COLLEGE OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE EDUCATION

MIDTERM (ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE)

LESSON I: BIOMES
A biome is a community of plants and animals that have common characteristics for the environment
they exist in. They can be found over a range of continents. Biomes are distinct biological communities that
have formed in response to a shared physical climate. Biome is a broader term than habitat; any biome can
comprise a variety of habitats (Augustyn, 2020).

1) GRASSLAND and SAVANNA

Grassland and savanna are biomes or ecosystems that are similar to each other. The word grassland is self-
explanatory in the sense that it describes a large landmass that receives insufficient rainfall to support
vegetation full of shrubs and trees. However, there is rainfall enough to support growth of grasses so that the
region does not become a desert. Savanna is also a grassland having some differences. There are many
scattered trees, but they are not able to make a canopy (Olivia, 2018).

Grassland
 Grasslands are large landmasses that are full of grass but surprisingly no trees.

 Grasslands are of two main types called savannas and temperate grasslands .

 Temperate grasslands are characterized by grasses of different types with no trees and only a few types
of shrubs.
 The reason of no trees lies in the fact that temperate grasslands receive lesser rainfall and are drier.

 Animals live in the grasslands: Prairie dogs, wolves, turkeys, eagles, weasels, bobcats, foxes, and
geese. A lot of smaller animals hide down in the grasses such as snakes, mice, and rabbits.

 Plants in the Grasslands: buffalo grass, blue grammas grass, needle grass, big bluestem, and switch
grass, includes sunflowers, sagebrush, clover, asters, goldenrods, butterfly weed, and butterweed.

Savanna
 This is grassland that is characterized by scattered trees that are not able to form a canopy. As there is
no canopy, the surface gets sufficient light, and the area supports grasses.

 Africa is one continent that has the largest area classified as savanna in the world.

 Rainy and dry seasons - Savannas have two distinct seasons in regards to precipitation. There is a
rainy season in the summer with around 15 to 25 inches of rain and a dry season in the winter when
only a couple of inches of rain may fall.

 Large herds of animals - There are often large herds of grazing animals on the savanna that thrive on
the abundance of grass and trees.

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  Animals in the Savanna: Herbivores - zebras, wildebeests, elephants, giraffes, ostriches, gazelles,
and buffalo. Predators- roaming the savanna including lions, hyenas, cheetahs, leopards, black
mambas, and wild dogs.
 Plants in the Savanna: Different grasses - lemon grass, Rhodes grass, star grass, and Bermuda
grass.
 Different Trees - acacia tree, the baobab tree, and the jackalberry tree (Nelson, 2020).

2. SHRUB LANDS AND DESERTS

Shrubland also called scrubland, heathland, or chaparral.

 A shrubland is a specific type of ecosystem, which is identified by its large amount of shrubs and
shrub-like plants.

 These ecosystems can represent a fully developed habitat or may be one of the stages of ecological
succession, which is the process of change that habitats experience over time. Some of the most
common causes of this destruction include deforestation, fires, agriculture, and livestock (Amber,
2017).
 Animals in the Shrubland- Grey fox, puma, golden jackal, jackals are omnivores

 Plants in the Shrubland- Cactus wren, blue oak, fairy duster - The Fairy Duster is a low shrub that
usually grows 8 to 48 inches tall, king protea, torrey pine, and salt marsh bird's beak.

 Other plants found within shrubland habitats include grasses, bushes, and other herbaceous plants.
Given the type of natural vegetation.

Desert
 Desert environments are so dry that they support only extremely sparse vegetation; trees are usually
absent and, under normal climatic conditions, shrubs or herbaceous plants provide only very incomplete
ground cover. However, this barrenness is believed to be due in part to the effects of human disturbance,
such as heavy grazing of cattle, on an already stressed environment (Smith, 2020).

Types of Desert
a. Hot and Dry Deserts
 These types of deserts experience very little rainfall, hot temperatures during the day and freezing
temperatures during the night. They are characterized by sand, rocks, gravel, and a few sparse oases.

 The Sahara Desert is the largest hot desert in the world .

 Large animals are not common in the desert because of the harsh climate. Smaller animals like gila
monster, bobcat, coyote, desert tortoise, and thorny devil lizard are living here, also plants like barrel
cactus, creosote bush, joshua tree, palo verde, and soap tree yucca are in the same place.

b. Cold Winter Deserts

 Cold winter deserts are also known as semi-arid deserts. They are characterized by dry summers and
winters with brief intervals of rainfall.
 The pattern resembles a hot desert but slightly cooler. Semi-arid deserts are found in North America,
Russia, northern Asia, Europe, and Greenland.
 The average temperature ranges between 21-27°C (70-80°F) while the annual rainfall is between 0.8
and 1.5 inches.
 The dominant vegetation is cacti because of their ability to reserve water.
 Many of the animal species spend time in burrows to protect themselves from the extreme
temperature.
 Most of the rodents, reptiles, insects, and birds are active at dusk and dawn when the conditions are
tolerable.

c. Coastal Deserts
 Coastal deserts are found in cool to warm regions. They experience cool winters but long warm
summers. During the winter, the temperature averages 6°C but can drop to -4 or -5°C. During the
summer, the temperature ranges between 13 and 24° Celsius. The annual average rainfall is between
3 and 6 inches.

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d. Polar Deserts
 Polar deserts are cold deserts. They are located at the earth's poles. They receive annual precipitation
of between 6 and 10 inches.
 The Antarctic is the world largest desert with an area spanning about 5.5 million square miles.

 The Arctic is the second largest desert with an area of 5.4 million square miles extending across Alaska,
Canada, Iceland, Greenland, Sweden, Norway, Russia, and Finland (Kiprop, 2018).

3. TUNDRA, TAIGA AND TEMPERATE ZONE

Tundra and Taiga
 The tundra and taiga represent the two coldest land biomes on the planet, but they have different
precipitation levels, and the tundra has permafrost. These two factors cause sharp differences between the
plant life of the two biomes, and the resulting local animal populations.

Tundra Taiga
 Tundra comes from the Finnish word " tunturi,"  the soil may freeze during winter, but the
which means treeless plain. summer months are warm enough for the soil
to thaw.

 The term tundra refers to a barren, treeless  Temperature in the taiga averages between
biome with very little precipitation. 41 degrees Fahrenheit and 23 degrees
Fahrenheit. Water freezes at 32 degrees
Fahrenheit.

 Very few living organisms make their home in the
tundra due to the harsh environment.
 The average temperature is below 23 degrees
Fahrenheit. As you go north, there are fewer
warm days per year, and permafrost begins to
develop.
 Permafrost is soil that stays frozen year round
Plants- grasses and wildflowers
Animals- polar bear, largely migratory sea-
birds( terns, loons and gulls)
 The taiga sees precipitation, mostly in the
form of snowfall, which can total over 80
inches a year.
 The taiga is a wet biome with plenty of
available moisture; in some places the climate
is boggy
 The soil in the taiga is highly acidic and low in
nitrogen, making growth difficult for plants
that are not adapted to the environment.
 blueberries and carnivorous plants like the
pitcher plant.
 Animals- moose and deer, fly- and nut-eating
songbirds( jays and woodpeckers)

 both the tundra and taiga have lichens and mosses

 Species of foxes, bears, wolves, hares and rodents are common to both biomes

Temperate zone
 The temperate zone is sometimes called the mid-latitudes because they exist roughly between 30
degrees and 60 degrees north and south latitude. There is a greater variety in climates in the
temperate zone, but many regions can be classified as either moist-continental or moist-subtropical.
a. Temperate Climate
 The moist-subtropical climates of the temperate zone are often located near large bodies of water or far
away from large mountain ranges. These regions are found at lower latitudes within the temperate
zone. The winters are cool but relatively mild and summers are warm, wet and stormy.
b. Temperate Forests
 The middle latitudes of the temperate zone experience a greater variability in temperature and
precipitations than the polar or tropical zones. Although there is less biodiversity in the temperate zone
than the tropical zone due to colder temperatures, 25 percent of Earth’s forests reside in the temperate
zone. These include both deciduous and coniferous forests.

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4. COASTAL ZONES
Coral Reefs
 Coral reefs are large underwater structures composed of the skeletons of colonial marine invertebrates
called coral.

Mangroves
 Mangroves are trees that live along tropical coastlines, rooted in salty sediments, often underwater. Like
sea grasses, mangroves are flowering plants.

Estuaries
 Estuary partly enclosed coastal body of water in which river water is mixed with seawater. In a general
sense, the estuarine environment is defined by salinity boundaries rather than by geographic
boundaries.
 The term estuary is derived from the Latin words aestus (“the tide”) and aestuo (“boil”), indicating the
effect generated when tidal flow and river flow meet.

Salt Marsh
 Salt marshes are coastal wetlands that are flooded and drained by saltwater brought in by the tides.
They are marshy because the soil may be composed of deep mud and peat. Peat is made of
decomposing plant matter that is often several feet thick. Peat is waterlogged, root-filled, and very
spongy.

Tide Pool
 A tidal pool also commonly called a tide pool or rock pool is water left behind when the ocean recedes
at low tide. Tidal pools can be large or small, deep or shallow.

5. FRESH WATER AND OCEANS

freshwater
 Fresh water may be still or fast flowing. Still fresh water is known as ‘ Lentic systems’ whiles flowing
fresh water is known as ‘Lotic Systems’. Others come from underground as groundwater in aquifers and
underground streams.

 Fresh water comes from precipitation from the atmosphere, usually in the form of rain, mist and snow.

 The freshwater biome consists of small bodies of water, such as creeks, lakes, streams, and rivers.

Few important facts about the freshwater biome that you should know:

 There is about 1/5 of the Earth covered by freshwater biome

 Over half of the water that humans and animals drink come from freshwater biome sources

 The water used to wash your dishes and to take a shower with is also thanks to these
freshwater biomes
 Temperatures in freshwater biomes range from 39° to 71° F

 Russian lakes contain freshwater biome. They are also found in North America, particularly in
Florida, as well as the Amazon River
 It takes just one foot of water to make up a Freshwater Biome. None are more than six foot in
depth
 The Florida Everglades is the largest freshwater biome in the world

 Freshwater Biomes are always located in areas that are high in nutrition.

 Bodies of water found within the freshwater biomes are shaped in various ways and in different
sizes. They are shaped in such ways that water is easy to collect, to prevent flooding and for
crop irrigation.
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  Insects are popular in these areas because there is often stagnant water around. This water
allows the insects to reproduce.

 As annoying as an insect is, they provide other animals a source of food and nutrients and are
very important to a freshwater biome area

Rivers/ Streams
 A river or stream is a body of water that flows only in one direction. Unlike ponds and lakes, rivers and
streams are constantly in motion.
 Plants are normally found along the edge of the river. This include tape grass, water star grass, willow
trees, and river birch.
 Animals that are found in or around the river include fishes, crabs, snakes, beavers, crocodiles, snails,
insects and otters (Conserve Energy Future, 2020).

Oceans
 Ocean is a vast and a continuous frame of salty water that shelters almost 70 percent of the total
earth's surface while a sea is a large body of saline water that occupies a greater part of the world's
surface but is smaller than an ocean (Kipruto, 2018).
 There are five ocean biomes, the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, and the
Arctic Ocean.
 . Some believe that the ocean biome is in fact the oldest of all biomes.

Interesting facts of the ocean biome:

 The ocean is made of saltwater. This salt comes from the rocks on land that gets swept into
the ocean.

 There is about one cup of salt for every gallon of water in the ocean.

 At 36, 200 feet deep, the Mariana Trench is the deepest part of the ocean biome.

 The largest ocean biomes is the Pacific Ocean.

 Although the temperatures of the oceans can vary, the average temperature of any ocean is
39° F
 Ocean water is constantly moving. Cold water is moving in from the poles while warm water is
moving in from the tropics.
 The ocean biome is home to the largest known mammal of the world - the blue whale.

 The ocean biome contains coral reef which is its own separate biome.

 Humans have only explored about 10% of the ocean biome.

 Oceans can be divided into three different zones which are distinguished based on the amount
of sunlight they receive.
 Some animals that live in the semi-dark part of the ocean known as the twilight zone can make
their own light through a process called bioluminescence.
 Ninety percent of the ocean is completely dark and receives no sunlight. This zone is known as
the midnight zone.

 Majority of volcanic activity occurs under water in the ocean.

 The ocean is saltier in tropical areas because the Sun evaporates more of the water there
leaving more salt in the ocean (Softschools.com, 2020).

MIDTERM ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE