Biome Project

1
Biome Project

• Desert, Chaparral, Tropical Rainforest, Savanna
• By Mark, Andrew, Rosanna, and Mike

2
The Desert
3
Deserts

• Deserts are found in every continent and cover
  almost one fifth of Earth's land surface area.
  there are four different types of deserts. There
  is the Hot and Dry Deserts, Semiarid Deserts,
  Coastal Deserts and Cold Deserts.
• Hot and Dry Deserts are found in North America,
  southern Asia, Cental America, South America, Afri
  ca and Australia.
• Semiarid Deserts are found in North America,
  Greenland, Russia, Europe and northern Asia.
• Coastal Deserts are found in North America,
  Greenland, Russia and Europe.
• Cold Deserts are found at the two poles. The
  biggest is Antarctica and the second is the
  Arctic. 
•  

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Temperature

• There are four major types of deserts.
• Hot and Dry
• Average 20-25 C(Summer), Maximum 43.5-49 C,
  Minimum -18 C
• Semiarid
• Average 21-27 C(Summer), Maximum 38 C,
  Minimum 10 C
• Coastal
• Average 13-24 C(Summer), Maximum 35 C,
  Minimum -4 C
• Cold
• Average 21-26 C(Summer)/ -2 - 4 C(Winter)

5
Precipitation

• Hot and Dry Deserts
• Atacama receives the least rainfall at less than
  1.5 cm of annual rainfall, the Inland Sahara has
  around 1.5 cm of annual rainfall but some
  North American Deserts can have around 28 cm of
  annual rainfall.
• Semiarid Deserts
• Average precipitation at around 2-4 cm annually. 
• Coastal Deserts
• Average precipitation at around 8-13 cm annually.
• Cold Deserts
• Average precipitation around 15-26 cm annually.

6
Latitude

• Deserts are found at all latitudes so the range
  would be 0 N to 0 S. an individual desert has
  the average latitude range of 15-28. Contrary to
  what many people believe deserts are not a direct
  result of heavy sunlight. But an extremely low
  amount of precipitation. Looking at a physical
  map of the world it is apparent that deserts are
  not necessarily located at the equator. 

7
My Impression

• Deserts always seem to have a connotation of
  desolation and death. A stereotypical image of a
  desert includes tumbleweeds and the skull of some
  animal with antlers. But the deserts of the world
  are teeming with life and the conditions of a
  desert seem almost other worldly.

8
Plants

• Saguaro Cactus
• The Saguaro Cactus has smooth and waxy skin that
   is covered with spines. The spines grow on the
  ribs of the cactus. The Saguaro Cactus thrives in
  the dry and hot climates of deserts. The Saguaro
  Cactus grows in the desert because it requires
  little water. Its spines help keep cool, gather
  rainfall and redirect winds.

•  

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•  

• Palo Verde
• The Palo Verde is a shrub or small tree that has
  green bark with thorns on its trunk. The bark is
  green because it contains chlorophyll which
  allows the plant to still continue photosynthesis 
  without its leaves. The Palo Verde has roots that
  run very deep in order to access water in the
  ground. The plant can also shed branches in
  events of severe drought.

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Animals

• Desert Tortoise
• The Desert Tortoise is found in the Mojave and
  Sonoran Deserts of Southern California. the
  turtles has digging and burrowing abilities and
  will hide in these burrows to escape heat or
  cold. The Desert Tortoise lives in the
  desert because it is accustomed to the plants and
  climate. if the tortoise eats anything unfamiliar
  it takes around 4 months for their digestive
  tracts to get used to it.

11
 

• Desert Kangaroo Rat
• The Desert Kangaroo has hind legs that resemble
  an actual Kangaroo, and the little rodent
  moves like a Kangaroo too. the rat burrows and
  created tunnels where they live. the Desert
  Kangaroo Rat has adapted tot he low amounts of
  water by gaining most of its water from its food.
  they kick sand at things to see if they're alive
  and they have cheek pouches that can store food
  for up to four weeks. it lives in the
  desert because its fur has adapted
  the brownish color, its adaptations allow it to
  store water and it needs dry dirt and sand to dig
  into. 

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Abiotic Factors

• Temperature
• Deserts are known for high temperatures but in
  the night the heat escapes back into the
  atmosphere. The huge temperature ranges of day to
  night force its species to adapt to both. 

• Water
• The desert is a very dry biome.
  It's annual precipitation is minimum and the
  desert temperatures evaporate 
• any remaining water on the surface. The lack of
  water forces its species to develop ways of
  storage and conservation.

13
Disturbances

• Let's say there is a volcanic eruption and it
  covers the a certain desert. All life would be
  temporarily destroyed, immediately following the
  eruption. However, once the soot and ash has
  cooled down secondary succession would begin. the
  plants would thrive well in the ash because it's
  not a huge variation from the type of ground the
  plants are already in. And the addition of
  nutrients from volcanic ash would also
  be beneficial to desert plants. the animals on
  the other hand would be all killed, but if their
  are eggs buried deep beneath the ground or some
  animals that are burrowed perhaps they could
  survive. and the various bird species would be
  fine too, they can fly away during the eruption. 

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Chaparral
15
Climate and Location

• Average TemperatureTemperatures are subtropical
  with the cold ocean influence. The climate is
  characterized by a cool wet winter, and hot dry
  summers. California is one of the five places
  where plants like this grow. Temperature usually
  between 10 and 40 degrees Celsius.
• Rainfall totals under 10 inches per year so
  drought is often an issue. This property of
  chaparral actually qualifies it as a desert.
• Hold more than 20 of the earths plant diversity.
  In latitude range about 53 to 65 degrees North in
  the coastal range but the mountain range is at 32
  to 60 degrees north.

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Impressions

• The chaparral Biome, although the plants which
  grow there are not very exotic, it has a very
  temperate climate with little rainfall. Because
  it is sub tropical with a cold ocean influence,
  temperatures never reach unbarable extremes. Its
  little rainfall and nice weather make it a good
  vacation spot, but it would not be a great place
  to live. Life there is very mundane, especially
  in the plants. There are also natural desturbance
  dangers, which constantly threaten its
  inhabitants. Wildfires are common because there
  is less then 10 inches of rainfall per yeaar,
  thus the plants that live there are acclimated to
  this amount of precipitation, which makes them
  dry, and scrubby. It catches on fire very easily.

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Plant Species

• Artemisia California Artemisia California or
  California Sage Brush is an aromatic plant about
  2-4 feet in height. Its leaves have a scent that
  can be used as an insect repellant. The brush
  prospers on steep coastal slopes, and rocky
  ridgetops, where it can be exposed to extreme
  drought.. The drought characteristic of Chaparral
  from direct sunlight, and little rainfall causes
  it to loose its leaves. The brush typically
  prevents other vegetation from growing in
  proximity. A plant with dark green, aromatic,
  triangular leaves.
• Black Sage The Black Sage plant has a black,
  aromatic, triangular leaf. It is very susceptible
  to dry climate, which is why it is the only stuff
  that can grow in Chaparral.

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• Oceanlight.com
• Larnerseeds.com

19
Animal Species

• Butterflies Between 150 and 200 hundred
  butterfly species live in rely on chaparrals
  scrubby, Mediteranean like palnts to complete
  their life cycle. To have a complete life cycle,
  these endangered species need a cornucopia of
  things to eat, and recources to raise their
  young. The Mission Blue Butterfly specifically
  relies on scrubby plants like buckwheat, golden
  aster and wild hyacinth. Lupine is crucial to
  their reproduction for it is where female lay
  their eggs. The offspring can then eat the lupine
  leaves as well. Since the Mission Blue
  butterflies have been confined to just a few
  costal sage sites and are becoming endangered,
  for they can live anywhere else.
• Merriams Kangaroo Rat The kangaroo rat has
  specific adaptations to life in a dry climate
  such as Chaparral. Its life is made possible by
  its specialized kidneys, which allows it to
  process the seeds that are found in the Chaparral
  Biome. They eat Mesquite beans, green vegitation,
  and some insects. They live in underground
  burrows. They have puches for carrying seeds.

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• Calacademy.com
• Oceanoasis.org

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Abiotic Factors

• Drought Drought in Chaparral is actually so
  severe that it can be classified as a desert. It
  is impressive that Chaparral has so many plants
  and animal species that are so accustomed to
  living in areas with so little water. Everything
  has adaptaitions to resist the drought. Plants
  have small leaves to reduce moisture loss, and
  animals, can get there water from unusual
  sources.Life in Chaparral with respect to drought
  is unlike life in any other Biome.
• Fire Fire is so common in Chaparall that it is
  actually important in plants natural life cycle.
  They actually need fire to germinate. Re-growth
  after a fire is typically very quick.

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Natural Disater

• Fires are very common in the chaparral Biome, and
  in fact any species that is not resilient to fire
  probably will not be able to live there. Even
  though fire destroys virtually everything above
  the ground, the plants are designed so that the
  seeds, roots, and tubers are unharmed. In fact in
  many of these plants extreme heats from fire
  assist in the process of germination, for the
  seeds drop after a fire comes. The regrowth or
  succession after a fire can be summed up in two
  main processes, the reseeders, and the
  resprouters?eseeders produce new plants from the
  seeds that get dispersed through the soil, while
  resprouters grow from roots that weren? affected
  by the fire. Regrowth in Chaparral begins quickly
  even without any rain, starting with crown
  sprouters. After the first rain, seeds begin to
  germinate and succeed the crown sprouters.

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Tropical Rainforest
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Where Can It be Found?

• The tropical rain forest can be found within 28
  degrees north or south of the equator in three
  major geographical areas around the world
• Central America in the the Amazon river basin.
• Africa - Zaire basin, with a small area in West
  Africa also eastern Madagascar.
• Indo-Malaysia - west coast of India, Assam,
  Southeast Asia, New Guinea and Queensland,
  Australia.

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Characteristic Climate

• The temperature in a rain forest rarely gets
  higher than 93F or drops below 68F
• Typical precipitation can range from125 cm to
  660 cm yearly
• It rains nearly a quarter of the time, but since
  the majority gets blocked by the large areas of
  canopy, only a portion can reach the soil.

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Characteristic Climate

• Has a rainy, cool summer but a warm spring.
• The air is oppresively humid and sticky because
  the environment is hot and wet (Imagine living in
  a steam room)
• The average humidity is from 70 to 90

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Humidity

• The moisture of the rainforest from rainfall,
  constant cloud cover, and transpiration (water
  loss through leaves), creates intense local
  humidity.
• High humidity of air traps warmth and helps
  temperature remain stable all year long which
  allows most rainforest trees to be
  evergreenkeeping their leaves all year and never
  dropping all their leaves in any one season

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Soil

• Soil in the tropical rainforests is very nutrient
  poor. The topsoil is only one to two inches (2.5
  to 5 centimeters) deep
• Plants store the nutrients in themselves rather
  than getting them from the soil
• Heavy rain washes minerals out of the soils,
  leaving them acidic and nutrient poor.

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Plant Species Bougainvillea

• Bougainvillea prefers a tropical climate because
  it likes to cling and grab onto other plants to
  reach the sunlight.
• It can tolerate semi-shaded areas and it can also
  tolerate full sun, but it tends to climb upward
  towards the sun
• It doesnt like swampy soil which is not common
  in tropical forest because water drains fast in
  tropical forest

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Plant SpeciesDurian Tree

• It grows in lowland rainforests, and is native to
  Borneo, Indonesia and Malaysia
• Scientists think it is one of the first plants to
  rely on animals to disperse its seed.
• It is dependent on a small nocturnal bat, called
  the Dawn Bat, for its pollination. Without the
  bat the durian cannot fruit

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Animal Species Dawn Bat

• The Dawn Bat is a small Southeast Asian
  rainforest bat which lives in the mangrove and
  lowland forests
• Dawn Bats roost in limestone caves and are only
  active at night
• Main pollinators of many rain forest trees
• Their favorite flowers are from the Durian trees
  whose flowers are large and waxy and only bloom
  at night

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Animal SpeciesHarpy eagle

• It lives in the tropical lowland rainforests of
  Central and South America, southern Brazil and
  the northernmost parts of Argentina
• It hunts about 19 species of medium sized and
  large mammals that live in trees
• It hunts by sitting quietly and listening for
  prey for long periods of time in the canopy of
  the forest, then pouncing on their prey in short
  bursts of speed
• Harpy eagles need large tracts of forest to hunt
  in.

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Recovery From Forest Fire

• If a big forest fire destroys all the vegetation
  in the forest, the soil will remain intact
  although not rich.
• Secondary succession occurs
• The earliest plants to recolonize are mainly
  herbaceous plants whose seeds are carried to bare
  soil by wind and animals.
• The earliest herbaceous plants make the soil
  fertile and suitable for later larger plants
• Larger plants settle in and compete with earlier
  species
• Eventually Large plants dominate the area and the
  nutrient level of soil lowers again

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Savanna
35
Climate and Location

• Temperature range 20? - 30? C
• Annual precipitation 100-150 cm rain
• Latitude African Savanna between latitude 15?
  North and 30? South

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Impresions

• The savanna is large, open grassland scattered
  with trees. The savanna is warm year round, the
  temperature varying slightly between its long dry
  winter and its shorter wet summer. The savanna is
  home to a number of large herbivores and the
  large predators that eat them, as well as some
  smaller species.

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Plants

• Senegal Gum Acacia found in the African grassland
  savanna. The Senegal gum acacia grows only in the
  savanna because it grows best in sandy soil and
  requires 12-15 inches of rain a year, it would
  not be able to survive in a place that was wetter
  or dryer than the savanna.
• 2. Elephant Grass is found along lake and river
  beds in the savanna. It requires the richer soil
  of the lake and river beds and is killed by a
  light frost, making the warm savanna a perfect
  place for this plant to grow.

bidorbuy.co.za
Hear.org
38
Animals Lion

• Lions are one of the main predators of the
  savanna. Lions ecological niche includes medium
  to large game as food, small amounts of water,
  and open space in which they are able to hunt as
  a group. Lions live in the savanna because the
  savanna is a large open space in which many large
  game animals live. Other biomes do not have
  either the open space necessary for group hunting
  or lack large prey animals.

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Animals Bush Elephant

• .

The Savanna or Bush Elephant is another species
found in the savanna. The savanna elephant is a
herbivore that eats grasses, fruits, tree leaves,
bark, shrubs and vines. (Savanna Animals, Blue
Planet) They require lots of food and they
require bodies of water to drink and to help keep
them cool. They live in the savanna because the
large expanses of grassy land provide the huge
quantities of food they need as well as small
bodies of water, however spread out they may be.
The large amounts of open land allow elephants
are able to travel to new pastures and new water
as they consume the resources in a certain area.
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Abiotic Characteristics

• The warm temperatures and seasonal rainfall are
  two aboitic factors that characterize the
  savanna. The year round warm temperature sets the
  savanna apart from biomes to the north and south
  which experience a more dramatic change in
  temperature during the year. The seasonal rain
  sets the savanna apart from other biomes that are
  warm year round, such as the rainforest. The
  temperature and rain fall set the savanna apart
  from other biomes, as well as shaping the
  ecosystems that will flourish in such a climate.
  These two factors, more than the other abiotic
  factors of the savanna, dictate which plants will
  and will not survive, the plants in turn ensure
  the survival of some animal species and the
  inability for others to survive on the savanna.

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disaster

• Fire is a common occurrence in the savanna,
  caused by dry grasses and lightening many of the
  plants of the savanna have adapted to the
  conditions and are fire resistant. After such a
  fire the succession of plant re-growth, excluding
  the plants not harmed in the fire, would begin
  with the small grasses. The grasses would be
  followed by larger grass plants and shrubs, and
  then finally by trees.

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Sources

• http//rainforests.mongabay.com/amazon/rainforest_
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• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropical_rainforestN
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• http//www.blueplanetbiomes.org/rnfrst_climate_pag
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• http//www.blueplanetbiomes.org/rainforest.htm
• "Savanna Biomes." Blue Planet Biomes. Web. 26
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45
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46
Image Sources continued

• zambiatourism.com
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