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34 Cards in this Set
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- Back
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biome
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based on life first and climate second. A complex biotic community characterized by distinctive plant and animal species and maintained under the climate conditions of the region, especially such a community that has developed to climax
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Polar Tundra
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-near the North Pole in the Arctic Circle
- is by far the coldest of all biomes -winters are extremely cold: below -34° C -The summers last only about two months and are still very cold from 3° to 12° C. -This biome still sustains life although it encounters these extreme temperatures -Some animals, insects, and even plants thrive there. |
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alphine tundra (plants)
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- lies just below the snow line of a mountain
-about 200 species -At high altitudes there is very little CO2, which plants need to carry on photosynthesis -Because of the cold and wind, most plants are small perennial groundcover plants which grow and reproduce slowly -They protect themselves from the cold and wind by hugging the ground -Taller plants or trees would get blown over and freeze -When plants die they don't decompose very quickly because of the cold causing poor soil conditions -plants can grow in sandy and rocky soil -Plants adapted to the dry conditions |
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boreal forest (plants)
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-coniferous trees are dominant plant form --shed snow easily, retain their needles through the winter --The needles are well-adapted, with thick waxy coatings and small surface area, to resist cold conditions and minimize water loss - in the swampy taiga where water may be frozen much of the year -if the temperature rises above freezing during the day photosynthesis can proceed -Broad leaf plants lose their leaves at the onset of freezing conditions in the fall and will not regrow them until most of the danger of frost has passed -growing season of broad-leafed trees is much shorter than it is for coniferous trees -Important conifer types include firs, pines, spruces, hemlocks, and larches - The seeds are retained in these structures until they open and cast the seeds out, often from a considerable height - Some species of birds and mammals may also open the cones foraging for the seeds -With two seeds per scale, it is likely that as the animal breaks one seed loose the other will fall free to the forest floor -mosses and lichens are also important in the taiga and may be an important part of the diet for many animals. |
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temperate deciduous forest (climate)
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-known for its leaf-shedding trees and its seasons
-experiences all four seasons - winter, spring, summer, and fall -Temperature-30°C to 30°C, yearly average is 10°C, hot summers, cold winters -Precipitation750 to 1,500 mm of rain per year |
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temperate grasslands (climate)
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-Temperatures vary greatly between summer and winter -The summers are hot and the winters are cold -the temperature is more than 100°F (37.8°C) -Rain occurs in the late spring and early summer -The yearly average is about 20 - 35 inches (55 - 95 cm), but much of this falls as snow in the winter -Fire is not foreign in temperate grasslands -They are often set by lightning or human activity |
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cold desert (climate)
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-cold winters with snowfall and high overall rainfall throughout the winter and occasionally over the summer
-have short, moist, and moderately warm summers with fairly long, cold winters -The mean winter temperature is between -2 to 4° C and the mean summer temperature is between 21-26° C -winters receive quite a bit of snow -mean annual precipitation ranges from 15-26 cm -The heaviest rainfall in April or May. In some areas, rainfall can be heavy in autumn -The soil is heavy, silty, and salty -contains alluvial fans where soil is relatively porous and drainage is good so that most of the salt has been leached out. |
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hot desert (climate)
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-exhibit daily extremes because contains little humidity to block the Sun's rays
-Desert surfaces receive a little more than twice the solar radiation received by humid regions and lose almost twice as much heat at night -Many mean annual temperatures range from 20-25° C. The extreme maximum ranges from 43.5-49° C. Minimum temperatures sometimes drop to -18° C. -Rainfall is very low and/or concentrated in short bursts between long rainless periods. -Evaporation rates exceed rainfall rates -Soils are course-textured, shallow, rocky or gravely with good drainage and have no subsurface water |
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chapparral (climate)
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-very hot and dry -The winter is very mild and is usually about 50°F (10°C) -Most of the rain comes in the winter -summer is hot and dry at up to 100°F (37.5°C) -makes fires and droughts very common. |
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tropical rain forest (climate)
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-close to the equator where they receive 12 hours of sunlight daily and from 50 to 260 inches of rain each year
-Temperatures rarely drop below 68 degrees Fahrenheit or surpass 93 degrees Fahrenheit -humidity averages between 77 and 88 percent -plays a huge role in taking in carbon dioxide and releasing 40 percent of the oxygen found on Earth -Four different layers -top layer: known as the emergent layer, consists of the tops of the tallest trees -The canopy, the next layer down, consists of the crowns of the other tall trees that grow close together, blocking much of the sunlight from reaching lower layers -The understory consists of small trees, bushes and plants that require almost no sunlight to survive -bottom layer of the forest receives almost no sunlight, but contains the decaying materials from upper layers. |
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tropical deciduous forest (climate)
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-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 -like evergreens, keep their leaves during the winter have special adaptations to stay alive |
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thorn forest and tropical savanna (climate)
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-cooler during the dry season by a few degrees
-climate has a temperature range of 68° to 86° F -it is mostly 61°F., but in the dry seasons it is 93 °F -its so dry fires are an important part of the savanna. -soil types are very diverse -grassland with scattered trees and shrubs -Rainy and dry seasons -There is a rainy season in the summer with around 15 to 25 inches of rain and a dry season in the winter when only a couple of inches of rain may fall -Warm -It cools down some during the dry season, but stays warm and humid during the rainy season. |
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temperate rain forest (climate)
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-One is long and wet, and the other is a short, dry and foggy summer
-During the long wet season the temperature rarely drops below freezing (0°C and 32°F) and during the short, dry, foggy season the temperature rarely goes above 27°C and 80°F, -Even in the summer, when it is dry, the weather is cool, the fog supplies enough moisture to sustain the rainforest -The fog actually yields 18-30 cm (7-12 in) of precipitation each summer. |
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alphine tundra (animals) |
-Animals have to deal with the cold and too much high UV wavelengths
-This is because there is less atmosphere to filter UV rays from the sun - There are only warm blooded animals-although there are insects -adapt to the cold by hibernating, migrating to lower, warmer areas, or insulating their bodies with layers of fat -will have shorter legs, tails, and ears, in order to reduce heat loss-have larger lungs, more blood cells and hemoglobin because of the increase of pressure and lack of oxygen at higher altitudes. |
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boreal forest (climate) |
-Climate is cold, about +5° to -5° C
-Precipitation varies, from about 20 cm of precipitation per year to over 200 cm. -Much of the precipitation form of snow-winters are cold and long-summers are relatively short and cool -With snowmelt and low temperatures, there is little evaporation in the summer, so the ground is usually very moist during the growing season -short summer has extremely long day length at the northerly latitudes and explosive plant growth in the summer -growing season is short, usually less than 3 months. |
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boreal forest (animals) |
-the main carnivores of the boreal forest are a number of felids (cats) and canids (dogs)
- The cats range in size from the Siberian Tiger down through the lynx to the bobcat -The Amur (Siberian) Tigers is known from the tropics of India and Indonesia all the way north to the boreal forests of Russia -The Bobcat is a much smaller cat with a range that extends far into the temperate zone -Herbivores: from deer family such as the Elk to insects on the small end of the scale -Among the smaller mammalian herbivores are the arboreal (tree-living) Porcupine and the terrestrial Snowshoe Hare -The Snowshoe Hare: the brown coat that camouflaged it so well in the summer and fall is beginning to be shed and replaced with white fur that will help hide it in the winter snows. |
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temperate deciduous forest (plants)
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-have three levels of plants: Lichen, moss, ferns, wildflowers and other small plants can be found on the forest floor
-Shrubs fill in the middle level and hardwood trees like maple, oak, birch, magnolia, sweet gum and beech make up the third levels -Conifers like spruce, fir and pine trees can also be found mixed in with the hardwood trees -the taiga and the temperate deciduous forest overlap. |
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temperate deciduous forest (animals)
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-Insects, spiders, slugs, frogs, turtles and salamanders are common
-Birds like broad-winged hawks, cardinals, snowy owls, andpileated woodpeckers -Mammals include white-tailed deer, raccoons,opossums, porcupines and red foxes -Some animals migrate or hibernate in the winter |
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temperate grasslands (plants)
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-temperate grasslands -Trees and large shrubs -purple needlegrass, wild oats, foxtail, ryegrass, and buffalo grass -with underground stems and buds, grasses are not easily destroyed by fire -Wildflowers grow well in temperate grasslands -asters, blazing stars, goldenrods, sunflowers, clovers, and wild indigos. |
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temperate grasslands (animals)
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-lack of shelter from predators, and an abundance of grass for food
-The dominant vertebrates in grasslands are herbivorous or plant-eating grazers called ungulates -Ungulates are mammals with hoofs, like horses and deer -bison, antelope, birds, gophers, prairie dogs, coyotes, and insects -lynx, antelopes, falcons, and fox. |
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cold desert (plants)
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-widely scattered -In areas of shadscale, 10 percent of the ground is covered, but in some areas of sagebush it approaches 85 percent -Plant heights vary between 15 cm and 122 cm. --The main plants are deciduous, most having spiny leaves. |
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cold desert (animals)
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-jack rabbits, kangaroo rats, kangaroo mice, pocket mice, grasshopper mice, and antelope ground squirrels
-badger, kit fox, and coyote -Several lizards do some burrowing and moving of soil -Deer are found only in the winter. |
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hot desert (plants)
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-are mainly ground-hugging shrubs and short woody trees - Leaves are "replete" (fully supported with nutrients) with water-conserving characteristics - They tend to be small, thick and covered with a thick cuticle (outer layer) -In the cacti, the leaves are much-reduced (to spines) -photosynthetic activity is restricted to the stems -Some plants open their stomata (microscopic openings in the epidermis of leaves that allow for gas exchange) only at night when evaporation rates are lowest -These plants include: yuccas, ocotillo, turpentine bush, prickly pears, false mesquite, sotol, ephedras, agaves and brittlebush |
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hot desert (animals)
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-small nocturnal (active at night) carnivores
-dominant animals: burrowers and kangaroo rats -insects, arachnids, reptiles and birds -The animals stay inactive in protected hideaways during the hot day and come out to forage at dusk, dawn or at night, when the desert is cooler |
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chapparral (plants)
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-plants have large, hard leaves, which hold moisture -very well adapted to fires -often have root systems designed to get as much water as possible -Shallow roots extend horizontally under the surface of the soils and are good at catching water when it falls as rain; taproots extend deep into the soil to capture groundwater - toyon, chamise, poison oak, scrub oak, Yucca and other shrubs, trees and cacti -The maquis has myrtle, hawthorn, and broom -Australian mallee is more open than these other types of chaparral and consists mainly of dwarf eucalyptus trees -fynbos is also composed mainly of scrub and shrubs, such as heathers and protea plants. |
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chapparral (animals)
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-coyotes, jack rabbits, mule deer, alligator lizards, horned toads, praying mantis, honey bees and ladybugs
-wild goats, sheep, cattle, mouflon, horses, lynx, wild boar, rabbits, vultures and eagles -many small mammals, reptiles and insects -many butterfly species that rely on this habitat |
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tropical rain forest (plants)
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- orchids, bromeliads, vines and ferns that must learn to tolerate lots of shade or find ways to obtain sunlight
-The strangler fig tree must receive sunlight to grow, but its seeds die in the deep shade To adapt, the trees seeds are left on branches of host trees by wildlife that eat the fruit. The seeds sprout; then grow a long root to the ground where the tree obtains nutrients and water. |
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tropical rain forest (animals)
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-The canopy of the rain forest includes butterflies, bees and hummingbirds along with bats, sloths, reptiles and monkeys
-The understory plays home to leopards, squirrels and other species of monkeys -The animals that live in the canopy and understory adapt to the forest conditions by swinging on vines or climbing to reach other parts of the forest rather than walking on the ground -The bottom layer of the forest attracts mice, frogs, snake and insects -Deer and wild boar also forage along the forest floor. |
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tropical deciduous forest (plants)
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-flowers like the passion berry and the blue lily.
-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. |
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tropical deciduous forest (animals)
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-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 -black bear, brown bear, fox |
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thorn forest and tropical savanna (plants)
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- have a long dry season so plants there have adapted to this climate
-Some store water in their roots and others extend their long roots deep into the ground to recover water from the water table. -mostly made up of grass but there are a few trees. |
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thorn forest and tropical savanna (animals)
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-mainly herbivores, are generally large in size and have made adaptions to survive to this climate and food source
-elephants, giraffes, zebras, gazelles, and wildebeast -Carnivores, such as lions, leopards and hyenas balance out the ecosystem -The plant eating animals have developed ways at avoiding predators -The giraffe uses its height to spot predators from far off -the elephant uses its shear size and strength to keep predators away - The cheetah is the fastest land animal - Other animals, like lions and hyenas, hunt in groups and trap the weaker animals away from the protection of the herd. |
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temperate rain forest (plants) |
-are the coastal redwood, fireweed, and western skunk cabbage
-coastal redwood are extremely tall trees, and because of this they have shallow root -systems that can extend one hundred or more feet from the base of the tree, tangling with the roots of the nearby trees, this helps them to stay stable during strong winds and floods -fog is very important, it protects the trees from the dry summer conditions, that typically appear in this area -Fireweed is common in areas that have been burned or cleared, forest openings -A few examples of epiphytes are moss, and lichen -Epiphytes use photosynthesis to get energy, and take moisture from the air (rain, fog), roots grow mainly so that the epiphyte can attach to the other plant, usually a tree |
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temperate rain forest (animals)
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-mountain lions (also known as cougars or pumas, above left)
-Roosevelt elks varied thrush and pacific tree frog Pacific tree frogs can change color to correspond with the season or environment |
