Name: ______

Ecology: Biomes – notes

Ecology and its importance / ______is the study of interactions between organisms and their environment; focus is on energy transfer – It is a science of relationships!
Ecologists complete investigations on the environment, climate change, farming, energy, food, health, green living, and eco friendly products, etc.
The two parts of the environment / 1. ______- all of the organisms that live together and interact with one another.- Living factors
Examples: ______
2. ______- part of the environment that includes all of the physical, Non-living, factors.
Examples: ______

Organization of the environment /
Major Biomes of the Earth / 1. ______– poor soil, hot, humid, & heavy rainfall all year; tall trees; occur around the equator; most biodiverse of all biomes = many different species; most species live in the canopy of the trees, birds, frogs, snakes, monkeys
2. ______– largest biome in the world, coniferous forest; long cold winters; Canada; usually only one or two types of conifers – evergreen trees like pines; animals like bears, caribou, deer, elk, beaver
3.______- Eastern U.S.; 4 seasons; leaves of trees change color, warm summers and mild winters; maple, oak, and elm trees, squirrel, deer, fox
4. ______– hot in the daytime, cold at night; dry; Africa; U.S.; Australia, plants and animals exhibit adaptations and behaviors that help them conserve water, cactus, short shrubs, scorpions, rodents, snakes (Cold deserts – water locked in ice)
5. ______– long cold winters and short cool summers; treeless, permafrost- soil is permanently frozen; little rainfall; soggy soil, Arctic; lichen and moss grow, caribou, arctic fox, arctic hare, owl
6. ______-tropical grassland with a few scattered trees; Africa; wet & dry season, have large grazing animals like zebra, elephants, giraffes
Prairie - temperate; North American Grassland; U.S- very fertile soils, grasses, rodents, prairie dog
7. ______Biomes- controlled by abiotic factors like temperature, amount of sunlight that travels thru the water, salt content, distance from the land, and depth of the water.
Aquatic Biomes /

Three types – marine, estuary, and freshwater

1. ______– Base of the food chain is ______(producers) and zooplankton (consumers); ocean and sea biomes are divided into different zones based on the depth of water and distance from land.
2. ______– freshwater flows into salt water; tidal changes cause salt concentration changes; nutrient rich due to run-off from land; large numbers of plankton and algae

3. ______– 3 types depending on speed of water

______– rivers; producers and consumers cling to rocks
______- river grows wider as it approaches the ocean; deltas form due to sediment build up; example: Mississippi Delta
______– lakes and ponds, divided into different zones; shore, open water, and deep water