20 21

SECTION 3 WORLDS BIOMES

RAIN FORESTS
Receive more than 100
inches of rain each year
Provide 40 percent of
the earths oxygen supply
Support more kinds
of trees than any other
biome on earth
DESERTS
Receive less than 10
inches of rain each year
Cover about 1/5 of the
earths surface
Not all deserts are hot.
In Asia, the Gobi Desert is
cold nearly all year.
DESERT
GRASSLAND
DECIDUOUS FOREST
CONIFEROUS FOREST
RAIN FOREST
TUNDRA
OCEAN
LEGEND
A biomes climate often determines
the kinds of living things found there.
All deserts are very dry.
Tropical rain forests
are very warm, but
theyre also very wet.
And ecosystems
with similar climate,
plants, and animals
are called biomes.
The year-round supply of
food supports a huge variety
of animals, including parrots,
frogs, and tons of insects.
Biomes are not specific places. A
desert biome can be any desertlike
ecosystem on earth, whether its in
the United States, Asia, or Africa.
Plants and animals living here must
survive the lack of water and extreme
temperatures. Many, like this mouse,
live underground to escape the heat.
Climate is the usual weather
in an area over many years.
Rain isnt only a part of an
ecosystems water cycles, its
also a part of the climate.
20 21
SECTION 3
WORLDS BIOMES
RAIN FORESTS
Receive more than 100
inches of rain each year
Provide 40 percent of
the earths oxygen supply
Support more kinds
of trees than any other
biome on earth
DESERTS
Receive less than 10
inches of rain each year
Cover about 1/5 of the
earths surface
Not all deserts are hot.
In Asia, the Gobi Desert is
cold nearly all year.
DESERT
GRASSLAND
DECIDUOUS FOREST
CONIFEROUS FOREST
RAIN FOREST
TUNDRA
OCEAN
LEGEND
A biomes climate often determines
the kinds of living things found there.
All deserts are very dry.
Tropical rain forests
are very warm, but
theyre also very wet.
And ecosystems
with similar climate,
plants, and animals
are called biomes.
The year-round supply of
food supports a huge variety
of animals, including parrots,
frogs, and tons of insects.
Biomes are not specific places. A
desert biome can be any desertlike
ecosystem on earth, whether its in
the United States, Asia, or Africa.
Plants and animals living here must
survive the lack of water and extreme
temperatures. Many, like this mouse,
live underground to escape the heat.
Climate is the usual weather
in an area over many years.
Rain isnt only a part of an
ecosystems water cycles, its
also a part of the climate.
22
GRASSLANDS
Divided into two types:
savannas are found in
tropical locations and
contain scattered trees;
temperate grasslands are
drier and have no trees.
Grasslands are called
prairies in North America.
DECIDUOUS FORESTS
Four seasons: autumn,
winter, spring, summer
Sometimes known as
temperate forests
The leaves on many
trees change color and
fall off in autumn months.
CONIFEROUS FORESTS
Northern areas are
known as boreal forests,
or taiga
Mainly evergreen trees
grow in these regions.
These types of trees have
needles, which often stay
on all winter.
TUNDRA
Top soil layer remains
frozen. This frozen layer
is known as permafrost.
In summer, the arctic
gets almost 24 hours of
sunlight. This region is
nicknamed the Land of
the Midnight Sun.
OCEANS
Earth has five oceans:
Pacific, Atlantic, Arctic,
Indian, and Southern.
The oceans hold 97
percent of earths water.
Oceans contain about
80 percent of life on earth.
In coniferous forests, the
winters are long and cold.
Grasslands have a large variety
of grasses and flowering
plants. Often, the winters are
cold and the summers are hot.
Some animals hibernate or migrate
to survive. Others have adapted
to the harsh temperatures.
Deciduous forests have trees
that drop their leaves in the
fall. The summers are warm,
and the winters are cool.
Animals thrive on the
many leaves, seeds,
nuts, and insects.
On the cold plains
of the tundra, little
snow or rain falls.
In the United States, most grasslands
are now farmland, but once they were
full of bison and pronghorn antelope.
Underneath the surface,
plants, animals, and fish all live
in this enormous ecosystem.
The ocean is the worlds
largest biome, covering
71 percent of earth.
Without precipitation, few trees
grow here. Caribou and arctic
foxes roam this lonely land.
22
GRASSLANDS
Divided into two types:
savannas are found in
tropical locations and
contain scattered trees;
temperate grasslands are
drier and have no trees.
Grasslands are called
prairies in North America.
DECIDUOUS FORESTS
Four seasons: autumn,
winter, spring, summer
Sometimes known as
temperate forests
The leaves on many
trees change color and
fall off in autumn months.
CONIFEROUS FORESTS
Northern areas are
known as boreal forests,
or taiga
Mainly evergreen trees
grow in these regions.
These types of trees have
needles, which often stay
on all winter.
TUNDRA
Top soil layer remains
frozen. This frozen layer
is known as permafrost.
In summer, the arctic
gets almost 24 hours of
sunlight. This region is
nicknamed the Land of
the Midnight Sun.
OCEANS
Earth has five oceans:
Pacific, Atlantic, Arctic,
Indian, and Southern.
The oceans hold 97
percent of earths water.
Oceans contain about
80 percent of life on earth.
In coniferous forests, the
winters are long and cold.
Grasslands have a large variety
of grasses and flowering
plants. Often, the winters are
cold and the summers are hot.
Some animals hibernate or migrate
to survive. Others have adapted
to the harsh temperatures.
Deciduous forests have trees
that drop their leaves in the
fall. The summers are warm,
and the winters are cool.
Animals thrive on the
many leaves, seeds,
nuts, and insects.
On the cold plains
of the tundra, little
snow or rain falls.
In the United States, most grasslands
are now farmland, but once they were
full of bison and pronghorn antelope.
Underneath the surface,
plants, animals, and fish all live
in this enormous ecosystem.
The ocean is the worlds
largest biome, covering
71 percent of earth.
Without precipitation, few trees
grow here. Caribou and arctic
foxes roam this lonely land.