Communities+and+Biomes

· You will identify factors that limit the existence of species to certain areas · You will describe how and why different communities form · You will compare and contrast biomes of Earth · Identify some common limiting factors · Explain how limiting factors and ranges of tolerance affect distribution of organisms · Sequence the stages of ecological succession · Describe the conditions under which primary and secondary succession take place · Community: a collection of interacting populations that inhabit a common environment · Limiting factor · Tolerance · Succession · Primary succession · Climax community · Secondary succession A community is a group of populations that interact with each other and live in the same area. For example, in a patch of grass, there is the grass, various beetles and other bug things, other plants like dandelions, bacteria, and perhaps some fungi. All of these organisms interact with each other to form a community. __ Limiting factors __ : Biotic or abiotic factors that limit an organism’s ability to live, reproduce, or distribute itself __ Tolerance __ : Ability of an organism to withstand changes in the environment __Succession__ is the change in the organisms living in an area over time. It begins with __primary succession__. This is the colonization of a completely barren area by organisms. Rocks would be an example of this. Lichen is the first organism to set in. It breaks down the rock into soil, which allows for more organisms to grow. __Secondary succession__ occurs after an event such as a fire. Soil is still present, so lichen is not the first organism to colonize it. The end result of succession is a __climax community__, which is a mature community where very little change happens. Lichen-found at http://botit.botany.wisc.ed u/images/332/Lichens/Foliose_lichen_130_d.html · You will compare and contrast the photic and aphotic zones of marine biomes · You will identify the major limiting factors affecting the distribution of terrestrial biomes · Distinguish the different biomes · Biosphere: the area of the earth that can support life · Biome · Photic zone · Aphotic zone · Estuary · Intertidal zone · Plankton · Tundra · Taiga · Desert · Grassland · Temperate/Deciduous forest · Tropical rain forest A biome is a group of ecosystems that share the same kind of climax community. Biomes can be terrestrial (on land) or aquatic (in the water). Aquatic biomes have photic and aphotic zones. The __photic zone__ is the area of the aquatic biome that sunlight reaches. The __aphotic zone__ is the area of the aquatic biome that sunlight doesn’t reach. Estuaries are a part of the photic zone of aquatic biomes. __Estuaries__ are coastal bodies of water that are partially surrounded by land, and are the places where freshwater from rivers and streams mixes with saltwater from the ocean. Estuaries provide shelter for many kinds of marine life, especially juvenile crustaceans. __ Intertidal zone __ -the area of the shore that is between the high and low tide lines. __ Plankton __ -small organisms that float about in the photic zone. Can be autotrophs, eggs, juvenile marine organisms, or any small organic particle. Forms the base of all aquatic food chains. Terrestrial biomes are biomes that are on the land. The biomes are divided up into several different categories, based on average temperature and average rainfall in the biome. The __tundra__ is the biome found nearest to the north pole. Temperatures in this biome don’t rise above freezing for very long, so only the top layers of soil defrost during the short periods of slight warmth. This biome only has smaller plants, as the frozen layers of soil won’t allow larger-rooted plants to grow in the area.
 * What You’ll Learn: **
 * Section 1 **
 * Communities: **
 * __ Objectives __**
 * __ Review Vocabulary __**
 * __ New Vocabulary __**
 * __ Life in a Community __**
 * __ Succession: Changes over Time __**
 * Section 2 **
 * Biomes: **
 * __ Objectives __**
 * __ Review Vocabulary __**
 * __ New Vocabulary __**
 * __ What is a Biome? __**

The __taiga__ is the next biome when moving southwards from the north pole. This area is still very cold and has tough winters, but the soil will allow for conifer trees to grow, which do not have especially extensive root systems. A wider variety of organisms can live here than can live in the tundra.

The __desert__ biome is the driest biome, receiving very little annual rainfall. There is very little plant life in this biome. The plants and animals that live here are adapted to the lack of water. They often require very little water to survive and have efficient ways of storing and using the water. Reptiles are common in this biome.

The __grassland__ biome is the next driest, with most grasslands receiving an average of 25 – 75 cm. of rainfall annually. This isn’t enough rainfall to support any large number of trees, but the types of grasses and other small plants abound. Many animals graze the wide areas of grasses, while others feed off of the seeds. Prairie dogs are common, building underground tunnels that link up and stretch for miles. Small predators eat the prairie dogs.

The __temperate forest__ biome has more moderate temperatures than a desert, and a good deal more rainfall. This encourages the growth of deciduous trees, of which there is an abundance of in this biome. The soil in these regions has large amounts of humus in it, and has a layer of clay deeper down. Many birds live in the temperate forest year-round, rather than migrate to warmer areas in the winter.

The __rain forest__ biome has very warm temperatures year-round, and receives a good deal of precipitation, more than 200 cm. annually. These biomes have the greatest species diversity out of all of the biomes. These biomes are located near the equator, which is why they are as warm as they are. Despite the vast range of species present, tropical rainforests do not have good soil for growing things, as leaves from fallen trees disappear quickly, without a slow decaying process that releases many nutrients into the soil.

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__ Compare and Contrast __ “Plankton” is the term used to define the floating protests, animal eggs and larvae present in an aquatic environment. __ Procedure __ __ Analysis __
 * || Mini-Lab
 * 1) Use a dropper to obtain a small sample of marine plankton.
 * 2) Prepare a wet mount of the material. **CAUTION: Handle microscope slides and cover-slips carefully.**
 * 3) Observe under low-power magnification of the microscope.
 * 4) Look for a variety of organisms and diagram several different types. **CAUTION: Wash hands with soap at the end of the lab.**
 * 1) ** Observe ** -Describe and draw two specific planktonic organisms. Identify some common characteristics.
 * 2) ** Distinguish ** -Are both autotrophs and heterotrophs present? How can you distinguish them?
 * 3) ** Explain Interactions in a Food Chain ** -Why are plankton important in food chains? ||

All about biomes: []

For your entertainment: []

Here is a pyramid that shows various communities and enviroments. []

Food webs: []

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Different biomes: Savanna: [] Tundra: [] Rainforest: [] Grasslands: [] Desert: []