Different Biomes of the World

The tropical rainforest biome is an ecosystem that covers about 7% of the Earth’s surface. They are found all over the world but the majority of the tropical rainforest lies in South America in Brazil. The weather in the tropical rainforest is rainy yet pleasant all year round, day or night. The average temperature of the tropical rainforest remains between 70 and 85° F. The tropical rainforest is very rainy as its name implies. The rainfall can reach up to 400 inches in one year. About half of all known species of plants and animals live in the tropical rainforest.

The desert biome is found to cover around one fifth of the entire Earth.  There are different types of deserts such as cold deserts, coastal deserts and hot deserts but what makes a desert, really a desert is how dry that it is. One of the largest deserts is the Sahara Desert and it is located in Africa.  It is over 3 million square miles long.  A desert does not get more than 10 inches of rain per year and so they have dry soil and hardly any water. Deserts are most of the time very hot during the day.  Because there are not many trees or good soil, there is no protection from the heat and when the sun comes, it can get over 100 degrees Fahrenheit during the day. When it gets dark, the desert can get very cold, very quickly and can get down even below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Like all other biomes, the plants and animals have to learn to adapt to the weather.  To adapt means that their bodies learn to adjust.  The plants that grow in the desert have to learn to adjust to an environment that is very dry. There are many animals that live in the desert.  Many of these desert animals are cold blooded, which means that their bodies can adapt to the change in the temperature.  These animals must learn to live with very little water.  The camel for example, stores fat in its hump so that it does not get dehydrated or hungry.

A freshwater biome is a biome that has water that does not have a lot of salt in the water.  There are three different types of freshwater biomes, wetlands, ponds and lakes and streams and rivers. When you look at a wetland biome, it is both water and land and that is why it has its name.  Some of the land is under the water because of floods or because there is a lot of rain at that time.  The water that falls helps to protect and feed the plants that grow in this area.  These plants are called aquatic plants. There are many different plants and animals that live near the wetlands.  Many of these animals include frogs, lizards, reptiles, birds, alligators, crocodiles, deer, beavers, raccoons and more. A stream and a river can come in different sizes, from a super small stream that just barely trickles down, to a river that can be miles and miles long. Animals that live around the river are usually fish, snakes, crocodiles, beavers and more.

The Ocean Biome is the largest biome in the whole entire world.  The Ocean Biome covers around 70% of the entire Earth.  There are many animals that are found in the Ocean Biome, many that have not even been discovered. There are five oceans around the world; Arctic, Atlantic, Indian, Pacific, and Southern oceans and they all have water. There are over one million different species of plants that live in the ocean and there are more than 9 million that have not even been discovered yet. The algae is the most important plant in the Ocean biome because it helps to give oxygen and without the algae, the plant and animals of the ocean would not be able to breathe. The most important algae is kelp. It is important because it gives food and shelter to many animals. It also helps people because it can be used in many different products. Plankton and other fish are found in the ocean.  Plankton is a huge source of food to marine life.  There are other animals such as fish, walruses, whales, bacteria, seals, dolphins and so many more. There are animals found in the ocean that even make their own light. There are also some of the largest animals that are found in the ocean such as the blue whale, which is the biggest animal that lives on the earth.

A Savanna Biome is a type of grassland biome that is often times called a tropical grassland.  These biomes have grasses and trees, have different rainfalls and are usually warm. A Savanna Biome is filled with trees and grasses.  This type of biome is found in places all over the world such as Africa, South America, India, Australia and more. The weather in a Savanna Biome is usually warm from 68 degrees Fahrenheit to almost 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Most of the rain falls for around 6-8 months and then there is a period of dry from 4-6 months where there is hardly any rain, this is in the winter months. There are many different kinds of animals that are found in the savanna such as giraffes, elephants, gazelles, buffalo, lions, cheetahs, leopards, wild dogs, zebras, wildebeests, ostriches, horses, birds, and many insects. The animals have learned to adapt to avoid predators such as being able to run fast or being strong enough to fight off the predators. There are not very many trees because there is not enough rain that will help big trees to grow, there are some smaller trees that are found close to ponds and streams.

There are many types of forest ecosystems and each kind of forest has its own plants and animals.  The different forests include the deciduous forests, the coniferous forests and even the tropical forests. These forests are homes to many different types of plants and animals. There are four seasons that happen in the Temperate Forest Biome: spring, summer, winter, and fall. This means that there can be warm and cool temperatures. The average temperature for the forest biome is around 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Deciduous forests are usually warmer than other forests and they make rain in the summer and it oftentimes snows in the wintertime. There are many different trees that grow in a Deciduous forest such as oak trees, beech trees, maple trees and more. The interesting things about trees in the Deciduous forest is that the trees lose their leaves in the fall months and then the leaves grow back when the weather gets warmer.  Other plants grow in the Deciduous forest and there are also shrubs. These plants help to provide the animals with food and shelter. Many of the deciduous forest animals include bears, chipmunks, squirrels, bald eagles, moose, deer and other animals that you could see in your backyard.

A tundra biome an ecosystem that is cold and dry.  Tundra biomes are oftentimes found in the northern part of the world such as in Alaska and other northern areas.  The temperatures of the tundra biome range from long, cold winters to short and cool summers. There are two types of tundra’s, an Arctic Tundra, which means that it is far north along the Arctic Circle, and the Alpine Tundra, which is high in the mountains above the tree line. Winter is the longest season that happens in the tundra biome and this can last for over 8 months.  When winter happens, there usually is snow and oftentimes, places do not get any sunshine.  During the winter, the temperatures are very cold, and they sometimes even get as low as -60 degrees Fahrenheit. The tundra biome has a layer of ground that is almost always frozen.  This is called a permafrost.  The permafrost is below the topsoil and it stops trees and other plants from growing because they cannot get their roots to go through the frozen soil. Shrubs, grasses, herbs and lichens grow in the tundra.  The lichens for example, grow close to the ground and they provide food for the animals when it is winter.  Growing close to the ground protects the plants from the freezing cold winds and this helps them to survive. Animals in the tundra consist of wolves, birds, ducks, geese, swans, foxes, owls, oxen and more.  The animals come out more in the summertime than they do the winter because most of the birds migrate to warmer places when it is winter.

Discussion Questions:

1.) Which animal is the largest animal alive on this earth? Which biome does it live in?

2.) Which land biome gets coldest? This biome goes through a process known as permafrost.

3.) Name three animals that are found in temperate forests.

4.) Which biome has a dry season without rainfall for four to six months?

5.) Which biome can get up to four hundred inches of rainfall per year and hosts about half of the known species on this earth?

6.) Opinion based question: Which biome is your favorite? Explain why.

Follow up Activity:

Choose a biome. Create a shoe box diorama with many characteristics of the biome chosen.

Include:

animals and plants inhabiting the biome as well as the environment and non-living elements of the biome such as rocks, mountains, water etc.

References:

https://www.coolaboo.com/