Monday, May 2, 2016

Biome Warm Up 5.2.16

On a blank sheet of paper, write down the answer only. 


Biome
Characteristics
1.
Found in regions close to the equator.  Receive a lot of rain & warm temperatures throughout the year with constant sunlight.  Many diverse animals & tall trees form a canopy.
2.
Receives less than 25 cm. of rain per year.  Very dry and warm climate.  Animals & plants store water to adapt to the lack of rain.  Animals are active at night & plants have a thick & waxy covering.
3.
Sometimes called a prairie, the temperature here is comfortable because it is located in the middle latitudes.  Receives 25-75 cm. of rain per year, not enough for trees to grow.  Typically populated by grasses & home of the largest animals such as bison, antelopes, giraffes, & rhinoceros.
4.

Lots of trees that shed their leaves & grow new ones each year are found here.  Receives 50 cm. of rain per year, enough to support the growth of trees & plants.  Temperatures vary during the year with all the seasons.  Many birds, opossums, bears, & porcupines are found here & may migrate or hibernate in the winter.  Found in the eastern part of the United States.
5.

Here in northern Canada you will find many trees that have needle like leaves & produce seeds in cones such as pine, fir, & spruce trees.  Winters are very cold with much snow & summers are warm enough to melt the snow and bring much rain.  Trees have a waxy covering, a necessary adaptation to keep water from evaporating since much of the year the water is frozen.  Many herbivores live here such as deer, elk, moose, & beavers that attract large predators such as wolves, bears, & lynxes.
6.

Most animals here have gills to take in oxygen & fins to swim.  Consist of still (ponds & lakes) and running (streams & rivers) water.  Algae out numbers plants because they can float & don’t need to be rooted.
7.

Largest of all biomes because it covers 70% of the earth’s surface.  Many animals that are adapted to live in saltwater live here.   
8.

Extremely cold & dry biome located in the artic regions.  Receives little precipitation like the desert but here most of the soil is permanently frozen.  No trees grow here because of the permafrost not allowing for roots to grow.  The top layer of soil thaws for grass to grow.  Herbivores graze on the grass or lichen & have thick fur to withstand the freezing climate.
9. 
This is a very productive, very diverse, and wet biome.  It is the place where a river meets the ocean, producing a salt/fresh water mix.  Large amounts of nutrients carried by the river and lots of sunlight make it a good habitat.  Producers include marsh grass and algae.  Consumers include crabs, worms, clams, oysters, and fish. Used as a breeding ground by many ocean animals.