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Biome tour - Grasslands
Biome tour - Grasslands
Temperate grassland
Like TDF
Less rainthan TDF
TDF = temperatedeciduous forest
Temperate grasslands
• Dominated by … grasses!• Few trees—why?• Very fertile soils—US midwest farm belt
Temperate grasslands
• Rainfall is much less than temperate deciduous forest
• Fires have also helped keep trees from growing– Grasses rebound from
fire quickly
Temperate grassland
• Soils are deep and fertile
• The main US farming region
• Prairie is the name for temperate grasslands in the midwest – They have largely
disappeared under the farmer’s plow
Temperate GrasslandPurple needlegrass Blue Grama
Buffalo grass Galleta
Asters Blazing Stars
Coneflowers Goldenrods
Sunflowers Clovers
Psoraleas Wild Indigos
Tundra Deciduous Forest Savanna
Taiga
Chaparral
Rainforest
Grassland
Desert
Alpine
Desert-Scrub
Tundra
Coldest biome
Water is scarce, too
Tundra
• Cold and dry• Growing
season only 50-60 days
• Treeless• Low biological
diversity—compare to tropical rainforest
Tundra• Soils form very slowly• There is a layer of permanently frozen
soil, called PERMAFROST, which limits root growth
Result of permafrost:Waterlogged soils or bogs
Tundra
• Animals have adaptations to the cold– Fur– Large and round– Migratory—many birds
breed in the tundra but spend 9-10 months elsewhere
Tundra
• Plants often low growing
Tundra Deciduous Forest Savanna
Taiga
Chaparral
Rainforest
Grassland
Desert
Alpine
Desert-Scrub
Tropical Savanna
Warm and stable Seasonal rainfall: Dry and wet seasons
Tropical Savanna
• Serengeti plain, Kenya• Note:
– Grassland, scattered trees– large herbivores, temporary water
Tropical Savanna
• Warm, like tropical rainforest
• BUT: rainfall is seasonal, with a few months of drought
Tropical Savanna
• Plants: – Tall grasses– Trees may or may
not form a canopy• Animals
– Depend on the seasonal rains
– Migrate in search of forage
Tundra Deciduous Forest Savanna
Taiga
Chaparral
Rainforest
Grassland
Desert
Alpine
Desert-Scrub
