Mind Stretcher -1. Which of the following is NOT a

way that nitrogen cycles through the environment?

a. Decomposition releases nitrogen into the soil.

b. Plant roots take up nitrogen from the soil.

c. Nitrogen is stored in fossil fuels. 2. Which process does NOT release

carbon dioxide? a. Combustionb. Respirationc. Photosynthesis

Earth’s BiomesChapter 23

Biomes are dependent on two very important environmental factors:

Average Temperature and Average RainfallBiomes are named after the dominant

type of vegetation associated with large land areas.

The three major biomes are: (1) Deserts, (2) Grasslands, (3) Forests

THE BOTTOM LINE:THE BOTTOM LINE:

BIOME

Organizer Cold Temp. Avg. Temp. Hot Temp.

Heavy Rainfall

Average

Rainfall

Light

Rainfall

TaigaConiferous or

Boreal

Forests

Tropical Deserts

Temperate Deserts

Cool Deserts

SavannaTropical

Grasslands

PrairieTemperate Grasslands

TundraPolar

Grasslands

Deciduous Temperate

Forests

Tropical Rain

Forests

Celsius Scale30’s Warm20’s Nice10’s Cold

0’s Ice

Deserts have these qualities:1. Precipitation is low and limited2. Evaporation exceeds precipitation

(Rain dries out very fast)3. Light vegetation & clear skies4. Most animals are small and nocturnal

(come out at night)5. Hot days – Cool nights!!

Types of DesertsTropical Desert - hot all year, few plants, wind-blown surfacesEX: Sahara

Dese

rt Clim

ate

G

raph

Types of DesertsTemperate Deserts - Daytime temp. hot

in summer & cool in winterEX. The Mojave Desert

Types of DesertsCool Desert – Warm summers & cold,

cold wintersEX: The Gobi Desert

Brrr…It’s cold here

Desert Food Web

QUESTION?????What do all of these deserts have in

common? Think of three observations.

NO, you don’t have to write this question

down!

Grasslands have these qualities:1. Precipitation is high enough to allow grass to

grow.2. Droughts and fires prevent permanent forests.3. Home to large herbivores (bison, zebras etc.)

and many borrowing animals (meerkats, prairie dogs)

Types of GrasslandsSavanna (Tropical Grassland): high avg. temps. with a prolonged dry season of 4-6 months. Rest of the year is wet.

Types of GrasslandsPrairie (Temperate Grasslands):

Strong winds that blow almost continuously & evaporation is rapid.

Pra

irie C

limate

G

raph

Types of GrasslandsTundra (Polar Grasslands): Most of the year

the climate is extremely cold with high winds & snow cover. Winters are long and avg. precipitation is low (mostly snow)

Question????? Close your eyes and imagine a simple

savanna food web. What would happen in your food web, if the

top level consumers were removed?

HANDS FREE!EYES ON ME!EARS PLEASE!

Forests have these qualities:1. A wide variety of plants, dominated by

trees.2. Provides a variety of habitats for a

variety animals. (birds, deer, bears, mice, opossum, insects, etc.)

Types of forests:Tropical Rain Forests: constant hot temp.,

high humidity, daily afternoon rains, poor soil, hardwood trees, most animals live in the canopy, most biologically diverse

Rain

fore

st Clim

ate

G

raph

Types of forests:Deciduous forests: moderate temps., changes

a lot during the 4 seasons, abundant precipitation, deciduous trees loose their leaves each fall, nutrient rich soils

Types of Forests:Taiga: winters are long & dry, lots of snowfall &

short days, temps. range from cool to extremely cold, dominated by conifers

Compare and contrastDraw the following venn diagram on your

paper and fill it in.

Forests

Deserts

Grasslands