APES- Introduction to the Worlds Biomes

Objective: Understand the plants, animals and climate that characterize each biome of the world. Site: http://mbgnet.mobot.org/ Missouri Botanical Gardens Browse each biome and fill out the chart below and answer the questions below about each individual biome Terrestrial Biome Common Plants/ Interesting Features Weather/Climate Animals Rainforest Bearded Pig, Brazillian -They're two types of Lush and wet receiving Tapir, Capybara. rainforest's, tropical and 80-400 iches of rainfall Bark, Lianas, Drip Tips. temperate. per year. - Vegetation is dense. -Both types of rainforests are rich in plant and animal specie. Gyrfalcon, Rock Ptarmigan, Ruddy Turnstone. Lichen, Dark Red Leaves,Cushion Plants. -Soil is often frozen, Cold the average permafrost. temperature is between -Annual precipitation is 50F and 32F. low less than 10 inches - Located at the top of the world around the North Pole. -Total yearly precipitation is 12-33 inches. -During summer the Tagia is filled with insects. - Tagia is prone to wildfires. Cold average temperature is below freezing for six months of the year.

Tundra

Taiga

Bohemian Waxwing, Hawk Owl, Pine Grosbeak. Conifers, Needles, Birch.

Desert

Addax, Catus Wren, Desert Lark. Saguaro, Barrel Cactus, Old Man Cactus.

- Wettest deserts get less Hot, dry. than 10 inches of rain a year. - During the day deserts are hot at night temperatures drop to the 40s or 50s. - Very few trees and other vegetations because of heat. - Changing seasons all - Year round weather. 4. - Plants and animals adapt to life to stay alive. - Summer is a busy time for deciduous trees, their broad leaves capture energy from the sun and convert it to food by photosynthesis. - Trees are only found - Moderate. by rivers. - Receive about 10 to 30 inches of rain per year. - Soil tends to be deep and fertile.

Temperate

Bank Vole, Black Bear, Gray Squirrel. Oaks, Walnuts.

Grasslands

African Elephant, Bison, Black Rhinoceros. Sweet coneflower, Purple coneflower

Aquatic Biomes Rivers & Streams

Common Plants/ Animals Anaconda, Arrau River Turtle, Barbel, Boutu, Cenral Stonerroller, Common Pufferfish, Dipper.

Interesting Features

Weather/Climate

- The journey from Deciduous and Wet stream to river begins on our backyards and farms. - The longest river is the Nile 4, 1145 miles. - When rivers meet the ocean it's called the mouth. - The larges lake in the world is the caspian sea 143, 244 square miles. - Oxbow is a crecent Top layer stays warm. The middle layer drops dramatically. The bottom layer is the

Ponds & Lakes

Bitterling, Bullfrong, Common Carp, Great Crested Grebe, Great White Pelican, Green

and Gold Bell Frog.

shaped lake lying coldest. alongside a winding river. - During spring and fall the lake temperature is more uniform. - Found all over the world. - Important to ecosystems. - Help prevent floods by acting as a sponge. Water found in wetlands can be saltwater, freshwater, or brackish. Cold Water.

Wetlands

American Alligator, American Bittern, Boatbilled Heron, Blackwinged Stilt, Cape Lopez Lyretail, Common Snipe. Conger Eel, Avocet, Crab Plover, Herring Gull, Diamondback Terrapin, California Sea Lion.

Shorelines

-Where oceans and seas Light breeze and cool meet land. temperatures at night. - Surface ocean currents are mainly caused by wind. -Difference in water density affect vertical ocean currents. - Covering of the Moderate neither hot or Earth's surface. cold. - The worlds largest sea is The South China Sea. -The worlds larges islands is Greenland, northern Atlantic. - Reefs grow very slow, an inch of coral grows in 100 years. - Coral reefs are found only in shallow warm water. - The animal that makes up the coral is called polyp. Average temperature is about 39 degrees F. Tropical oceans are warm and clear on the surface.

Temperate Oceans

Atlanic Hagfish, Blacklegged, Gray Whale, Cnidarians, Basking Shark, Mollusks.

Tropical Oceans

Blue Marlin, Brown Bobby, Green Turtle, Dugong, Echinoderms, Great Barracuda, Smooth Hammerhead.

Rainforests 1: What are the two types of rainforests? In the United States, where are our rainforests located? (Be specific). What percentage of our original rainforests does this represent? The two types of rainforests are temperate and tropical. Tropical rainforests are located near the equator and temperate long some coasts in temperate zones. The rainforest covers about 3%. 2: Where is the Tundra Biome located? What is permafrost? What percentage of the Earths surface is covered by Tundra?

The Tundra is located at the top of the world near the north pole. Permafrost is a thick subsurface layer of soil that remains frozen throughout the year, occurring chiefly in polar regions. About 8% of earth's surface is covered by the Tundra. 3: Where is the Taiga Biome located? What is the soil like in the Taiga- why? The Taiga is the largest biome it's location is between 50 degrees latitude North and the Arctic Circle. The soil is covered usually by permafrost or rocks and underneath that there is clay like dirt 4: How much rainfall is characteristic of deserts? Explain where most deserts are located and the RAINSHADOW Effect. Rainfall is less than 50cm per year. Most deserts are located in bands along 30 degrees latitude north and 30 degrees latitude south. The rainshadow effect is a dry area on the lee side of a mountainous area. The mountains block the passage of rain producing weather systems and cast a shadow of dryness behind them. Temperate Deciduous Forest 5: What is special about this biome? Deciduous trees have special leaves that are adapted to the biome- explain. Temperate deciduous forest has 4 distinct seasons, summer, spring, autumn and winter. The trees are like evergreen trees. 6: Grasslands are found on every continent except for one- which? How much rainfall do grasslands get- why is this important? What are the 3 types of grasslands that are found in North America? What are grasslands called in other places in the world? Grasslands can be found everywhere but Antarctica. Grasslands receive about 20-30 inches of rainfall, this is important because it keeps the grass green and alive. The three types of grassland in North America are: Tall Grass Prairie, Mixed Grass Prairie, Short Grass Prairie. Grasslands are called different names in different parts of the world like; steppes in Asia; prairies in North America; pampas, llanos and cerrados in South America; savannas and velds in Africa; and rangelands in Australia. 7: How much water on Earth does running water represent? What is a watershed? What are the two main processes that happen to surface water? What is the longest river in the world? What is the longest river in the United States? What is a hydroelectric dam? The earth is 97% water. A watershed is an area or ridge of land that separates waters flowing to different rivers, basins, or seas. The longest river in the world is the Nile River . The longest river in the U.S is the Missouri River. A hydroelectric dam is generating electricity by conversion of the energy of running water. 8: What is the difference between a pond and lake? Name the four stages of succession of a pond. Explain how an Oxbow Lake is formed. What is the largest lake in the world? What is the largest lake in the United States? What is the deepest lake in the world? What is Lake Effect Snow? Explain. What is the cause of summerkill in some lakes? Ponds are shallow enough where plants could conceivably grow across the entire surface called a photic zone, and lakes have aphotic zone, meaning there is an area deep enough that sunlight cant reach the bottom. Four stages of succession are: 1) As a pond develops seeds are flown in by birds and land animals come to inhabit the pond. These are the pond pioneers. 2) As more creatures arrive the debris on the bottom increases. Pondweed, and other submergent vegetation, appears and soon grow all along the bottom.

3) Emergents then appear on the edges of the pond. Over time, sometimes hundreds of years, as ponds plants grow, die and decompose, layers of debris build up. These layers of decaying matter raise the pond floor over the years. 4) After some time, the pond floor is close enough to the bottom that emergents can grow all the way across the floor. When this happens, the ponds becomes a marsh. Many interesting creatures can reside in the shallow muddy waters of marshes. (Marshes can be created in other ways also.) Oxbow lake is formed when a wide meander from the main stem of a river is cut off to create a lake. The largest lake in the world is Caspian Sea. The largest lake in the U.S. Is Lake Superior. The deepest lake in the world is Lake Baikal. The lake snow effect is snow falling on the lee side of a lake, generated by cold dry air passing over warmer water. The cause of summerkill is when orgainsms aren't use to the sudden change. 9: What are the types of freshwater wetlands- name and define them. Explain why wetlands are so important. What is happening to our wetlands? Shorelines Types of wetlands include: A freshwater marsh is an inland area inundated with 16 feet (33200 cm) of water, containing a variety of perennials (mostly grasses), forbs (flowers), and bushes, rather than trees, as in swamps. Swamps are slow moving streams, rivers or isolated depressions that host trees and some shrubs. And A bog is a peat-accumulating wetland. Some shrubs and evergreens grow in bogs, as do mosses. Most water comes from precipitation. There is usually no direct inflow or outflow of water. Wetlands are important because they serve as shelter for animals and protect us from floods. They are slowly being destroyed due to our human activities like construction work and pipping up groundwater. 10: What kind of lifeforms will you find in the intertidal zone? What is a barrier island? What is an estuary? What is life like in an estuary? What is a salt marsh? What is the Mangrove Forest? How are the trees specially adapted to living in that environment? Why are they important? Types of life forms you'll find include; Mussel Bed, Sea Urchin Snail, Sea Stars, Anemonese, Lichen, Periwinkle Snails, Purple Shoreline Crab, Barnacles, Blue-Green Seaweed, ect. A barrier is a fence or other obstacle that prevents movement or access. An estuary is the tidal mouth of a large river, where the tide meets the stream. Life in an estuary include; Mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, shellfish, and plants. A salt marsh is an area of coastal grassland that is regularly flooded by seawater. Mangroves are various types of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics. Trees have adapted because the temperature doesn't change much. 11: Name and describe the different zones of the ocean and how they are divided. Describe the different photic zones of the ocean. What are kelp forests? Where are they found? Different zones in the oceans are The Ocean Surface, The Twilight Zone, and The Deep Ocean. They are divided by depending on their density. Photic Zone is surface layer of the ocean that receives sunlight. Kelp forests are underwater areas with a high density of kelp, they are located throughout the world in shallow open coastal waters, and the larger forests are restricted to temperatures less than 20C. 12: What is coral made of? Explain. Where are most coral reefs located? Where is the largest coral reef? Coral is made of calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are located in tropical oceans near the equator.

The largest coral reef is the Great Barrier Reef.