BIOME STUDY GUIDE!!!! ~There will be a map on your Biome Exam! ~ You will also need to know and understand the zones of the marine and freshwater biomes. ~FYI- I will collect your Biome Suitcases on WEDNESDAY 12/2! ~ EXAM is Thursday 12/3!!!!!! Text: (526-543) The following statements will be changed into TRUE/FALSE Questions. STUDY! (Hi-light important info) Grasslands in United States have decreased due to overgrazing, land development, natural disasters, and fire. Some of the world s fastest predators live in the Tropical Savanna. Even though Tropical Rain forests have the greatest amount of biodiversity of all of the land biomes their soils are thin and nutrient poor due to high amounts of rain removing/washing them from the soil. Grasses are the major plant type of the savanna. Grasslands receive between 25cm -75cm of rainfall per year. Deserts have large changes in temperature on a daily basis. An adaptation for living in the desert is having plants that store water and have deep roots. Water could be a limiting factor in the tundra. Permafrost refers to the top layer of soil in the tundra that remains frozen. Migration is one adaptation animals of the Tundra or Taiga have. Lichens (a mixture of algae and fungus) are low growing plants of the tundra. Sunlight is plentiful for plants of the tundra in the summertime. A cactus has a green body to help it photosynthesize without leaves. Desert biomes refer to areas of consistently high temperatures during the day and less 10 inches of rain fall. Coniferous trees have waxy needles, bear cones, and stay green year round. Amphibians like frogs would be best suited to tropical rain forest because water is not a problem. Most of the Eastern United States was once covered by large areas of temperate deciduous forests. Nails or suction cups would be an adaptation for animals in the Tropical Rainforests. Epiphytes are plants like orchids that live commensalistic lifestyles. Three major forest biomes are the coniferous, temperate deciduous and tropical forests. An estuary is a mix of fresh and salt water. In an ocean, as depth increases, light decreases. Bison or buffalo have thick fur because winters in the temperate grasslands/prairie are cold and windy. Plant roots in grasslands in general are short and close to the surface. Corn and wheat are important crops in the prairie. Grazing animals would most likely be found in the Savanna. Most deserts are located near the Equator. Snakes and other reptiles would most likely be found in the desert. Plants low and close to the ground would probably be found in the alpine tundra. Cactuses have spines to help prevent water loss. Caribou would most likely be found in the arctic tundra.
One common characteristic of both the desert and tundra is very little precipitation. Common adaptations of desert animals are having nocturnal lifestyles. There are two major seasons in a Tropical Rain forest. Temperate Forests generally have four seasons. Spruce and Fir are the two dominant trees in a northern coniferous forest. Adaptations of plants in the taiga would be trees with waxy needles and deep extensive root systems. Which biomes are represented by the following descriptions? The biome is characterized by permafrost as soil. The is also known as the boreal or northern forest. The biome may vary based on elevation or location. A large amount of water and high temperatures are characteristics for the biome. In the biome, light decreases as depth increases; this causes plants to colors other than green. In the biome, many animals are nocturnal and plants have spines instead of leaves. These adaptations help them survive heat. Next to each phrase below, write the name of the biome or term being described. 1. trees drop their leaves in the autumn 2. single-celled phytoplankton are the main food source here 3. large inputs of sediment and nutrients make these areas murky and low in oxygen 4. much of the animal life is arboreal because there are few edible plants near the ground 5. plants grow close to the ground to protect themselves from the harsh winter winds 6. in the United States, most of these areas have been converted to growing crops or for grazing livestock. 7. most animals sleep during the day in underground burrows 8. trees have a resin that works as an antifreeze and flexible branches that help them 9. You are in an area with a fast-moving freshwater river that flows into the ocean. You are in a(n). 10. You are in an area with standing water, lots of reptiles and big willow trees. You are in a(n). 11. You are in forest during the Winter and the trees have lost all of their leaves. You are in a(n). 12. You are in Africa. It is summer and dried grass covers the ground. You are likely in a. 1.In your own words, write a definition for the following terms: biome and tundra.
2.Use each of the following terms in a separate sentence: intertidal zone, neritic zone, and oceanic zone. For each pair of terms, explain how the meanings of the terms differ. 3. savanna and desert 4. open-water zone and deep-water zone 5. marsh and swamp 11. Explain how a small lake can become a forest. 12. What are two factors that characterize biomes? 13. Describe the three zones of a lake. 14. How do rivers form? 15. What are three abiotic factors in land biomes? three abiotic factors in marine ecosystems? an abiotic factor in freshwater ecosystems?
Define the levels of the ocean and describe them in your own terms. A- _ B- _ C- _ D- _ Answer the following questions on your own sheet of paper. You may use your book or the internet to help you find your answers. 1. What is the littoral zone of a lake? 2. Can plants grow in the littoral zone? Why or why not? 3. Scientists involved in a field study of a biome produced the graph below. The line represents temperature and the bars represent precipitation. Which of the following is a valid conclusion about the biome? A. The biome is a rainforest B. The annual variation in temperature (from high to low) is about 25 C. C. The biome receives the same amount of rainfall each month. D. The biome has little plant life.
4. Compare and contrast using a Double Bubble the Taiga and the Coniferous forests. 5. Which biome is the most diverse? 6. What is permafrost? 7. What are examples of intertidal areas? 8. Which biome has low temperatures AND low amounts of rainfall? 9. Where is the tropical rainforest located? 10. What are the two types of tundra AND where are they located? 11. Describe the trees in the Taiga. 12. Which continents are the savannas and grasslands located? 13. What does deciduous mean? 14. The graph below shows the number of seaside sparrows and little marsh crabs in a salt marsh habitat on Georgia s coast over a five year period. In which year was there a disease that killed off most of the cordgrass, a source of food and shelter for the animals in the marsh? a. Year 1 b. Year 2 c. Year 3 d. Year 4 15. What two factors make up the climate? 16. Describe what the tundra looks like.
17. Draw and label the marine biome including the four zones. 18. Organisms that live in the intertidal zone of a marine ecosystem must be able to a. Withstand tremendous pressure b. Survive in complete darkness c. Survive both underwater and in the air d. Conduct photosynthesis 19. About how much of Earth s water is freshwater? a. 3% b. 30% c. 75% d. 97% 20. A researcher is investigating an estuary. What is an important characteristic of an estuary? a. Its water is locked into frozen sheets of ice. b. It consists of cold salt water under high pressure c. It is formed by cold, freshwater moving rapidly. d. It contains a mixture of salt water and fresh water. 21. Which of these is an example of a marine ecosystem? a. Stream b. Ocean c. River d. Lake 22. Why are photosynthetic plankton found only near the surface of the oceanic zone? a. They are too light to sink deeper. b. This region of the ocean is very shallow. c. Large organisms along the ocean floor eat them. d. Sunlight penetrates only for a few hundred meters. 23. Where is the Taiga mainly located? a. North America and Asia b. Africa and Australia c. Central America and Europe d. South America 24. Where is the world s largest desert? a. Africa b. Asia c. South America d. North America 25. What biome do we live in? a. Taiga b. Tundra c. Temperate deciduous d. Marine