Living Environment Translated Arabic 2014 | Page 72

B. General Notes:
1. The biosphere is the portion of the Earth that supports life.
2. Biomes are large geographic areas that have similar climates and
ecosystems.
a. Tundra- cold, dry, treeless biome with less than 25 cm of
precipitation each year, a short growing season, covered by
ice most of the year, and winters that can be six to nine
months.
b. Taiga- world’s largest biome, located south of the tundra ,
has long, cold winters, precipitation between 35-100 cm a
year, cone-bearing evergreen trees ( conifers) and dense
forests
c. Temperate deciduous forests- biome that usually has four
seasons ( winter, spring, summer, fall) , precipitation
between 75 cm and 1500 cm, and climax communities of
deciduous trees .
d. Temperate rain forest- biome with 200cm-400cm
precipitation each year, average temperature between 90C
and 120cm, and forests dominated by trees with needlelike
leaves
e. Tropical rain forest- most biodiverse biome, has an average
temperature of 250C and receives between 200-600 cm of
precipitation each year
f. Desert- the driest biome on Earth with less than 25 cm of
rain each year; has dunes or thin soil with little organic
matter, where plants and animals are adapted to survive in
extreme conditions
g. Grasslands- temperate and tropical regions with 25-75 cm
of precipitation each year, dominated by large areas of
grass ; good for growing crops and raising cattle and sheep