Biomes of the World

There are 5 or 6 major biomes (depending on who you ask.)

We will look at six biomes They are: - Rain Forest - Desert - Grassland - Deciduous Forest - Boreal Forest - and Tundra

Rain forest
We usually think of the tropical rain forest, but did you know that there are rain forests in the United States? They are called temperate rain forests and are located in the north west. Rain forests can receive 300 cm of rain per year or more. (about 9 feet!)

Temperate Rain forest

Tropical Rain forest

Both receive so much rain that they are thick with plants of all kinds. This makes them an idea habitate for many, many different species of animals, so rain forests are known to have abundant plant and animal life.

Desert Biomes
Deserts are classified as any biome that receives less than 25 cm (less than 11 inches) of rain in a year. The temperatures are usually extreme; they get very hot in the daytime and very cold in the night time. Although not all deserts are extremely hot, some can get below freezing at night. Low rainfall and extreme growing conditions

Plants and animals in the desert biome need to be well adapted to these extremes.
They need to conserve water and find shelter from the sun.

Grassland Biomes
These biomes go by names like savanna or prairie, but theyre both grasslands. Prairies dont get enough rain for trees to grow there, usually 25 to 75 cm (up to 2 feet) per year. Savannas get as much as 120 com (up to 4 feet) of rain per year, so they can support trees and shrubs.

Savanna versus prairie

Which one is this? How can you tell? What about this one?

Do you know which one the Serengeti is?

Deciduous Forest Biome

How is this forest different from the rain forests? Look at this photo for clues Deciduous trees lose their leaves to prepare for winter.

Deciduous forests receive at least 50 cm (about 1 ft.) of rain per year. Temperature vary (change) greatly over the year.

Animals in the deciduous forest have to adapt to these changing temperatures.

They do this by storing up food for winter and then hibernating.

Boreal Forests

These are sometimes called a taiga. Boreal forests are north of deciduous forests. You ll see them as you drive north in Michigan. The winters are colder there.

The plants and animals in the boreal forest have special adaptations to cope with the cold.
Trees have leaves that are long and narrow, and they have a waxy layer called a cuticle. This keeps them from freezing and losing water in the winter, so they dont lose their leaves (their needles) in the winter. Some animals in this biome have fur that becomes white in the winter so they blend in with

Winter

Summer

Tundra Biome

Some people call the tundra a frozen desert. It is very cold and dry. Most of the soil in the tundra is frozen all year; this is called permafrost (like permanently frosty.) Plants adapt to these conditions by staying small. Insects are a big source of food for animals in the tundra, so birds are plentiful in the summer. During the winter they head south.

Mammals also adapt to the tundra.

Wolves follow the caribou as they migrate slightly south. Other mammals like the musk ox grow very heavy fur coats.