Biomes Project

AP Biology
February 25, 2008
 Aquatic
Biome

Ocean
 Many people know ocean as a fun place to hang out and relax with family and friends,
but do people know what the ocean also give us other than a place to hang out. Oceans,
covering about 75% of the earth’s surface, have a lot of impact on the biosphere. The ocean
water evaporating into the sky provides Earth with water from rainfall. Ocean’s temperature
also has a lot of impact on the land’s climate and wind pattern. Portion of Earth’s oxygen
came from photosynthesis that occurs on the ocean’s surface.
Oceans are divided into different parts containing salty water and different kinds of
living and non-living organisms. The first zone of the ocean where the land meets ocean is
called the intertidal zone. During ocean’s high tide, this area is pounded by waves, but during
low tides, the area is dried by the sun and wind. Some ocean’s intertidal zone is rocky having
many sedentary organisms living in the area. Organisms, such as algae, barnacles, and
mussels, attached itself to rocks protecting from being washed away by waves. Organisms
such as calms live on the sandy beaches of the zone.
Another zone is the “open ocean” zone called the pelagic zone. The pelagic zone
contains animals such as fish, squids, whales, and dolphins. In this zone, there are also
microscopic algae and cyanobacteria called the phytoplankton and the small drifting animal,
or the zooplankton. The ocean’s seafloor is call benthic zone in which ocean depths vary
depending on the heights of this zone. The part of the benthic zone called the continental
shelves received some light. Usually in this area, coral reefs could be found. Sometimes the
benthic and pelagic zones are combined and divided into photic and aphotic zone. The photic
zone is the area of the ocean’s surface where light could penetrate through. Organisms such as
sea urchins and polychaete worms live in the photic zone. Under the photic zone is the
aphotic zone where light could not reach its region.
Before reaching the ocean, water from river goes through the area of estuary leading it
into the ocean. Estuaries are one of the most nutritious areas, oysters, crabs, and many fishes
live in this area. Around the estuaries are the wetlands where the aquatic zone meets with the
terrestrial zone.

Asama Vorapattanapong
Freshwater

There are five different types of freshwater biomes seen in the ocean ecosystems. The
first two are conjoined by their properties—lakes and ponds. Lakes and ponds have two zones
of aphotic and photic; in which it depends on how much light is depicted on the area.
Especially during the summer, the top water layer is usually warm, while the bottom half is
still cool—where the fish stay in. If you think only fishes live there, that’s wrong! There are
some algae, such as phytoplankton, growing and living in these areas. Now opposite from
summer, during the winter times, the top water layer becomes heavier; which benefits the
algae to increase in amount by eating up the nutrients coming up from the bottom water layer.
In other areas, such as streams and rivers, their source is vaguely different from lakes
and ponds. Their sources are usually either springs or snowmelts; the sources have properties
of having cold water, being clear, and having low amounts of nutrients. Since the channels are
thin and the water is swift, it is hard for algae to grow and live there; but other organisms such
as small crustaceans and insect larvae are able to survive in those rough water currents. Other
than small arthropods, fishes also live there—such as trout or salmon. Unlike the upper
streams, the downstream is more calm and wider in length; which makes the water current
slower. Since the water is warmer down here, the downstream is usually dirtier. The streams
are dirtier because of the different living things in there—such as worms, insects, frogs,
catfish, and many more!
Average people would know the wetlands as swamps, marshes, or bogs. Wetlands are
usually in low ranges of height near the basin of rivers or lakes. Unlike the other two areas,
this water ecosystem has the most diversity in living things. This helps us in two major ways
where it prevents flooding from occurring and improving water quality by taking in the bad
pollutants in the water. From this benefits that we get, people are now trying to save dirty
swamps.

Ye Sol Yun
Terrestrial
Biome
Terrestrial Biomes

Terrestrial biomes are so vast that there are eight different regions depending on their
climate, vegetation, and various species living in its environment. From those three subjects,
the climate is what mostly affects the regions’ title—the climate affected by the temperature
and the rainfall. The various species in those different regions are categorized by the “type” of
biological community living in it. For example, the desert in the American Southwest and the
desert in the Sahara are both similar regional-wise; but the species living in those areas are
different because of the way each species adapt to its environment. Not only do the specific
affect their regions, but the place there are located and the natural happenings—such as
storms and fires—can cause open areas in the biomes. Because of the different locations the
biomes are in, they don’t look very neat and organized in a way a person would grow trees in
an orderly-fashioned way. Also, fires can be bad, but at the same time it helps by creating
more forests from original grasslands. People usually think the fires would kill the plant; but
actually instead, the fires would just shorten the length of the plant and from those cut ends
many nutrients can be found.

Ye Sol Yun
Tropical Rain Forest

People living in areas near the equator, like in Thailand, should be familiar with
tropical rain forest that usually occurs in this area. The area is always warm and its days are
long ranging from 11-12 hours all year. It usually rains a lot in tropical rain forest area, or
around 200 – 400 cm per year, though some area could have scarce rainfall. A great deal of
rain causes the soil in the area to be poor since there are decomposition and recycling rather
than building up of organic material. The rainfall also determined which kind of plants would
be able to grow and live in tropical rain forest. In area where rain is limited, thorny shrubs and
deciduous trees and succulents could be found. In areas that are really humid and have a lot of
rainfall, trees are high and have canopies that covered the forest’s floor. The trees would be
mostly covered with woody vines called lianas and epiphytes, or plants that grow on other
plants. Organisms such as monkeys, birds, insects, snakes, bats, and frogs roam the forest.

Asama Vorapattanapong
Savannas

If you are a fan of ‘The Lion King’, you will be able to recognize this terrestrial biome
in a second! With its vegetation of grasses, forbs (small broadleaf plants) and scattered trees,
the word ‘savanna’ derives from the Spanish word, sabana, which means ‘meadow’. The
region has a fairly warm temperature all year-round and has an average rain fall of 30-50 cm
per year, in which the vegetation grows rapidly during the rainy season. Some examples of
wildlife in the savannas are large mammals, insects, such as ants and termites, and burrowing
animals, such as mice, moles, snakes, ground squirrels, worms etc. In the African savanna,
many giraffes, zebras, antelopes, lions, cheetahs occupy the land where as in the Australian
savanna, kangaroos dominate the region. This particular biome frequently has fires caused by
lightning or human activities, which has developed fire adapted vegetation. However, fires in
the savannas are not always frowned upon, since it helps maintain the region as grassland
ecosystems by preventing the spread of trees and other plants.

Christine Kim
Deserts

The desert, being the driest terrestrial biome there is, has an extreme lack of rain,
recording less than 30 cm per year. Though deserts are usually perceived as “no water, all
sand” regions, there are actually many different types of deserts. For example, some deserts
are, of course, very hot, with the temperature soaring to about 60 degrees Celsius. However,
there are other deserts that have a temperature as cold as -30 degrees Celsius. Also, most
deserts are extremely dry, with very limited amount of rain. The Atacama Desert in Chile,
with an average rainfall of less than 0.1 mm, is the driest place on earth! Though the majority
of deserts are low in precipitation, deserts located near coastal areas, such as the Namib
Desert in Africa, are full of fog, though the climate is still dry. The type of vegetation also
varies according to the amount of precipitation a particular desert receives. Deserts with
hardly any rainfall may not have any perennial vegetation but may have small shrubs and
cacti. Plants in the desert produce a great amount of seeds; however, they will only germinate
after heavy rain. Because there is a very limited amount of rain, not only plants, but animals,
too, have to adapt to this environment. Animals in this region are usually asleep or resting
inside their burrows during the daytime, in order to escape the heat, and are active at night,
when the temperature is comparatively cooler. Examples of animals that live in this biome are
snakes, birds, lizards etc.

Christine Kim
Chaparral

The word ‘chaparral’ is a Spanish word, meaning ‘place of evergreen scrub oaks’. Just
like its name, this specific terrestrial biome has perennial vegetation that flourishes with
shrubs with evergreen leaves and an addition of annual plants during the winter and spring.
The plants are once again adapted to fire, usually caused by lightning; this also helps the
maintenance of vegetation, one of the reasons being that many chaparral plants produce seeds
that will germinate only after a fire. Chaparral climates are usually located in costal areas with
hot, dry summers and little rain during winters. Some examples of wildlife are deer, fruit-
eating birds, seed-eating rodents, lizards, snakes etc.

Christine Kim
Temperate Grasslands

Temperate grasslands are areas that have similar characteristics as savannas but are
treeless with an exception along rivers or streams. This area could be found in areas where
temperature could be really low. Temperate grasslands typically happen because of periodic
drought, fires, and grazing by large animals. Animals such as bison, pronghorn, gazelles, and
zebras could be found in the area. There are also microorganisms, such as annelids and
arthropods, living in the enriched soil. The average rainfall in temperate grasslands
determined the grassland vegetation. Areas that are drier have short-grass prairie. In areas
with more water, tall-grass prairie occurs.

Asama Vorapattanapong
Temperate Forests

Temperate forests, also known as temperate broadleaf forests due to the abundance of
broadleaf trees, have many different types of trees, varying from oak, hickory, maple, etc.
This particular terrestrial biome is located in the mid-latitude regions of the world, where
there is enough moisture in order for the large trees to grow. In order for the large trees to
grow, the climate in these regions change, with temperatures varying from being hot in the
summer to very cold in the winter. With the change of temperature varying 60 degrees, from
-30 to 30 degrees, the precipitation rate stays evenly distributed every year, in which it has
high rain fall. Also, the vegetation goes through a growth cycle, in which the trees lose their
leaves during autumn and winter and grows new leaves during spring. The loss of leaves
during autumn and winter is in order to prevent water loss through evaporation through the
leaves during the cold seasons. Plus, the soil of this biome is rich in inorganic and organic
nutrients, which contribute to the lives of the region’s wildlife. There are many different kinds
of wildlife in the temperate broadleaf forest: vertebrates, such as mice and ground squirrels,
many types of birds, bobcats, foxes, bears, mountain lions, etc.

Christine Kim
Coniferous Forests (a.k.a. Tiaga)

The coniferous forests—also known as the Tiaga—are usually located in areas with
cool weather and high elevation, such as in mountains. The seasons are unbalanced by the
more snow is appeared from long, shivering winters and short, wet summers. The soils are not
as fertile as in other biomes because of how the pines take a long time to decompose, which
makes it easier for the snow to insulate the soil. Even though the temperature could reach
down pretty low, there are species living in these areas. The various living organisms found
could be moose, elk, hares, bears, wolves, grouse, migrating birds, or any that can survive in
cold weathers. Just like how the animals vary, the trees also have their own different types,
such as cone-bearing evergreen trees, spruce, pine, fir, hemlock, and cone. For regions in
North America, the temperature is warm and has moist air. This makes it easier for trees, such
as hemlock, Douglas fir, and redwood, to easily grow.

Ye Sol Yun
Tundra

If you like cold long winter night, tundra is the place for you! Tundra has long awfully
cold winter and short warm summer. This area has long nights and short days with little light.
The artic tundra is categorized as being permafrost meaning that it is mostly frozen all year
round. It always has bitter cold temperature and high wind. Plants in tundra consist of dwarf
shrubs, grasses, mosses, and lichens. Animals, such as musk oxen caribou, lemmings, artic
fox, and snowy owls, have skins that would protect it from the cold weather.

Asama Vorapattanapong