1 - Mrs Hopp's Website



1.1 - Biomes

Biomes are the largest divisions of the __________________, the thin layer of land, air and water where living things exist on Earth.

Biomes are made up of _________________ (living) and _________________ (non-living) components.

Examples of biotic components: ________________ and ________________.

Examples of abiotic components: _________________ and ________________.

A _________________ is a large area that contains similar biotic and abiotic components. (For example, all of the tropical rainforests in the world have high rainfall, warm temperatures, and a large variety of birds and insects, but not many large mammals.)

Earth’s eight major biomes are:

|Biome |Characteristics |Example |

|Boreal Forest |Cold, arctic forest. Trees have needles. |Northern British Columbia |

|Desert |Very dry. Can be hot or cold. |Sahara desert |

| | |Osoyoos, BC |

| | |Mongolia |

|Grassland |Plains with many grassy plants. |Canadian prairies |

|Permanent Ice |Always frozen. |North or South pole |

|Temperate Deciduous Forest |Cool, leafy forest. |Ontario forests |

| | |Eastern United States |

|Temperate Rainforest |Cool rainforest |Vancouver Island |

| | |New Zealand |

|Tropical Rainforest |Hot rainforest |Amazon rainforest |

|Tundra |Cold, treeless. Flat with fewer small plants. |Northwest Territory |

| | |Nunavut |

(Some scientists divide earth’s ecosystems up into even more specific pieces, so that there are more biomes (and there are also ocean biomes), but we will only be studying these eight in Science 10.)

Two of the most important factors affecting biomes are: ________________________

and _________________________ (which includes rain, snow, mist and fog).

Another factor is ____________________, which is the distance measured in degrees north or south of the equator. Areas located near the equator receive more direct sunlight and do not experience seasons like we do in Canada. This results in different weather and different biomes than we see here.

_____________________ is the height of a land mass above sea level. It also has an effect on temperature and precipitation.

__________________________ also influence weather, and therefore biomes.

Climatographs

___________________ is the average pattern of weather conditions in a certain region.

A _______________________ is a graph of climate data over a period of years from local weather observations.

For example:

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A climatograph shows the average temperature and precipitation in an area for each month over the period of a year.

Tofino is in the ________________________________________ biome, so the amount of precipitation is very high.

Tofino receives the most rain in the months of __________________________________.

Tofino has the highest temperature in the month of _______________________.

We can often tell what biome a climatograph represents by looking at the average temperature and precipitation.

For example:

Adaptations and Biomes

__________________________ are characteristics that allow an animal or plant to survive better in its environment.

There are 3 types of adaptations:

1. Structural

2. Physiological

3. Behavioural

A ____________________ adaptation is a feature of an organism’s body that allows it to survive. (Example: Porcupines have quills to defend themselves from predators.)

A ______________________ adaptation is a process within an organism’s body or cells that allows it to survive. (Example: Camels have special processes in their kidneys that allow them to produce concentrated urine so that they don’t waste water, but are still able to remove wastes from their bodies.)

A _______________________ adaptation is something an organism does that allows it to survive. (Example: Bears hibernate to conserve energy in the winter when food is scarce.)

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Remember: The features of the biome determine the adaptations of the plants and animals that live there (as well as the lifestyles and food of the people who live there)!

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Biome:

____________________________

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Here is a graph that shows the relationship between different types of terrestrial biomes and the precipitation and temperature.

For example: If the average temperature falls between about 0-22oC, and the amount of rainfall is between 40 to 175cm each year, a temperate deciduous forest biome will exist in that area.

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Altitude also affects where biomes are found. Because of the high altitude (which results in cold weather) on top of a mountain, you might find a very small area of permanent ice or tundra biome in an area on earth where you wouldn’t normally expect to see that biome.

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Think about how the bodies of each of these bird species is specially adapted for its habitat and food sources. Consider the bird’s foot structure, beak, colouring and wingspan.

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This saguaro cactus needs only about half as much water as a leafy tree of a similar size would need…useful when your home is the desert!

The reason it needs only half as much water is because the process it uses for photosynthesis is slightly different from the one leafy plants would use.

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These Canada geese are migrating to find warmer weather and better food sources during cold winter months.

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