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 Rain Forest Common Plants/ Animals Brazilian Tapir Lianas Drip Tips Interesting Features Two types of Rainforests: Tropical and temperate. It has intense vegetation. Rainforests are home to half of the Earth's plant and animal species. Located around the North Pole. Permafrost. Annual precipitation very low Yearly precipitation is 12 33 inches. Summer months have millions of insect. Trees that have thick barks are prone to wildfires Two types of deserts are hot and cold. Few vegetation and trees due to heat Season change year around. Animals and plants are adapted to the constant changing seasons. Average rainfall is 30 to 60 inches per year. Trees only found by rivers. Soil tends to be deep and fertile. 10 to 30 inches of rain per year. Weather/Climate Lush and wet receiving 80-400 inches of rainfall per year.

Tundra

Taiga

Gyrfalcon Rock Ptarmigan Ruddy Turnstone Artic fox Lichen Hawk Owl Pine Grosbeak Bohemian

The average temperature of the warmest month is between 50*F and 32*F Cold average temperature is below freezing in the winter, then rises somewhat in the summer

Desert

Addax Dingo Barrel Cactus Bank Vole Oaks Gray Squirrel Walnuts

Temperature

During the day its hot but at night the temperature drops to the 40s and 50s Year around weather depending on seasons

Grasslands

African Elephant Purple Coneflower Bison

Temperature is moderate

Aquatic Biome Rivers & Streams

Common Plants/ Animals Anaconda Arrau River Turtle

Interesting Features Journey from stream to ocean begins in our backyards and farms. During Spring and fall the lake temps. Is more uniform. Pond is a body of water shallow enough to support rooted plants.

Weather/Climate Deciduous and wet/moist

Ponds & Lakes

Great White Pelican Bullfrog Bitterling

Wetlands

American Alligator American Bittern Black-winged Stilt Conger Eel Avocet Herring Gull California Sea Lion Gray Whale Black-legged Mollusks Green Turtle Smooth Hammerhead Blue Marin Dugong Echinoderms

Shorelines

Temperature Oceans

Found all around the world. Prevent floods by absorbing water. Oceans and seas meet land. Surface Ocean currents are mainly caused by wind. The worlds largest sea is the South China Sea Polyp makes coral. An inch of coral grows in 100 years.

The top water layer stays warm at around 65-75 degrees F. The middle layer drops dramatically, usually to 45-65 degrees F. The bottom layer is the coldest, staying at around 39-45 degrees F. Salt cold or fresh water may be found in these areas. Cold at night and during the day

Moderate

Tropical Ocean

Average temp. 39, but usually warm and cool.

Rainforest 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. The U.S has our rainforests located in the Pacific Northwest. The percentage of original rainforests is 25%. Now they only cover about 3%. Tundra 2: Where is the Tundra Biome located? What is permafrost? What percentage of the Earths surface is covered by Tundra? Tundra biome is located in the North Pole. Permafrost is a thick surface permanently frozen layer of ground. 8% of the Earth's surface is covered by tundra.

Taiga 3: Where is the Taiga Biome located? What is the soil like in the Taiga- why?

The Taiga is the largest biome its location is between 50 degrees latitude North and the Arctic Circle. The soil is covered usually by permafrost. Desert 4: How much rainfall is characteristic of deserts? Explain where most deserts are located and the RAINSHADOW Effect. Most deserts are located along 30 degrees latitude north and 30 degrees latitude south. Average Rainfall is less than 50 cm per year. The rain shadow effect is a dry area on the lee side of a mountainous area that blocks direct contact from water or wind, and is underneath a shadow of dryness. Temperate Deciduous Forest 5: What is special about this biome? Deciduous trees have special leaves that are adapted to the biome- explain. These trees have adapted to all four seasons and can adjust to the environment. Grasslands 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 are found everywhere except Antarctica. Grasslands receive about 20-30 inches of rainfall in order keeps to the grass and vegetation growing. The three types of grassland in North America are: Short Grass Prairie, tall Grass Prairie, and Mixed Grass Prairie. Grasslands can be called different names in different parts of the world like "steppes" in Asia, "savannas"/ "veldts" in Africa, and "range lands in Australia. Rivers & Streams 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? Running water represents about 3%. A watershed area or of land that separates/ carries water flowing from rivers, basins, to eventually end up in the sea. Two main processes that happen to surface water are surface runoff and infiltration. The longest river in the world is the Nile River and the longest river in thus is the Missouri River. A hydroelectric dam generates electricity by conversion of the energy of running water.

Ponds & Lakes 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 summer kill in some lakes? Lakes have an aphotic zone, so sunlight can't reach the bottom and Ponds are shallow and are able to support the growth of plants able to expand across the entire surface called a photic zone. 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 submerging vegetation, appear and soon grow all along the bottom. Emergent plants have roots under water while part of their bodies resides above the water line. 3) Emergent then appears 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 emergent can grow all the way across the floor. When this happens, the ponds become a marsh. Many interesting creatures can reside in the shallow muddy waters of marshes an oxbow lake is formed when the oxbow lake is created over time as erosion and deposits of soil change the river's course. The largest lake in the world is Caspian Sea, the largest lake in the U.S. is Lake Superior, and the deepest lake in the world is Lake Baikal. The lake snow effect is when snow falls on the lee side of a lake, from cold dry air going over warmer water picking up moisten air and then cooling down as it goes uphill. The cause of summer kill is when algae blooms occur and then die off in the summer lowering oxygen levels. Wetlands 9: What are the types of freshwater wetlands- name and define them. Explain why wetlands are so important. What is happening to our wetlands? Types of freshwater wetlands are marsh (inland, 1-6 feet of water), swamp which are slow moving streams; bog (peat-accumulating wetland), prairie pothole (shallow/bowl like depressions of water), riparian marsh (Marshes occur along rivers). Wetlands are important because they prevent flooding and purify water. They are being taken away and destroyed due to human activities.

Shorelines 10: What kind of life forms 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 the trees are specially adapted to living in that environment? Why are they important? Life forms in the intertidal zones are sea stars, seashells and sea clams. Barrier Islands are islands separated by main bodies of water that vary in size. An estuary is a partially enclosed body of water where seawater is mixed with fresh water. Life forms can include a diverse mix of sea and land creatures. Salt marshes are wetlands containing saltwater. Mangrove Forest thrives near mouths of large rivers where the deltas provide a lot of sediment. Trees are adapted to living in this environment because they have special roots to maintain themselves a and they don't change very much. They are also important because they protect the coastline and prevent erosion. Temperate Ocean Zones 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? The types of zones are the Sunlit zone (top layer of the ocean), the Twilight zone (only small amounts of light can penetrate), and the midnight zone (no light 90% of time). These three zones are separated by their level of density. Kelp forests

are large areas underwater that can grow kelp up to 125 feet. They are found at Coastal Waters.
Tropical Ocean Zones 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 and they are located in tropical oceans near the equator. The largest coral reef is the Great Barrier Reef.