Ecology: The Biomes

1. Ecology: The Biomes You will understand and explain the difference s between Earth’s major Biomes

2. Recall: What is the basis for most ecosystems? • Energy derived from Sunlight is converted to food energy • Organisms that do this are called Primary Producers or Autotrophs

3. Recall: How is energy Transferred? • Food Energy transferred through predator/prey relationships • Herbivores- eat plants • Carnivores – eat animal tissue • Omnivores- eat both types of material • Scavengers- eat dead or decaying organic matter

4. Food Relationships produce a structure to the ecosystem • Structure is best known as the Trophic Pyramid • Pyramid design shows both the numbers of organisms goes down (by power of 10) as you go up pyramid • It also shows how energy is lost through each transition between levels

5. TROPHIC PYRAMID

6. So What is a Biome? • Biome – is the precise habitat of organisms as defined by its Abiotic Factors (primarily vegetation and precipitation amounts for land and amount of light, salinity, pressure and depth for aquatic environments)

7. 4 Basic Land Biomes • Forests - dominated by tree growth • Tropical • Deciduous (Temperate) • Taiga (Coniferous Trees) • Temperate Forest Biome • Tropical Forest

8. 4 Land Biomes • Grasslands- dominated by grasses • Savannah (tropical) • Temperate • Grassland Biome • Savannah Biome

9. 4 Land Biomes • Tundra- treeless, and cold with permafrost year-round • Arctic- Extreme Northern area • Alpine- mountain regions • Tundra Biome

10. 4 Land Biomes • Deserts – dominated by lack of rainfall • Hot n Dry “traditional deserts” • Coastal -found near coastlines • Semi-Arid- Warm summers, cool winters • Cold- Antarctica • Desert Biome

11. 2 Basic Aquatic Biomes • Freshwater- low salinity, created from Run off from land • Rivers and Streams • Ponds and Lakes • Wetlands • Marine- largest Biome on Earth • Intertidal/Coastal • Estuaries (rivers enter oceans) • Pelagic • Deep Water • Aquatic Biomes