Quick Review:1. What are the four forest biomes?

2. Where are they found?

3. Give at least one characteristic of each!

Terrestrial Biomes1. Temperate Grassland

– Interior of North America (prairies), South America & Asia– Moderate rainfall, but too little for trees

• Lightning-caused fires in summer• Root systems form dense layers to survive drought & fire• Soil is very fertile!

– Animals: antelope, bison, badgers, prairie dogs, burrowing owls, hawks

– Threats: farming & overgrazing soil erosion• Dust bowl 1930s

2. Savanna (tropical grassland)– Parts of Africa, South America, India, & Australia– Rain falls in spring & late-fall; drought in between– Plants: adapted to survive drought

• Lose leaves; body parts die off except for near ground• Large, horizontal root system to collect water

– Animals: lots of big herbivores• Elephants, giraffe, antelopes, zebra, wildebeest,

rhinos– Predators: lions, cheetahs, hyenas, crocs, snakes

3. Tundra – Found in northern arctic regions– Winters too cold & dry for trees to

grow– Has permafrost: permanently frozen

soil layer • Plants: mosses & lichens

– Dwarf shrubs – keeps plants out of wind & increased area for sunlight

– Animals: mosquitoes!, migratory birds, caribou, wolves, moose, mice, hares, foxes, polar bear

– Threats: oil – pollution & habitat destruction

Desert BiomesDesert = Low Precipitation

1. Tropical Desert– Ex: Sahara desert in Africa– Temperature changes during day: 100F + in day to cool

at night; daytime temps hot all year long– Very few plants

2. Temperate Desert– North & South America, Asia, Australia– Daytime temps high in summer, low in winter– Plants: adapted to obtaining & conserving H2O

• Cacti: thick, fleshy stems that store water; leaves have waxy cuticle

• Desert cont.– Animals: some mammals, snakes, lizards, tortoises

• Have thick skin to prevent water loss• Amphibians burrow & go dormant during “dry” season• Most are nocturnal

3. Cold Desert– Ex: China’s Gobi Desert– Winters are quite cold, summers

are warm/hot– Animals: lizards, gazelle, bactrian

camel

Bill, Bob and Bubba

TundraTaiga

Temperate Deciduous ForestGrasslands

DesertRain Forest