penguins, and polar bears.
Water covers ¾ of the Earth. There are freshwater biomes and ocean biomes. These biomes are affected by sunlight, oxygen, and salt content - salinity. Algae are the most common producers in freshwater biomes. The different zones in ocean biomes are estuaries, the intertidal zone, the neritic zone, the surface zone, and the deep zone. ***See pages 743-745 to answer number 21. An estuary is a rich habitat for living things. Pounding of waves, temperature changes, being covered by water, and exposure to air makes life difficult for organisms in the intertidal zone. Photosynthesis occurs in the neritic zone. This zone has many schools of fish and coral reefs. Much of the deep zone is completely dark and some animals glow in the dark. Plants do not grow on the ocean floor because there is no sunlight.
Chapter 6 "The Environment and Change Over Time"
No notes; the students will complete lesson outlines.
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