Chapter 34 Biomes

Wetlands

(transitional) technically terrestrial. flooded most of the year. constitute a biome that is transitional between an aquatic ecosystem, either marine or freshwater, and a terrestrial one. Aquatic plants. mudflats and salt marshes are coastal wetlands that often border estuaries, which are biomes that occur where a freshwater stream merges with the ocean.

coniferous forests

Cone-bearing evergreen trees dominate. The northern coniferous forest, taiga, is the largest terrestrial biome onearth. Long, cold winters, short wet summers. Few nutrients in thin, acidic soil. Snow. Conical shapes of conifer trees Moose, elk, hares, bears and wolves etc. Temperate rain forests: in coastal NA. coniferous forests. Supported by warm most air from pacific.

temperate grasslands

Have some of the characteristics of tropical savannas, but they are mostly treeless, except along rivers or streams, and are found in regions of relatively cold winter temperatures. Periodic droughts. Fires/grazing by large animals. Large grazing mammals, like bison, wild horses, and small burrowing mammals and birds. Enriched soil. Tall grass is found in wet areas. Large range in temp

temperate rain forest

Part of coniferous forest biome. In northern coastal north America. Warm most air from the pacific supports this unique biome, which like most coniferous forests, is dominated by a few tree species and heavily logged forests.

deserts

The driest of all terrestrial biomes, characterized by low and unpredictable rainfall. Desert air near coasts is often not dry. Occur in 30 N or 30 S and in the rain shadows of mountains. The cycles of growth and reproduction in the desert are keyed to rainfall. The driest deserts have no perennial vegetation at all. Like desert plants, desert plants and animals are adapted to drought and extreme temperatures. Desert animals live in burrows and include seed eaters like ants and birds and rodents. Desertification: the conversion of semi-arid regions to desert is a significant environmental problem.

savanna/tropical grassland

a biome dominated by grasses and scattered trees. Warm temp. Poor soils, grazing animals, dramatic seasonal rain variation. Grassland that is tropical. Frequent fires Trees and shrubs are deciduous. Grasses and forbs grow rapidly during the rainy season. Insects are dominant herbivores. Many of the world's large herbivores and their predators are found here, such as the African Zebra and lion or the kangaroo in Australia. Also many burrowing animals such as mice, squirrels, and moles.

chaparral

characterized by dense, spiny shrubs with tough, evergreen leaves. Cool ocean currents circulating offshores produce mild, rainy winters and hot dry summers. Small coastal areas Adapted to periodic fires caused by lightning. Animals are deer, fruit-eating birds, and seed-eating rodents, as well as lizards and snakes.

Tundra

covers expansive areas of the arctic between the taiga and polar ice. Extremely cold with little light. Permafrost: continuously frozen subsoil. Only the upper part of the soil thaws in summer. Little precipitation but soil very saturated. Permafrost and cold prevents growth of trees and large plants. Alpine tundras are created by high winds and cold temps. Animals have insulation. Many are migratory. Large grazing herbivores like oxen and caribou and small rodents like foxes.

Polar Ice

covers land north of the tundra. Continuously frozen. Extremely cold low precipitation. Some invertebrates and small plants survive. The terrestrial polar biome is interconnected with neighboring marine biome. Some invertebrates.

temperate broadleaf forest

grow throughout midlatitude regions where there is sufficient moisture to support the growth of large trees. Deciduous trees in northern hemisphere. Big range in temp, high precipitation. Canopy Is more open than rainforests, soils are richer. Rates of decomposition are lower in temperate forests. Soil is more nutrient filled than rain forest. Predators are bobcats, foxes and mountain lions.

tropical forests:

occur in equatorial areas where the temperature is warm and days are 11-12 hours long year round. Rainfall in variable. Tropical rain forests are found where rainfall is abundant and harbor enormous numbers of species. Very humid climate. Layers of forest: emerging trees growing above a closed upper canopy, one or two layers of lower trees, shrub understory, and the sparse ground layer of plants.Woody vines of trees. Sunlight does not reach through trees. Soils are poor. Animals, like insects and monkeys, dwell in trees.