Global Ecosystems
Geography: AQA GCSE, topic 2.1.4
Characteristics of Global Ecosystems
Different regions of the world have different climates and different eco-systems. The 6 major categories of eco-system are:
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Tundra
- Environments like the Arctic, Alaska, Finland and places close to the North Pole are tundra biomes. In other words, places with high latitudes.
- They get very long days in summer and very short days in winter (only a few hours of sunlight).
- Winter temperatures are usually below freezing, it doesn't rain much and the dominant types of vegetation are grasses and moss.
- Just beneath the soil, there is a permafrost layer (ground that is always frozen).
Grassland
- The grassland biome is usually found between +23.5° and -23.5° latitude.
- These are what we call 'savannah grassland'.
- In grasslands, there is a wet and a dry season and as you would expect, the dominant vegetation is grass.
- There are few trees in grassland.
- The American Midwest, the Argentinian pampas and South Africa are examples of the grassland biome.
Temperate deciduous forest
- Temperate deciduous forests are found in Europe, the USA, and China.
- They are usually in the 40° to 60° latitude areas.
- Temperate deciduous forests can be identified by their four seasons, with the trees in the deciduous forests shedding their leaves in winter.
- Rain falls throughout the year.
Tropical rainforest
- Tropical rainforests are found in areas like the Amazon jungle or the Daintree Rainforest in Australia.
- They are usually located between the tropics, where it is always hot and the humidity/moisture is high.
- These are areas of lush forest with dense canopies of vegetation forming clear layers.
Hot desert
- The hot desert biome is 15o - 35o north and south of the equator.
- There is almost no rainfall, temperatures are very high in the day and freezing at night.
- The Sahara desert is an example of this.
- Cacti and other plants with evolutionary adaptations to deal with the lack of water are the only plants that survive.
Polar
- Unsurprisingly, the polar biome is found near the poles (North and South).
- Temperatures are usually freezing all year round. It is cold, icy, with permafrost, not much rainfall and not much sunlight.
Test yourself on Global Ecosystems
Which of these ecosystems is found between the tropics?
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