Global Biomes

Grassland image from [Link]

 Ecology
• What is ecology?
– A field of study that examines interactions within
the same species, between different species
(plants & animals), climate and other
environmental factors that influence survival or
organisms.
From [Link]
 Ecology Basics, continued
• Ecosystem: Biological system of interdependent
organisms in a specific region
• Ecotone: A region of transition between 2
ecosystems

In this picture, you can see

the transition of different
plants as you climb up the
mountain.

Image from: [Link]

 Global Biomes
• Biome: a region of the world (widescale
ecological community) characterized by the
climate, soils and the community of plants,
animals and microflora residing in the region
• 7 Terrestrial Biomes
– Named after resident vegetation
– Boundaries are fuzzy

Visit NASA Earth Observatory page

[Link] for more information.
 Climate is Critical
• Due to “range of tolerance” of different
organisms
• Cactus cannot survive freezing temps, and tropical
plants would dry out in the desert…
• Climate: a description of the average weather
(temperature and precipitation) of a region
• At least a 30 year average of weather needed (rule of
thumb)
Koppen Climate Zones Primary Categories: Köppen’s further divisions based
A: Tropical D: Moist Continental Mid-latitudes upon precipitation and
B: Dry E: Polar temperature patterns.
C: Moist Subtropics Mid-latitudes H: Highlands
Subcategories are:
Second
letter divisions based
on precipitation
f - wet year-round
s - dry summer
season
w - dry winter season
m - monsoon
Third letter (lower
case) divisions based
on temperature
pattern
a - hot summer
b - warm summer
c - cool summer
d - very cold winters
Image from
[Link]
m
 7 Terrestrial Biomes
• Coniferous forest
• Temperate deciduous forest
• Rainforest
• Grassland/prairie
• Shrubland
• Desert
• Tundra

Muskox live in one of the harshest biomes – tundra. Their thick fur keeps them warm.
Image from [Link]
 Coniferous Forest
• Predominantly conifer trees
– aka “Evergreens” as most keep their needles all year
• Needles vs. leaves, cones instead of flowers
• Adapted to very cold or very dry conditions
• Examples are spruce, firs, pines
Image from [Link]
 2 Regional Types of
Coniferous Forests
• Northern boreal
– Between 50-60o N latitude
– -40oF to 70oF annual temps
– 12 to 35 inches precip/year
• But low evaporation rates
• Temperate high elevations
– North America, Asia, Europe
– Slightly warmer temps
– Up to 80 inches precip/year
Image from [Link]
 Some Coniferous Forest Animals
Bald eagle image
from
[Link]
x500/ehow/images/a06/e3/k
5/animals-_amp_amp_-
plants-boreal-forest-1.1-
[Link]

Black bear image from Red squirrel image from

[Link]
[Link] /red_squirrel.jpg/75803393/red_squirrel.jpg

Gray wolf image from

[Link]
s/2009/11/gray-wolf-in-Canada-boreal-
Snowshow hare image from [Link]
[Link]
 Temperate Deciduous Forest
• Leaf bearing trees that change with seasons
– Lose leaves in fall/winter, grow back in spring
– Helps to survive cold winters
• Broadleaf trees (oaks, maples, beeches),
shrubs, perennial herbs, and mosses
• -20o to 90oF range
• 30-60 inches precip/year
• Locations: Eastern U.S., China, Japan, Europe,
Canada
Temperate Deciduous Forest Animals
Great-horned owl
image from
[Link]

White-tailed deer image from

[Link]
[Link]/107428875/[Link] Woodpecker image from
[Link]
dia/commons/thumb/1/12/Pileated_
Woodpecker_(6258355443).jpg/200p
x-
Pileated_Woodpecker_(6258355443)
.jpg

Douglas squirrel image from [Link] Raccoon image from

[Link]
[Link]/file/view/douglas__squirrel.jpg/32859669
hics/[Link]
/douglas__squirrel.jpg
 Rainforest
• Vegetation is tall & dense
• Biodiversity is high – many different plant &
animal (and insect and microbial) species
• 2 types: tropical &
temperate
• Temperate has conifer
trees, higher latitudes
• We will focus on
tropical rainforests

Image from [Link]

 Tropical Rainforest
• 65o to 80oF
• Frost free & rainy year round
• 80 to 400 inches precipitation/year
• TALL trees up to 250 feet in upper canopy
• Vines, palms in middle canopy
• Ferns and orchids in darker understory
• Warm moist soil allows for FAST
biodegradation of dead plants
Image from [Link]
 Tropical Rainforest
Animals
Blue poison dart frog
From
[Link]
com/file/view/Blue-Poison-Dart-Frog-
[Link]/340007338/Blue-Poison-
[Link]

Green vine snake

Image from [Link]
[Link]/image-
files/[Link]
Jaguar Image from [Link]
[Link]/image-files/[Link]

Spider monkey from

[Link]
_Spider-[Link]

Toucan Image from [Link]

[Link]/image-files/[Link]
 Grassland/prairie
• Open, flat regions of grass
– Between deserts (subtropical latitudes) and
temperate forests (high latitudes)
– Grasses die back to roots in winter
• 0o to 90oF, depends on latitude
• 20 to 35 in. precip/year
– More precipitation = taller grasses

Image from [Link]

 Grassland/Prairie Animals

Meerkat image from

[Link]
[Link]/file/view/[Link] Prairie dog image from
Buffalo image from g/195904596/182x225/meerc [Link]
[Link] [Link] view/[Link]/33945427/[Link]
010/800x517/[Link]

Zebra image from

[Link]
t/sets/grasslnd/animals
/[Link]

Prairie chicken image from

[Link]
[Link]/105589619/400x265/Prairie_Chicken.jpg
 Shrublands
• Hot, dry summers & cool, moist winters
• Frequent fires from lightning & dry summers
• Shrubs, grasses, acacia, sage, rosemary
– Small, needle-like leaves, some waxy coatings
• West coast, 30-40o latitude
– California, Chile, Africa,
Australia, Mediterranean Sea
• 8-40 in. precip/year
Image from [Link]
 Shrubland Animals
Red-tailed hawk image from
[Link]
ed%[Link]

Jackrabbit image from

[Link]
s/[Link]

Shrub savanna animals image from

[Link]
.jpg AND [Link]
_Copy.jpg/171869735/376x237/Copy_of_savanna_-_Copy.jpg
 Desert
• Hottest, driest biome (low humidity)
• Drastic temp. differences from day to night
• 15° - 35° latitude (N & S of the equator)
• Examples: Mojave, Sonoran, Chihuahua, and
Great Basin (North America); Sahara (Africa);
Negev (Middle East); and Gobi (Asia)
• 25oC to 100+oF
• ~10 in. precip/year (or less)
Image from [Link]
Desert Animals
Javelina Image from [Link]
[Link]/[Link]

Kangaroo rat image from

[Link]
99833/403x286/[Link]

Tortoise Image from Thorny devil lizard, image from

[Link] [Link]
esert_tortoise.jpg/800px-Desert_tortoise.jpg
 Tundra
• Finnish word tunturia, means "treeless plain”
• Plants: lichens, mosses, grasses, sedges, shrubs
• Freezing temps 6-10 months/year leads to
permafrost, soil that does not thaw
• Temps: -40o to 65oF
• Coldest biome!
• 6-10 in. precip.
• Arctic areas of
North America,
Europe, Siberia
Image from [Link]
 Harp seal image from
[Link]
_pup.jpg

Tundra Animals
Polar bear image from
[Link]
/33543683/tundra_animals.jpg

Caribou image from

[Link]
pg

Arctic hare image from

[Link]
263386580/205x209/Arctic_Hare_1.jpeg
Biomes, Climate & Succession
 Climate Predicting Biomes

• There are 7 major biomes

• Precipitation is key for determining biome
Biome Precipitation (inches/year)
Tropical rainforest 80-400
Deciduous forest 30-60
Grassland 20-35
Coniferous forest 12-35
Shrubland 8-40
Tundra 6-10
Desert 10 or less
 Temperature Effects
• Temperature effects are superimposed on
rainfall effects
– Example: determine the kind of forests in an area
with 75 cm (30 in.) or more of rainfall per year
• Tropical rain forests have broad-leaved evergreens that
cannot tolerate freezing
• Deciduous trees tolerate freezing by dropping their
leaves and becoming dormant
• Coniferous forests tolerate the harsh winters and short
summers of northern regions
 More Temperature Effects
• BOTH of these biomes have low
precipitation, BUT temperature
moderates the effects
• Tundra biome: has grasses, clover, and
other small plants that grow above the
permafrost
– Permafrost: permanently frozen subsoil
• Prohibits tree growth because their roots
cannot penetrate the soil
• Desert biome: any region with less
than 25 cm (10 in.) of rain/yr
– Hot deserts have different species than
cold deserts
California desert image from
[Link]
s/3/3a/Lancaster%2C_California_desert.jpg
Effects of latitude and
altitude on biome
Altitude and latitude affect
temperature and precipitation, so they
also influence biome locations. Tundra

Increasing altitude
from sea level
Coniferous forest

Temperate deciduous forest

Tropical rain forest Increasing latitude from equator

 Microclimates and Biome
Variability
• Microclimate: specialized conditions in a small
area of the biome
– Example: creek (riparian area) in desert
• Other factors in biome variability
– Different soil types → different vegetation
– Slope of land
– Shadowed from sun, or facing sun?
 Rain shadow effect on the island of Hawaii. Pacific trade winds bring moist air to the
island from the northeast. Precipitation falls on the mountains of the island, but leaves
the western side fairly dry, as you can see in this picture.

Image from NOAA’s website [Link]

 Disturbances and Resilience
• Ecosystems experiencing a disturbance
(wildfire, pollution, clearing of land)
– can return to previous conditions, depending on
their resilience
– Through ecological succession
• Primary succession: moss grows on bare rock surface
to generate soil development
• Secondary succession: grasses grow, followed by
pines and then hardwoods (in deciduous forest)
– Animals return once habitats begin to grow back…
Disturbances and Succession

Image from [Link]

Aquatic Biomes

Image from [Link]

 Aquatic Biomes
• Marine and freshwater
• Covers 3/4 of the Earth's surface
• Includes
– Salty: ocean, reefs and estuaries (majority)
– Fresh: rivers, lakes, bogs, and wetlands

Reef image by joakant on [Link]

Pond image from [Link]

 Aquatic Biomes & Climate
• Temperature, light and nutrients moderate
aquatic biomes like climate and soils do for
terrestrial biomes
– Leads to layers in aquatic systems
• Daily changes include tidal changes
• Seasonal changes
– Lakes and ponds freeze over
– Wetlands covered with water in late winter/spring
but dry out in summer
 Marine/Ocean Biomes
Intertidal Zone Shoreline, sometimes submerged but other
times exposed to air. Home to algae, crabs,
sea stars, snails, clams, crustaceans, crabs,
shorebirds. Image by shilmar on Pixabay
Pelagic zone Open ocean – top region. Seaweed, larger Image by nicholebohner
fishes, mammals (ex: whales & dolphins). on Pixabay
D
E
P
Benthic zone Open ocean – below pelagic. Little light,
T
temperature decreases with depth, lots of
H
nutrients. Seaweed, fishes, worms, sea
stars & anemones, sponges, bacteria, fungi.
Image NOAA/PMEL)
Abyssal zone DEEP ocean. Very cold water, high pressure
and oxygen but low in nutrients.
Hydrothermal vents. Invertebrates, fishes,
Hsulfide loving bacteria.
For more information visit: [Link]
 Aquatic Biomes:
Freshwater
• Very small to large
• Wide range of conditions
• Life in smaller habitats that can change quickly
must be adapted to variety of conditions

Images from
[Link]
[Link]/262128246/[Link] AND
[Link]
 References and Links
• NASA Earth Observatory site “Mission:
Biomes”
– [Link]
ome
• USDA NRCS Soils Education site
[Link]
etailfull/soils/health/biology/?cid=nrcs142p2_
053868
• University of California Berkeley Museum of
Paleontology