Biomes, Biomass and Bidiversity

Biomes

What is a biome?
Dictionary definition: A biome is a large, naturally occurring community of flora and fauna occupying a major habitat, eg. forest, or tundra.

What are the different types of biomes?
The most common types of biomes are the ocean, the alpines, the rainforest, the deciduous forest, the savanna, the grasslands, the boreal forest, the dessert scrub, the tundra, the ice caps, the coniferous forest, and the chaparral.

The Grassland
Temperature: 20°C - 30°C
Rainfall: About 500mm - 900mm of rain per year
Vegetation: Grasses (Prairie Clover, Salvia, Oats, Wheat, Barley, Cornflower)
Interesting Fact: Grasslands can be found everywhere but Antarctica.

The Dessert
Temperature: 38°C on average in the day, -3.9°C on average in the night
Rainfall: About 250mm of rain per year
Vegetation: Cacti, short grasses, small bushes
Interesting Fact: Perennials (a type of short grass) can survive for several years by becoming dormant and flourishing when water is available.

The Rainforest
Temperature: 20°C - 25°C; remains warm and frost free
Rainfall: 2000mm - 10000mm of rain per year
Vegetation: Vines, palm trees, orchids and ferns
Interesting Fact: There are two types of rain forests - tropical and temperate.

The Tundra
Temperature: -40°C - 18°C
Rainfall: 150mm - 250mm of rain per year
Vegetation: Lichens, mosses, grasses, sedges and shrubs
Interesting Fact: Tundra comes from the Finnish word tunturia, meaning treeless plain, and is the coldest of all biomes. 

The Coniferous Forest
Temperature: -40°C - 20°C
Rainfall: 300mm - 900mm of rain per year
Vegetation: Coniferous Evergreen Trees
Interesting Fact: Coniferous Forest Regions have cold, long snowy winters whilst the summer is warm and humid.

The Shrubland
Temperature: Hot and dry in the summer; cool and moist in the winter
Rainfall: 200mm - 1000mm of rain per year
Vegetation: Aromatic Herbs (Sage, Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano) shrubs, Acacia, Chamise, grasses
Interesting Fact: Plants have adapted to fire due to the frequent lightning that occurs in the hot, dry summers.

The Temperate Deciduous Forest
Temperature: -30°C - 30°C, yearly average of 10°C, hot summers, cold winters
Rainfall: 750mm - 1000mm of rain per year
Vegetation: Broadleaf Trees (oaks, maples, beeches) shrubs, perennial herbs and mosses
Interesting fact: Temperate deciduous forests are most notable as they go through four seasons - Autumn, Winter, Spring and Summer.

Biomass

What is biomass?
Biomass is a renewable energy source, as the energy it contains comes from the sun. It is an organic material, which has stored sunlight in the form of energy of a chemical energy.

What are the different types of biomass?
The different types of biomass are wood (bark, logs, sawdust, wood chips, wood pellets and briquettes), food waste, straw, manure, sugar cane, wheat (plus other high yield energy crops), and industrial waste (such as paper pulp).

Biodiversity

What is biodiversity?
Biodiversity, short for biological diversity, is the term used to describe the variety of life found on Earth, as well as all of the natural processes, such as eco system, genetic and cultural diversity, and the connections between these and all species.

Climate Change
Climate Change affects air and ocean temperatures, the lengths of seasons, sea levels, the pattern of the ocean and wind currents, and levels of precipitation.