BIOMES

TERRESTRIAL BIOMES: major (global scale) regions of physically similar, but not taxonomically related, vegetation and animals (life zones, ecoregions)

Each biome type has a distinctive form of vegetation (physiognomy)
Tundra:
Mt. Cleveland, ID Mt Kathaden, MN

Deciduous Forest
Smokey Mts., VI Nothofagus Forest, Argentina

Boreal Forest
Spruce-Fir, MN Spruce Forest, NR each biome type has different species on different continents (convergence)



UN-BIOME

POLAR / ALPINE: temperature too low and substrate too unstable to support permanent vegetation.




BIOMES

    A. TUNDRA: treeless low (less than 1 m) vegetation with short perennials, water frozen. Typical plants include sedges, lichens, mosses, grasses, and dwarf woody plants. Typical animals include snowy owls, musk ox, reindeer, polar bears, and migrant birds. Very cold, often dry climate, but whith permanently frozen ground creating saturated soils during summer months. Freeze-thaw cycles fell trees.
  • Arctic Tundra is circumpolar (scanty Antarctic).
  • Alpine Tundra at high elevation.

    COLD, WIND




BIOMES

    B. BOREAL FOREST (TAIGA): dense evergreen needle-leafed forest Typical plants include white spruce, black spruce, and jack pine. Typical animals include moose, black bears, wolves, and migrant birds. Cold winters with deep snow, but longer growing season than tundra. Warm-month average temperature greater than 10 oC. Periodic fires common.

    COLD but summer T > 10oC




BIOMES

    C. TEMPERATE FOREST: dense forest with thin, broad, deciduous leaves; or rainforests typically dominated by conifers. Tall trees with single boles creating deep shade. Understories often sparse. Typical plants include maples, oaks, elms (deciduous) spruce or auraucaria (rainforest). Typical animals include deer and squirrels. Freezing winters and warm summers and a longer growing season than the boreal forest.

    DARK: seedlings compete for light

Temperate Deciduous Forest



BIOMES




BIOMES

    E. WOODLAND (CHAPARRAL): sparse to dense woody vegetation of low trees and shrubs, typically with very thick, tough evergreen leaves. Typical plants include oaks, manzanita, chamise low pines, and junipers. Typical animals include birds and reptiles.

    SUMMER DROUGHT, Fire




BIOMES

    F. DESERT: sparse drought-resistant vegetation, typically spiny and with tiny leaves and photosynthetic bark. Typical plants include cactuses, acacias and short-lived annuals. Typical animals include reptiles and ground-dwelling rodents. Precipitation low (less than 250 mm/yr) and evapotransporation high (more than 250 mm/yr). Temperature generally high. Fires generally are rare due to low biomass.

    VERY DRY




DON'T FORGET

BIOMES HAVE ANIMALS, TOO
biome map



BIOMES

    G. TROPICAL DECIDUOUS FOREST AND SAVANNAH: thorny forest, woodlands, or scattered trees, many of which loose leaves during the dry season. Typical plants include acacias and grasses. Typical animals include giraffes and elephants. Warm frost-free winters, hot usually-wet summers, and a pronounced dry season. Fire and grazing are important vegetation-forming processes.

    HOT, Seasonal Drought, FIRE, GRAZING

    Nylsvley, South Africa [.]

    Calabozo, Venezuela Oak Ridge NPP images

    Radford Univ. Fig., Map, Text



BIOMES