Assignment on Biomes
Environmental Science (Assignment)
JULY 31, 2013
1. What is a biome? A biome is an area of the planet that can be classified according to the plants and animals that live in it. Temperature, soil, and the amount of light and water help determine what life exists in a biome. It is different from an ecosystem. An ecosystem is the interaction of living and non-living things in an environment. A biome is a specific geographic area notable for the species living there. A biome can be made up of many ecosystems. For example, an aquatic biome can contain ecosystems such as coral reefs and kelp forests. 2. What are the 2 types of biomes? Give at least 5 examples for each type. (a) Terrestrial (land) biomes ■ Tropical Forest biomes ■ Savanna biomes ■ Desert biomes ■ Grassland biomes ■ Mediterranean Climate biomes (b) Aquatic biomes ■ Freshwater biomes ■ Marine biomes ■ Lakes ■ Wetlands ■ Rivers and Streams 3. Differentiate the different kinds of biomes in a tabulated form based on the following: | DESERT | FOREST | FRESHWATER | GRASSLAND | MARINE | TUNDRA | Description | This biome is the driest; it only receives 50cm of rainfall a year | Forest biomes cover about 1/3 of the Earth’s land surface | water that has a salt level of less than 1%; This biome also plays an important role for life on Earth | The length of the grass and the number of trees within these biomes vary depending on the amount of rainfall | This biome covers more of the Earth’s surface than any other – about 70% | This is the coldest of all the biomes and species diversity is limited as a result | Location | Most hot and dry deserts are near the Tropic of Cancer or the Tropic of Capricorn. Cold deserts are near the Arctic part of the world | Found in the four corners of the globe | Located in streams, ponds, and wetlands | Can be found in
JULY 31, 2013
1. What is a biome? A biome is an area of the planet that can be classified according to the plants and animals that live in it. Temperature, soil, and the amount of light and water help determine what life exists in a biome. It is different from an ecosystem. An ecosystem is the interaction of living and non-living things in an environment. A biome is a specific geographic area notable for the species living there. A biome can be made up of many ecosystems. For example, an aquatic biome can contain ecosystems such as coral reefs and kelp forests. 2. What are the 2 types of biomes? Give at least 5 examples for each type. (a) Terrestrial (land) biomes ■ Tropical Forest biomes ■ Savanna biomes ■ Desert biomes ■ Grassland biomes ■ Mediterranean Climate biomes (b) Aquatic biomes ■ Freshwater biomes ■ Marine biomes ■ Lakes ■ Wetlands ■ Rivers and Streams 3. Differentiate the different kinds of biomes in a tabulated form based on the following: | DESERT | FOREST | FRESHWATER | GRASSLAND | MARINE | TUNDRA | Description | This biome is the driest; it only receives 50cm of rainfall a year | Forest biomes cover about 1/3 of the Earth’s land surface | water that has a salt level of less than 1%; This biome also plays an important role for life on Earth | The length of the grass and the number of trees within these biomes vary depending on the amount of rainfall | This biome covers more of the Earth’s surface than any other – about 70% | This is the coldest of all the biomes and species diversity is limited as a result | Location | Most hot and dry deserts are near the Tropic of Cancer or the Tropic of Capricorn. Cold deserts are near the Arctic part of the world | Found in the four corners of the globe | Located in streams, ponds, and wetlands | Can be found in