miƩrcoles, 1 de octubre de 2008

Sources

This is a blog about biomes, if you want to have more information you can visit the sites I visited, they are awsome and it really helps you to know more
  1. http://biology.about.com/od/landbiomes/a/aa061297a.htm
  2. http://www.globio.org/glossopedia/article.aspx?art_id=6
  3. http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/tundra.html
  4. http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/B/Biomes.html
  5. http://www.jlhs.nhusd.k12.ca.us/classes/Science/Net_Lessons/Biomes/tundra.JPEG

Enjoy my blog!!!





What is a Biome?

A biome are all of the worlds major habitats. Each habitat is identified by the vegetation (like plant structures, leaf types, plant spacing) and the animals that live in them and climate; and each of the habitats are located acording to the regional climate. A biome is a climatically and geographically defined area withe similar climatic conditons such as communities of plants, animals and soil organisms, and are often known as ecosystems.

The climate is a major factor to determine the distribution of terrestrial biomes, this are the importan climate factors:
  • Latitude: artic, boreal , temperate, subtropical and tropical.
  • Humidity: humid, semi-humid, semi-arid and arid.
  • Seasonal variation: rainfall may be distributed evenly througout the year or marked by seasonal variations.
  • Dry summer, wet witner: Most regions receive most of their rainfall during the summer, but in the Mediterranean regions the rainfull is received in winter.
  • Elevation: The increase of elevation causes a distribution of habitat types similar to the increasing of the latitud.

They often name a biome with local names like in Asia a temperate grassland is knownb as steppe, or in North America is known as a priarie.

This is a map of all the biomes around the Earth

martes, 30 de septiembre de 2008

Tundra


Savanna


Desert


Chaparral

Grasslands

Taiga

Temperate Forest 

Tropical Rain Forest




martes, 23 de septiembre de 2008

Main Land Biomes and their characteristics!

Tropical Rain Forest
This biome is characterized because of its dense vegetation, warm temperatures and abundant rainfall. The animals depend on tree for housing and food.
The organisms that live here are monkeys, bats, frogs, and insects. 
The common plants found in here are orchids and bromeliads. 
Most of the Tropical Rain Forests can be found in Australia, Brazil, Africa and Central America.

Savannas
This are open grasslands with very few trees. It is characterized by tall grasses. The climate is dry, there is not much rain. It is dry in the summer and is sometimes wet in the winter.
The organisms that live here are zebras, giraffes, lions, elephants and antelopes.
Savannas are located in Southern Brazil, Kenya, Australia and India.
The common plants in the savannas are tall grasses, baobab trees and the acacia.

Deserts
Are dry areas that have extremely small amounts of rainfall. Their climate can be cold or hot.
In their vegetation there is shrubs and cactus plants. 
Animals that live in this biome are birds, rodents, snakes, lizards and other animals that can survive the severe temperatures by hunting at night and that can make their home underground.
Some famous deserts are the Gobi Desert, the Australian desert and the Sahara Desert.

Chaparrals
The chaparrals are mostly the coastline regions and they are characterized by the dense shrubs and grasses. The climate is host and dry in summer, and rainy  but in low precipitations  in the winter. 
In here deers, snakes, birds and lizards live.
The chaparrals are found in California, Mediterranean sea and Australia.
The plants found in there are mostly oaks, shrubs like manzanita and the California lilac.

Temperate Forests
This biomes have high levels of rainfall and humidity. In spring and summer trees, plants and shrubs grow and in winter they become dormant.
The temperate rain forest combines high annual rainfall with a temperate climate. 
The Olympic Peninsular in North America is an example of a temperate forest.
Wolves, birds, squirrels and foxes live here.
Conifers are the plants that grown in these forests.

Temperate Grasslands
There are also known as prairies or plains.
This biomes are cold regions and have the same vegetation as the savannas. 
The animals that live here are the bisons, zebras, gazelles and lions!
A grassland is the Badlands National Monument in South Dakota.
The vegetation are herbs, brush, corn, wheat and others grains. 

Taigas
THe taiga name comes from a biome in Russia.
The taigas are dense evergreen trees forests. The climate in this forests is cold with plenty snowfall
In here you can find grizzly bears, wolverines and beavers.
The land is dominated by conifers, like spruces and firs.
It has many lakes, bogs and marshes.
Many mammals hibernate and the birds migrate to the south because of the cold and snowy winter.

Tundra
This are biomes that have extremely cold temperatures (like a dessert like climate)  and treeless frozen landscapes. Its vegetation is mostly of short shrubs and grasses.
In the land of Santa Claus you can find musk oxen, lemmings, reindeer and caribou (if you are lucky you may even see elfs!)
It has a permafrost soil
The vegetation are a variety of lichens and grasses that grow really fast.
They are found in Alaska, Siberia and Canada