Yessica Pacheco

Introduction to the Worlds Biomes

Rainforest 1. What are the two types of rainforests? In the United States, where are our rainforests located? (Be specific). What percentage of out original rainforests does this represent? The two types of rainforests are temperate and tropical. In the U.S, our rainforests are located in the Pacific Northwest. The percentage of original rainforests is 25%. Tundra 2. Where is the Tundra Biome located? What is permafrost? What percentage of the Earth's surface is covered by Tundra? The tundra biome is located in the North Pole. Permafrost is a permanently frozen layer of ground. 20% of the Earth's surface is Tundra. Taiga 3. Where is the Taiga Biome located? What is the soil like in the Taiga-why? Taiga biomes are located in large portions of Canada, Europe and Asia. 50 degrees latitude north of Arctic Circle. The soil in Taiga biomes are thin and lacking nutrients, because of slow decomposition. Desert 4. How much rainfall is characteristic of deserts? Explain where most deserts are located and the RAINSHADOW effect.

Yessica Pacheco Rainfall is steady in the deserts. Deserts are located 30 degrees latitude north and south. Deserts occur in the rainshadow effect, because when wind goes up a mountain it causes cold so it rains/snows. When goes down the other side, it gets warmer causing moisture, so it doesn't rain. This creates a desert. Temperate Deciduous Forest 5. What is special about this biome? Deciduous trees have special leaves that are adapted to the biomeexplain. This biome can go through all four seasons. The leaves in these trees adapt to the season, in the autumn they change color, in the winter the leaves fall off and regrows in the spring. Grasslands 6. Grasslands are found on every continent except for one- which? How much rainfall do grasslands getwhy is this important? What are the 3 types of grasslands that are found in North America? What are grasslands called in other places in the world? Grasslands exist on every continent except for Antarctica. Grasslands get 10-30 inches of rain per year. Too much rain will cause it to become a forest and too little will cause it to become a desert. 3 types of grasslands are the Tall Grass Prairie, Mixed Grass Prairie and Short Grass Prairie. Grasslands are called pampas in South America, steppes in Europe and savannas in Africa. Rivers and Streams 7. how much water on Earth does running water represent? What is watershed? What are the two main processes that happen to surface water? What is the longest river in the world? What is the longest river in the United States? What is a hydroelectric dam? Running water represents .3% of all of water on Earth. Watershed is an area of land that has a common set of streams and rivers that drain into a single body of water. Two main processes that happen to surface water are surface runoff and infiltration. The longest river in the world is the Nile River in Egypt. The longest river in the US is the Mississippi-Missouri River. A hydroelectric dam is a dam that takes water and converts it into hydroelectric power. Ponds and Lakes 8. What is the difference between a pond and lake? Name the four stages of succession of a pond. Explain how an Oxbow Lake is formed. What is the largest lake in the world? What is the largest lake in the United States? What is the deepest lake in the world? What is Lake Effect Snow? Explain. What is the cause of summer kill in some lakes? A pond is shallow and supports rooted plants. A lake is deeper and big enough for waves to be produced. The four stages of succession of a pond is 1) seeds inhabit the ponds.

Yessica Pacheco 2) Debris increases and vegetation appears. 3)Emergents appear. 4) When pond floors are close enough to the bottom, emergents can grow across the floor and the ponds become a marsh. Oxbow Lakes are formed when erosion and deposits of soil change the river's course. The largest lake in the world is the Caspian Sea. The largest lake in the United States is Lake Superior. The deepest lake in the world is Lake Baikal in Siberia. Lake Effect Snow is when cold winds blow and picks up moisture from warm lakes and cools down when it goes uphill. This causes moisture to condense and fall as snow. The causes of summerkill is when algae becomes overabundant and becomes ripe during Summer, which will decrease oxygen levels. Wetlands 9. What are the types of freshwater wetlands- name and define them. Explain why wetlands are so important. what is happening to our wetlands? Types of freshwater wetlands are marsh (inland area inundated with 1-6 feet of water), swamp (Slow moving streams), bog (peat-accumulating wetland), prairie pothole (shallow depressions of water), riparian marsh (Marshes along rivers). Wetlands are important, because they prevent flooding and purifies water. Our wetlands are disappearing anually at 300,000 acres. Shorelines 10. What kind of life forms will you find in the intertidal zone? What is a barrier island? what is an estuary? What is life like in an estuary? What is a salt marsh? What is the Mangrove Forest? How are the trees specially adapted to living in that environment? Why are they important? Lifeforms in the intertidal zones are sea stars, seashells and sea clams. Barrier Islands are islands seperated by main bodies of water that vary in size. An estuary is a partially enclosed body of water where seawater is mixed with fresh water. Life in an estuary has a diverse mix of sea and land creatures. A salt marshes are wetlands that contain saltwater. The Mangrove Forest thrive near mouths of large rivers where the deltas provide a lot of sediment. Trees are specially adapted to living in that environment because they have aerial roots and salt tapping roots. They are important because they protect the coastline and prevent erosion. Temperate Ocean Zones 11. Name and describe the different zones of the ocean and how they are divided. Describe the different photic zones of the ocean. What are kelp forests? Where are they found? The types of zones are benthic (ocean bottom), pelagic zone (water itself), neritic zone (extends from high tide to low tide), oceanic (water deeper than 600 feet). Sunlit zone is the top layer of the ocean. The Twilight zone is a zone where only small amounts of light can penetrate. The midnight zone has no

Yessica Pacheco light 90% of the time. Kelp forests are large amounts of kelp that can grow up to 125 feet. They are found in the Atlantic Coast and Pacific Waters. Tropical Ocean Zones 12. What is coral made of? Explain. Where are most coral reefs located? Where is the largest oral reef? Coral is made of polyp. Polyp is a column shaped animal that attaches to the floor of the reef. Coral reefs are located in tropical oceans near the equator. The largest coral reef is the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.