Donna Latham - Biomes: Discover the Earths Ecosystems with Environmental Science Activities for Kids

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CONIFEROUS FOREST

DECIDUOUS FOREST

DESERT

MOUNTAIN

TEMPERATE GRASSLAND

TROPICAL RAINFOREST

TUNDRA

TROPICAL SAVANNA

OCEAN

Grab your backpack! Youre about to embark on an exciting expedition to explore Earths major biomes !

A biome is a life zone. Its a large natural area with a distinctive climate and geology, and specific water resources. Each biome features its own biodiversity, a range of living things ideally suited for life in that environment. There are terrestrial biomes on land and aquatic biomes in water.

Some scientists say there are five different biomes on planet Earth, and others break these biomes down into even smaller categories. In this book, well explore nine different biomes.

ESSENTIAL QUESTION

What type of biome do you live in?

WORDS TO KNOW

biome: a large natural area with a distinctive climate, geology, set of water resources, and plants and animals that are adapted for life there.

climate: average weather patterns in an area during a period of many years.

geology: the rocks, minerals, and physical structure of an area.

resource: anything people use to take care of themselves, such as water and food.

biodiversity: the range of living things in an ecosystem.

environment: everything in nature, living and nonliving, including plants, animals, soil, rocks, and water.

terrestrial: related to land.

aquatic: related to water.

biosphere: the area of the earth and its atmosphere inhabited by living things.

atmosphere: the blanket of air surrounding the earth.

ecosystem: an interdependent community of living and nonliving things and their environment.

habitat: a plant or animals home, which supplies it with food, water, and shelter.

ecology: the study of the relationship between living things and their environment.

Even biomes that you might think are similar can actually be homes for very different plants and animals. For example, forests cover about a quarter of the planet. Yet different locations and climates mean youll bound alongside snowshoe hares in one forest biome and leap with red-eyed tree frogs in another.

ONE EARTH, MANY BIOMES

The biosphere is the area of the earth and its atmosphere that is inhabited by animals and plants that depend on one another for survival. Biomes are subsections, or smaller parts, of the biosphere. Within each biome, youll find many ecosystems. An interconnected balance ensures that living things survive and thrive.

Visualize a skateboard. Its built of different connected parts that work together to keep you rolling along. What happens when a ball bearing flies off? The wheel pops off. The skateboard skids to a halt. When one part fails, the whole skateboard is affected.

An ecosystem works the same wayall the living and nonliving things in it depend on one another.

DID YOU KNOW?

The prefix eco comes from the Greek word oikos, meaning house. Eco refers to environments or habitats. For example, ecology is the study of the relationship between living things and their environment. Ecologists study ecology. What other words do you know that contain eco?

Death Valley, a desert that stretches across California and Nevada, is home to many different plants and animals that depend on each other for survival in harsh conditions.

WORDS TO KNOW

interdependent: relying on each other.

savanna: a dry, rolling grassland with scattered shrubs and trees.

desert: the hottest biome, with very little rain, less than 10 inches per year.

coniferous: describes cone-bearing shrubs and trees, often with needles for leaves. Coniferous trees do not lose their leaves each year.

tundra: a treeless Arctic region that is permanently frozen below the top layer of soil.

sandstorm: a strong wind carrying clouds of sand with it, especially in a desert.

plume: when a material spreads out into a shape that resembles a feather.

torrential: a sudden, violent outpouring.

Living things are plants and animals, while nonliving things include the sun, air, rocks, soil, and water. All parts of the ecosystem interact with their environment and with each other. Teamwork keeps complex, interdependent systems balanced and working.

Earths biomes are connected together, creating a vast web of life. As they sprawl across the globe, biomes overlap and blend together. For example, tropical savannas mingle with deserts, and coniferous forests spill into tundra.

When natural or manmade disasters such as volcanic eruptions or oil spills take place in one biome, they often have an effect upon other biomes as well.