Introduction to Biomes: The World Biomes Guided NotesWhat is a Biome?• A biome is a large _______________________________ area of distinctive plants and animal groups, which are ____________________ to that environment• The ___________________________ and geography of a region determines what types of ______________________ can exist in that region

The ___________________________ Major Biomes• Tropical Rainforest• ___________________________• Grassland• _________________________• Taiga• _________________________ _____________________ _________________

Tropical Rainforest• ____________________________ temperatures• Wet weather• ______________________ plant growth• found near the _______________________• Average temperature: about ______________• receives at least _______________________ cm of rainfall in a year• some areas receive up to 600 cm!• Home to _______________________ variety of organisms= called ___________________Desert• The _____________________biome on Earth• Receives _____________________ than 25 cm• Covered with a thin, _____________________, or gravely soil that contains little organic matter• ____________________ and plants have ___________________________ for extreme conditions

• Few ___________________ are found hereGrassland• ___________________________ and _________________________ regions

• receives between _________________ and _______________ of rain• Perfect for growing rye, wheat, oat, barley, and corn• _______________________ and _____________________ in North America• Steppes of ___________________• __________________________ of Africa• Pampas of __________________________Tundra• Cold, ________________, treeless region• Sometimes called a ____________________• _________________________ less than 25 cm• Winters are ________________ to _____________ months long• ____________________ never appears above the horizon• Land in dark __________________ hours a day• Average temperature -12◦CTaiga• Located between latitudes _______________ and _________________• Stretches across ____________________, northern Europe, and Asia • ______________________ biome• Precipitation mostly in form of _____________________• Averages 35 cm to 100 cm of precipitation per yearTemperate Deciduous Forest• ______________________ distinct _______________________• Annual precipitation ranges from about 75 cm to 150 cm • Temperature range from below ______________ during winter to ___________ in summer

Guided Notes: TundraI. Location• The _____________________ of all biomes• Tundra means “_____________________________”.• Located in the ___________________ Circle and AntarcticaII. Characteristics• Extremely _________________/desert like climate• ______________ biotic diversity• Simple _______________________• ___________________ season for growth and _____________________________• Large __________________________ changes• _____________________-molded landscapes• Poor ____________________________• Little ____________________________III. Climate• Average _______________________ temperature= _________• Average _______________________temperature= _________• Yearly precipitation, including _______________________= 6-10 inches• Permafrost: a layer of _______________________ frozen subsoil.• Very ___________________- winds can blow up to ________ mphIV. Animals• __________________________ animals

- lemmings- rodent-like- voles- meadow ____________- caribou- arctic _______________

- marmots- groundhog- elk

• ____________________________ animals-arctic fox-________________-________________• Migratory birdsMigratory: the seasonal ________________________ of a population from one _________ to another.

- falcons- snow birds- ___________________- snow buntings

V. Plants• Adapted to _________________ winds and _________________________ of the soil.• can carry out ________________________________ at low temperatures and low light intensity• are __________________ and grouped together to resist the ______________ temperaturesExamples of plants in the tundra• low shrubs• sedges• ______________________ mosses• liverworts• __________________ mossVI. Interesting Facts• True seasons in the tundra are _________________ and __________________• In the winter season, this biome is completely _________________

• During the _________________, the sun ____________ almost 24 hours a day• There are only about ____________ species of land mammals.

TundraDescription Page- to be written in complete sentences and

illustration is to be COLOREDLand formations (what the landscape looks like/geographic features/what would you see if you went here?): ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Climate: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Plant life: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Animal life: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Draw an appropriate illustration below to demonstrate what the

tundra looks like and color it

Guided Notes: TaigaI. What does a taiga look like?Location• In large portions of _______________________, ______________________, and ___________.• The __________________ is located right under the tundra.II. Characteristics• The biome of the _______________________ forest• The ___________________ biome in the world• Russian word meaning “__________________”• Susceptible to ______________________ because of the drynessIII. Climate• Below _________________ for 6 months of the year• Winter temp. ranges from _________________ to ________________.• __________________ summers: 60-100 ___________free days!• High in the summer can be ________________• Total ________________________ is 12-33 inches per year

IV. Animals• _________________, _________________, and __________________of food make life challenging • Some taiga animals ____________________ south, some _____________________, and others ________________ with the environmentExamples of taiga animals• ________________ eagle• lynx• black __________• ________________• river otter• __________________ bearV. Plants• Many of the ________________ tree species• Similar __________________(evergreens)Examples of plants• Balsam fir• ______________ spruce• _________________-fir• White fir

TaigaDescription Page- to be written in complete sentences and

illustration is to be COLOREDLand formations (what the landscape looks like/geographic features): ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Climate: __________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Plant life: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Animal life: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Draw an appropriate illustration below to demonstrate what the

taiga looks like and color it

Guided notes: Tropical RainforestLocation

- Where is the tropical rainforest located in the world? - Located near the ___________________- Rainforests now cover less than ______________ of the Earth’s

land surface.What does it look like? (Look at the photographs and explain what it looks like)-________________________________________________________________________Precipitation

-Most tropical rainforests receive at least ________________ cm of rain annually.- Some receive as much as ________________cm of rainfall each year.Climate-Rainforests belong to the __________________ _______________________ climate group.-Temperatures rarely get higher than ___________ or drop below _________________-There is usually a brief season of ________________ precipitation -In monsoonal areas, there is a ___________ season, but that is more than compensated for the abundant precipitation the rest of the year.Zones of the Rainforest-Scientists divide the rainforest into zones based on the types of _____________ and ____________________ that live there.-The four zones 1. Forest floor 2. ___________________ 3. Canopy 4. ____________________

Forest Floor- Full of life- It’s very dark down here. Almost no ________________ grow in

this area, as a result. Since hardly any __________ reaches the forest floor, things begin to decay quickly. A leaf that might take one year to decompose in a regular/moderate climate will disappear within _______________ weeks. Giant _____________________ live in this layer.

Understory

-Little ______________________ reaches this area for the plants have to grow ______________ leaves to reach the sunlight.-The plants in this area seldom grow to _________________ feet.-Many animals live here including ____________________, red-eyed tree frogs, and _________________.-There is a large concentration of _______________________ here.

Canopy- This is the ____________________ layer of the forest and forms a ____________ over the two remaining layers. - Most canopy trees have smooth, ______________ leaves that come to a point. It’s a maze of leaves and branches in the canopy!-Many _______________________live in this area since food is abundant.-Those animals include _____________________, toucans, and tree frogs.

Emergents- The ___________________________trees are the emergents, towering as much as ________ feet above the forest floor with trunks that measure up to 16 feet around.- Most of these trees are broad-leaved, hardwood ______________________. Sunlight is plentiful up here.-Animals found here include _____________________, monkeys, bats, and ________________________.

Animals- The rainforest is home to more than ______________________ of

the world’s animals, Colorful and unusual animals dwell in all four layers of the forest. All types of creatures are represented, from tiny insects to large mammals.

- Examples: ___________________________ and _______________________

Plants - More than _________________ of the world’s plant species are

found in the tropical rainforests: plants provide ______________ and food for rainforest animals as well as taking part in the ______________ exchanges which provide much of the world’s oxygen supply.

- Examples: _________________________ and _________________________

Tropical Rainforest

Description Page- to be written in complete sentences and color the illustrationLand formations (what the landscape looks like/geographic features): ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Climate: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Plant life: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Animal life: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Draw an appropriate illustration below to demonstrate what the tropical rainforest looks like and color it

Guided Notes: Temperate Deciduous ForestI. Location• The temperate deciduous forest is located in ____________________ and ______________________.II. Characteristics• Has ____________ distinct seasons.• In ____________________, the leaves change ____________________ on the trees.• Plants _________________ their ________________ every year and grow them back in the spring.III. Climate•_________________________ throughout the year.• Water ___________________ many times during the ___________________ months.• ____________ summers, _________________ winters• Receives the __________________________ amount of rainfall per year.• Average _____________________ is 30-60 inches per year.• Average temperature is __________________F.IV. Dominant mammals• _____________________________

• _____________________________•______________________________•______________________________•______________________________V. Dominant Plants•____________________________•____________________________•____________________________•____________________________•____________________________

Temperate Deciduous Forest

Description Page- to be written in complete sentences and color the illustration

Land formations (what the landscape looks like/geographic features): ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Climate: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Plant life: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Animal life: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Draw an appropriate illustration below to demonstrate what the

temperate deciduous forest looks like and color it

Guided notes: DesertI. Location• Deserts cover about __________________of the Earth’s surface• Occur where rainfall is ____________ than ____________cm per yearII. Climate• Temperatures = _______________________• ___________ during the day• ___________ at night• Usually very ___________• Even the _____________________ desert gets less than 10 inches of rain per year!

III. Animals in a desert• Must be able to _____________________ in intense ____________, strong __________________, and lack of __________________• Need special ________________________

- Adaptation: a trait that makes an animal __________________ for an environment

Examples of animals in a desert• _______________________ rat• Desert __________________• ________________________• Kit ____________• RattlesnakeIV. Plants in the desert• Barrel _____________________• Cocklebur• ___________________ Tree• Cottonwood• _________________________

DesertDescription Page- to be written in complete sentences and

colored

Land formations (what the landscape looks like/geographic features): ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Climate: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Plant life: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Animal life: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Draw an appropriate illustration below to demonstrate what the

desert looks like and color it

Grassland Guided notesLocation-Grasslands are found in ___________________ places around the world.Names of Grasslands-Grasslands have a __________________ of names -Prairies and ___________________ of North America

-Steppes of _____________- Savannas of Africa- Pampas of ____________ America

Prairies and Plains• Both tall-grass and ________________-grass. • The air is moist and humid • This allows for some very tall grasses of up to _______ feet • Summers are _____________ and humid. • Winters are ___________ but not to the extreme. • Precipitation

• Can reach from about __________ inches in the short-grass prairie to _______ inches in the tall-grass prairies.

• The most famous drought was in the _____________, when the prairies were called the "Dust Bowl".

• Temperature• January is ________° F, and __________° F in July

• Animals– Most animals have adapted to the open, treeless prairie by

digging burrows – Examples: ____________________ and

________________________• Plants

– Grasses with deep _______________ systems keep the soil from blowing away

Examples: ____________________ and ______________________

Steppes• The Steppe biome is a ___________, cold, grassland • Usually found between the ______________ and the forest. • Very few people live there because of the climate• Farmers would have a hard time growing crops because the soil

is so ____________ and it’s so cold. • Precipitation

• The Steppe climate tends to go in cycles where there may be ______ years or more of good rains followed by as many years of drought.

• Temperature• varies a lot between summer and winter • Can reach temperatures of _________° F and have heavy

thunderstorms. In the summer• In the winter there are no clouds to keep heat from

escaping into the upper __________________. The land gets colder and colder.

• Winter temperatures of ________° F are not uncommon

• Animals• A lot of the animals that live in Steppe are grazing animals • Examples: ________________________ and

____________________• Plants

• There are many plants in Steppe. The main ones are different grasses

• Examples: ___________________and _________________________

SavannasWhere are the majority of the savannas located? ________________________- A savanna is a _________________ grassland scattered with shrubs and isolated trees, which can be found between a tropical rainforest and desert biome. Not enough ___________ falls on a savanna to support forests.

• Animals– Savannas have large ___________ of grazing and browsing

_____________ animals. Each animal has a specialized eating habit that reduces ______________________ for food.

– Examples: __________________________ and _____________________

• Plants– Plants of the savannas are highly specialized to grow in

this environment of long periods of _____________________.– They have long tap roots that can reach the deep water

________________, thick bark to resist annual fires, trunks that can store water, and leaves that drop of during the ________________ to conserve water.

– Examples: _________________________ and ___________________

Pampas- They are flat,______________ plains that covers an area of 300,000 sq. miles or 777,000 square kilometers, from the _______________ Ocean to the Andes Mountains.

• Precipitation– There is an annual precipitation of ____ to _____inches (100

to 150 cm) of rain. – From December to February hardly any rain falls at all.

• Temperature– range of _____° to ______° F (20° - 30° C) – In the winter, it is usually about 68° to 78° F (20° - 25° C)

– In the summer the temperature ranges from ___° to ____° F (25° - 30° C)

• AnimalsExamples:_______________________and __________________________

GrasslandDescription Page- to be written in complete sentences and color illustration

Land formations (what the landscape looks like/geographic features): ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Climate: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Plant life: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Animal life: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Draw an appropriate illustration below to demonstrate what the

grassland looks like and color it