Scribe Post 9/12/11 - Biomes

Today we:

• Collected EC Page 62A

• Discussed new homework- UP 65. This is a biome map of the entire globe and a completed version can be found in the textbook on p 429. Some books might not have the map on this page, so look around that area, or use a credible online map.

• For the rest of the class we completed the chart on UP 67-68 and watched short videos that described each type. There were 8 biomes: Tundra, Coniferous Forest, Deciduous Forest, Grasslands, Chaparral, Savannah, Desert, and Tropical Rain Forest.

• Tundra: Long, bitter, cold winters, 0-10 degrees Celsius.
• Less than 25 cm of precipitation a year, mostly snow
• Has permafrost layer- Permanently frozen soil
• Animals include wolves, caribou, polar bears. Snow covered land in winter, but many wildflowers, grasses and small shrubs live in the summer.

• Coniferous Forest: Cold winters, short wet summers
• Precipitation: 35-75 cm. mostly snow
• Soil is nutrient poor and acidic because conifers produce acid
• Wolves, moose, bears, with somewhat large, cone making, needled evergreens

• Deciduous Forest: Cold winters, hot summers: -30 to 30 degrees Celsius

• More precipitation than coniferous, so trees are larger (75-125 cm)
  
• Lots of nutrients because of decomposed leaves
• Cardinals, deer, big, broad leaved trees

• Grasslands: 5 to 22 degrees Celsius

• About as much precipitation as a Coniferous Forest (25-75 cm)
  
• Soil is enriched by glacial deposits and decaying matter- good for farmland
• Hawks, gophers, mostly grass with RARE trees

• Chaparral (Temperate Shrublands): Ocean air provide mild rainy winters, long dry summers

• Precipitation: a little less than grasslands (20-60 cm)
• Periodic fires release nutrients, some seeds only germinate after fires
• Animals mostly the same as Grassland, Spiny shrubs with evergreen leaves

• Savannah: Warm all year

• Precipitation: 120 cm, scattered watering holes
• Lion King animals: Giraffes, Lions, Zebras, etc. Grassy, but drought and fire prevent many trees from growing

• Desert: Warm days, cold nights
  
• Barely any rain
• Scavengers, other specialized creatures, Cacti, sparse shrubs because of little moisture

• Tropical Rain Forest: Along the equator, 25 degrees Celsius
  
• Precipitation: 200 Cm
• Fertile but thin level of good soil
• Extreme biodiversity

This should help if you weren't here for class today. Sorry I couldn't include pics for Desert and Tropical Rain Forest, as the program said the file was to big.

See you in class,

Danny N

Next scribe: Mark