BIOMES AND ADAPTATIONS MINI POSTER

TROPICAL GRASSLANDS

GENERAL INFORMATION

• About 500-900 mm (10-35 inches of rain each year
• Summer temperatures is 100 fahrenheit and winter temperatures can go as low as -40 fahrenheit.
• Animals: cheetah, giraffes, African elephants and blesbok
• Plants: Blue Grama, Buffalo grass, Big Blue stem, switch grass and Little Blue Stem just to name a few. The tall grasses will grow where rainfall is about 30 inches a year.
• Interesting fact: Twenty-five percent of the Earth is covered by the grassland biome.

AUTOTROPH ANIMALS

• Bouteloua dactyloides
• Buffalo grass
• Buffalo grass has survived insect invasions, droughts and floods for millions of years. Buffalo grass can draw both nutrients and water from an extended area. Lastly this grass can grow and thrive on very little water, and is typically resistant to turf insects.

HETEROTROPH ANIMAL

• Bison bison (scientific name)
• Buffalo (common name)
• Buffaloes adapt to grasslands by being able to graze on grass and digest it thoroughly. They are also able to travel long distances and move from one area to another. Lastly they are large and aggressive with large horns that can scare of predators

TEMPERATE RAINFOREST

GENERAL INFORMATION

• Precipitation: The average yearly precipitation is 30 - 60 inches (75 - 150 cm)
• Average temperatures: winter- often well below freezing. Summer- 80 degrees
• Plants- Maple, elm, deciduous, and oak trees
• Animals- black bear, cougars, raccoons, and elk
• Interesting fact- Most of the forests in Western Europe are gone due to overdevelopment. Unfortunately, the ones in Eastern Europe are now dying from acid rain

AUTOTROPH PLANTS

• Acer tree
• Maple tree
• The roots of a Sugar Maple tree are strong and extensively branched out. The fungi help the plant enhance its water and nutrient uptake. Lastly the maple tree adapted its seeds in a way that has allowed them to travel farther.

HETEROTROPH ANIMALS

• Procyon lotor
• Raccoons
• Raccoons survive the temperate rainforest by their fur they can camouflage. They hibernate during the cold winter months. Lastly hibernating animals help prevent decomposition of the nuts and seeds.

CITATIONS

• http://www.vtaide.com/png/temperateBiomes.htm
• http://www.britannica.com/science/heterotroph
• http://www.ducksters.com/science/ecosystems/temperate_forest_biome.php
• http://kids.nceas.ucsb.edu/biomes/temperateforest.html#plants
• http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/2010/schoenfu_aman/adaptation.htm
• Read more : http://www.ehow.com/info_8561446_adaptations-grass-make-new-environment.htm...