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Increasing latitude
Increasing altitude
Ice and snow
Alpine tundra
Mountainous coniferous forest
Deciduous forest
Tropical forest
Coniferous forest
Tundra Ice
Temperate deciduous forest
CROSSCUTTING CONCEPTS
Cause and Effect
Use the Internet and other sources to research
the impact of human activity on climate. In a brief report
summarize the evidence that human activities are contributing to
global warming and use this evidence to predict what might
happen during your lifetime to the biome in which you live. As
you prepare your report, think about whether you would be
willing to make changes in your lifestyle to help prevent further
climate change.
STEM CAREER Connection
Environmental Engineer
Earth's ecosystems are
constantly changing! Some of these changes are natural
and some are caused by human activity. What are the
impacts of these changes? How do we prevent or cope
with these impacts? Environmental engineers work with
other engineers and urban planners to develop plans for
preventing environmental changes or for adapting to
changes that cannot be prevented.
(l)©H Lansdown/Alamy; (r)Zé Martinusso/Moment Open/Getty Images
Tropical rain forest
Warm temperatures and large amounts of rainfall
throughout the year characterize the
tropical rain
forest
biome shown in
Figure 15
. Tropical rain
forests are found in much of Central and South
America, southern Asia, west central Africa, and
northeastern Australia. The tropical rain forest is
the most diverse of all land biomes. Tall, broad-
leaved trees make up the canopy of the tropical
rain forest. Shorter trees, shrubs, and plants make
up another layer, the understory.
Other Terrestrial Areas
You might have noticed that the list of terrestrial
biomes does not include some important areas.
Many ecologists omit mountains from the list.
Mountains do not fit the definition of a biome
because their climate characteristics and plant and
animal life vary depending on elevation. Polar
regions also are not considered true biomes
because they are ice masses, not true land areas
with soil.
Mountains
If you go up a mountain,
you might notice that
abiotic conditions, such as
temperature and precipita-
tion, change with increas-
ing elevation. These
variations allow many
communities to exist on a
mountain. As
Figure 16
illustrates, biotic communi-
ties also change with increasing altitude, and the tops
of tall mountains may support communities that
resemble those of the tundra.
Figure 16
As you climb a mountain or increase in lati-
tude, the temperature drops and the climate changes.
Describe
the relationship between altitude and latitude.
Figure 15
Tropical rain forest
Average precipitation:
200–1000 cm per year
Temperature range:
24˚C to 27˚C
Plant species:
broadleaf evergreens, bamboo,
ferns, orchids
Animal species:
chimpanzees, Bengal tigers,
orangutans, bats, toucans, sloths, cobra snakes
Geographic location:
Central and South America,
southern Asia, west central Africa, and northeastern
Australia
Abiotic factors:
humid all year; hot and wet
Lesson 2 • Terrestrial Biomes
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