Biomes

Question 1

What is a biome and how is it defined?

Answer 1

A biome is a large ecological area which contains plants and animals showing adaptation to their environment. It’s defined by:

• Topography (region’s physical features such as mountains and elevation)
• Climate
• Soil
• Vegetation

Question 2

What is a Tundra?

Answer 2

A Tundra is the coldest of all land biomes and has the least bio-diversity capacity. There are two types:

• Arctic Tundra
• Alpine Tundra

Question 3

What is the arctic tundra?

Answer 3

The arctic tundra is located around the north pole in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern Russia, Canada, and part of Scandinavia

• Moss, Lichen, grasses, and low growing shrubs
• Very Cold
• Less than 10 in of rain a year
• Permafrost is seen, soil is permanently frozen, this prevents drainage, thus soil stays waterlogged
• Treeless biome
• Oxen, bears, wolves, arctic foxes, and birds are found here. Fish such as cod and salmon too.
• -30 C is seen during the winter and 10 C is seen during the summer
• Caribou herds can be seen during its annual migration
• This is a fragile biome, since plants and animals must survive extreme cold

Question 4

What is the Alpine Tundra?

Answer 4

The Alpine Tundra is found at high altitudes on mountain tops, about 11,000 feet or more.

• Similar to the arctic tundra, but lacks a permafrost or if one is present, it is poorly developed
• Trees cannot grow here, and there is little vegetation cover.
• Birds and mountain goats are seen frequently, sheep and elk too
• The Alps, Himalayas, and Scandinavian mountains have alpine tundras
• Climate becomes colder as you climb in elevation
• Plants such as grasses and low woody shrubs dominate the landscape. These plants are subject to high radiation, wind, cold, and snow
• low precipitation, around 10 inches a year

Question 5

What is the Taiga?

Answer 5

The Taiga is also known as the coniferous forest

• It’s the largest terrestrial biome apart from the ocean
• vegetation dominated by Spruce, Fir, Hemlock, and Pine Trees. (Cone trees - Coniferous)
• Cool Summers, cold winters, and short growing season of about 4 months
• Also called the boreal forest
• Alaska, Canada, Russia, Norway, Sweden, Finland, etc.
• Many animals like bears, moose, lynx, fox, wolves, deer, hawks, etc. Most have fur to protect them from the cold
• Extensive logging may one day lead to the loss of a lot of these forests.
• Fires are common, but not as devastating as logging, as fires help release potassium back into the ground and promote new life
• The fallen pine needles do not decompose easily. The mycorrhizal fungi that grows on the roots of the coniferous trees help to decompose them. In return they provide nutrients for the fungi

Question 6

Temperate deciduous forest

Answer 6

The temperature deciduous forest is found south of the Taiga with similar plants

• Relatively high rainfall, about 50 in a year. 50 F is the annual temperature
• Dominated by deciduous trees that lose their leaves every year
• Warm moist summers, mild winters
• Oak, Maple, beech, and elm trees. Very fertile soil
• Seasonal appearance and disappearance of a canopy
• Many animals are here, including: deer, raccoons, porcupines, and foxes.
• The animals show adaptations for the changing seasons. Hibernation, migration, fur growth, etc
• Found in the eastern US, Canada, Europe, China, and japan, NYC, Boston, Toronto, Chicago, Minneapolis, etc

Question 7

What is the tropical rain forest?

Answer 7

The tropical rain forest is found in the equatorial parts of Central America, South America, Africa, and SouthEast Asia

• Mean daily temperature is the same throughout the year
• Rainfall is abundant all year long, 155 inches is not unusual
• The highest diversity of plants and animals inhabit this biome. The hot and humid environment allows for an ideal climate for microorganisms. Millions of unknown insects and arthropods still exist in this biome
• Tropical rainforests produce 40% of the oxygen on earth
• 70% of the plants are trees with very elaborate stereochemistry. We can use these elaborate chemicals to make drugs. Quinine from the cinchona tree can be used to treat malaria, etc.
• Epiphytes are seen here
• Highly stratified canopy is seen. The soil is not very fertile, but due to the high temperature, net production is very high
• Mycorrhizal associations are common, they allow trees to obtain nutrients
• The dense canopy prevents little light from reaching the forest floor. Few plants grow on the forest floor, giving animals and humans a fairly easy path to walk through.
• The amazon basis is the largest continuous rain forest

Question 8

What is a desert

Answer 8

A desert occurs in regions having less than 10 in of rainfall a year

• Found in latitudes about 30 degrees north and south or even interior latitudes such as the Gobi desert
• Can be warm or cold. The North American deserts are hot like mexico, but cold deserts include Antarctica and Greenland. Only about 5% of North America is desert
• Very dry land
• The Sahara desert is the worlds largest hot desert
• Since there is very little water vapor in the air, the nights in the desert are often very cold. A 30 degree C temperature swing is easily seen
• Animals include seed eating rodents such as the Kangaroo rat, lizards, scorpions, etc
• Animals like the Kangaroo Rat have a very long loop of henle which allows it to survive in the desert with very little water. It is 5X more concentrated than human urine, thus allowing it to conserve a lot of water.
• Deserts are associated with what is called a rain shadow. This is an area that has very little rainfall because it is sheltered by mountains or hills
• Plants include succulents (cacti, etc), as well as small woody shrubs
• Desert plants need adaptation to things such as heat, water storage, and decreased surface area to their leaves

Question 9

What is the Savanna?

Answer 9

The Savanna is found in places like Africa, Australia, India, and South America

• Usually warm climate - tropical
• Mostly grasses with a few scattered trees
• In African savannas we find elephants, zebras, horses, and giraffes. The African elephant is the largest land mammal in the world.
• This is a transitional biome - it is an intermediate between a forest and a desert
• Seasons are defined by the amount of rainfall. There are two seasons: Wet (Monsoon Season) six months, and Dry season six months
• Seasonal droughts and fires are common. Animals migrate and plants have adaptations for the drought seasons

Question 10

What are ungulates?

Answer 10

Ungulates are any animals with hooves such as elephants, zebras, hippos, giraffes, horses
- They are found on the savanna.

Question 11

What are epiphytes?

Answer 11

Epiphytes are plants that nourish themselves, but grow on the side of another plant for support.
- Orchids for example

Question 12

What is the Chaparral Biome?

Answer 12

The Chaparral biome is found in areas such as the west coasts of the USA and South America. Santa Barbara and LA are examples.

• Very hot and dry, most rain comes in the winter. The summer is hot and dry
• Mainly grassland and desert animals such as lizards, rabbits, and coyotes. Many animals are nocturnal (They sleep in the day and play at night)
• Trees and cacti are present
• Many types of terrain can be present (rocky, flat, mountain slopes)
• Most plants have small hard leaves that hold moisture
• This biome has both grasslands and forests
• 15 in of rain a year and 65 degrees F avg temp is common
• It receives more rainfall than the desert

Question 13

What is the grassland biome?

Answer 13

The grassland biome is large and rolling

• The great plains of the USA, areas of South Africa and Australia. All continents except Antarctica
• grasses, herbs, and flowers with few trees
• Called prairies with many animals, insects, and hundreds of bird species
• Winters can be -20 degrees F while summers can be over 100 degrees F
• 25 inches of rain a year
• Grasslands have some of the richest soils in the world. These soils are used for farming
• Some grasslands are flooded annually or year round such as the Florida Everglades
• Some grasslands are found in the Montane Zone, at high altitudes
• Some authors classify Savannah, american prairie, and Chaparral under grasslands

Question 14

What does biotic mean?

Answer 14

Biotic: Pertaining to living organisms (includes behaviors and interactions)

Question 15

What does abiotic mean?

Answer 15

Abiotic: Pertaining to non-living organisms

- sunlight, temperature, water, etc

Question 16

What is habitat selection?

Answer 16

Habitat selection: The choice made by an organism as to where it will live. This influences survival and fitness

Question 17

What is the marine biome?

Answer 17

The Marine biome is the largest biome and covers 70% of our planet

• Marine algae supply much of our oxygen and take in a great deal of CO2
• Divided into four zones:
• Intertidal Zone
• Pelagic Zone
• Benthic Zone
• Abyssal Zone

Question 18

What is the Intertidal Zone of the Marine Biome?

Answer 18

The Intertidal Zone of the Marine Biome:

• Ocean meets land here to form a shore
• Also called the littoral zone, this is where the waves form and crash to the shore

Question 19

What is the pelagic zone of the marine biome?

Answer 19

The Pelagic Zone of the marine biome:
- Open ocean, many fish, whales, and dolphins
- Primary plant is the phytoplankton
- The zone includes three layers based on how much light enters:
a) Euphotic: photosynthesis occurs, bright sunlight
b) Dysphotic: some light, but not enough for
photosynthesis
c) Aphotic: Darkest area of the ocean, no photosynthesis

Question 20

What is the benthic zone of the marine biome?

Answer 20

What is the benthic zone of the marine biome?

• The bottom of the sea and sea floor
• made up of sand and sediments
• major food for organisms here is detritus
• marine organisms living here like crabs and clams are called benthos

Question 21

what is the abyssal zone of the marine biome?

Answer 21

The abyssal zone of the marine biome

• the deep ocean
• highly pressurized and very cold
• fish do live here

Question 22

What is an estuary?

Answer 22

An estuary is where fresh water meets salt water

- river meets ocean

Question 23

What is lake turnover?

Answer 23

Lake turnover is the cycling of layers of lake water.

• In Autumn: The hot water of summer cools during the fall. This causes the water to condense and match the temperture of the water beneath it. The top layer sinks pushing the bottom layers to rise up and take its place.
• In Spring: The cold water of winter heats up in the spring and matches the water temperatures below. This again causes the top and bottom layers to mix as their densities become the same or similar.
• Lake turnover means that O2 is dissolved throughout the lake in Spring and Fall, and O2 is concentrated at the top layer during the summer and winter

Question 24

What is eutrophication?

Answer 24

Eutrophication is the enrichment of a body of water with nutrients, usually in excess. The nutrients usually involve nitrogen and phosphorous.

• This leads to an increase in growth of organisms such as cyanobacteria and algae.
• This usually changes the chemical and biotic character of the water for the worse.
• Noxious blooms of cyanobacteria or algae are seen
• The algae will use all the nutrients to grow fast and deplete oxygen, when the algae die, microorganisms use O2 to decompose them. All leading to a loss of O2 in the water and the death of fish