Terrestrial Biomes

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Terrestrial Biomes
1. Tropical Forest- Located geographically between 15° to 25° North and South of the Equator.
A. Climate- Very humid with humidity between 77 and 88% with an average temperature of 77° Fahrenheit.
B. Soil- Relativity poor in nutrients. Very thin layer of decomposed matter.
C. Types of Organisms- Small animals, including monkeys, birds, snakes, frogs, and lizards are common in the tropical rainforest
D. Effect of Human Presence- The biggest effect of humans on this biome is deforestation.

2. Savanna- Located close to the equator between 8° to 20° basically in-between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.
A. Climate- Has a wet dry climate with an average temperature of 68° to 78° F in the wet months and an …show more content…

Effect of Human Presence- Human presence can be seen through degradation (over use), interdiction of foreign species of animals not native to the biome, farming, and human manipulation or the clearing or burning of the savanna.

3. Desert- Can be found close to or along the Tropic of Cancer or Tropic of Capricorn.
A. Climate- This a very dry climate with temperatures greatly varied from day to night. During the day, temperatures can rise to over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and it can below freezing at night.
B. Soil- Very dry and can be compact and clumpy as well as loose and sandy. The soil is generally fertile if given water plants can grow. Although some desert soil can be found to have high salt levels making it acidic.
C. Types of Organisms- Snakes, lizards, big horn sheep, tortoises, and coyote are among some of the animals that can be found in dessert biomes.
D. Effect of Human Presence- The desert biome is a highly sensitive biome in that it takes longer to recover from disturbances. Activities like off road driving as well as cattle and collection of firewood destroy the desserts natural habitat leading to reduce number of certain …show more content…

Climate- Hot summers and cold winters with the average temperatures for the prairie in winter is 20° F, and 70° F in summer. Annual precipitation is between 10-30 inches.
B. Soil- Are nutrient-rich from the growth and the decay of grass roots. The decaying roots hold the soil together and provide a food source for other plants. The most fertile soils can be found in this biome.
C. Types of Organisms- The diversity of wildlife in any given area of the grassland is offset by the high abundance of wildlife. American grasslands host a variety of dominant grazing animals like bison and pronghorn. Non predatory animals include field mice and prairie dogs. Predatory animals of these grasslands include wolves, coyotes, foxes, badgers and black-footed ferrets. The birds that can be seen include meadowlarks, quails, sparrows, hawks and owls as well as some migratory fowl.
D. Effect of Human Presence- Overgrazing of livestock and the plowing to make agriculture fields are the two greatest threats to temperate grasslands. The slaughter of Buffalo in the 1800 hundreds came close to causing the extinction of bison from American grasslands.

6. Tundra- Found at the North Pole as well as high altitude mountain

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