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Study Guides
Page 1 of 2
v1.1.11.2012
This guide was created by Maxine Tsang and Jin Yu. To learn more about the
student authors, visit http://www.ck12.org/about/about-us/team/interns.
Biomes are areas that have similar abiotic and biotic factors. The biome may be terrestrial or aquatic. Terrestrial biomes
are mainly affected by the climate, which infuences plant life, biodiversity, and the ability to adapt. The different
aquatic biomes are usually based on the amount of available sunlight and concentrations of dissolved oxygen and other
nutrients in the water.
Key Terms
Terrestrial Biomes
Biome: Climatically and geographically similar areas
with similar conditions on the Earth. This includes
communities of plants, animals, and soil organisms.
Terrestrial Biome: A biome on land.
Aquatic Biome: A biome surrounding or in water
Climate: The average weather conditions in any given
area over a long period of time. It is described in
terms of temperature and moisture.
Growing Season: The period of time each year when
it is warm and wet enough for plants to grow suc-
cessfully.
Dormancy: A state in which a plant slows down its
cellular activities and may shed its leaves.
Photic Zone: Area in aquatic biomes that goes as deep
as 200 meters (656 feet) below the surface of the
water.
Aphotic Zone: Area in aquatic biomes that is below
200 meters (656 feet).
Marine Biome: Aquatic biome located in the ocean.
Salinity: The saltiness of a body of water. It usually
refers to the amounts of sodium chloride, bicarbon-
ates, magnesium, and calcium sulfates in water.
Intertidal Zone: In marine biomes, the narrow strip
along the coastline that is covered by water at high
tide and exposed to air at low tide.
Freshwater Biome: An aquatic biome that has little
or no salt.
Wetland: Area that is saturated with water or covered
by water at least one season annually.
Estuary: A body of water that has both saltwater and
freshwater.
Big Picture
Terrestrial biomes are biomes on land. The main
features of terrestrial biomes are infuenced by climate,
with temperature and moisture being the two most
important abiotic factors.
Producers at the bottom of the trophic pyramid
infuence the biodiversity and the number of other
organisms in the biome. In terrestrial biomes, plants
are the main producers.
The number and variety of plants are affected
by the length of the growing season. Tropical
rainforests have long growing seasons and very high
biodiversity.
Plants adapt to cold regions by entering dormancy.
Animals also have adaptations for cold weather, like
thick fur and blubber.
Generally, temperature drops as we move from the
equator to the two poles. We can describe major
temperature zones based on how far north or south the
region is from the equator. This can be seen in the map
next page.
The following are seven of the most widely reoccurring
biomes:
Tropical rain forest
Savanna
Taiga
Tundra
Desert
Temperate grassland
Temperate forest (deciduous and evergreen)
Climate is different from weather. Weather is used
for day-to-day conditions (such as checking the
weather conditions for the week), while climate is
over a longer period of time.
Notes
BIOMES
Page 2 of 2
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World Map of Biomes
Aquatic Biomes
Aquatic biomes include:
Marine biome
Organisms in marine biomes must adapt to the salinity.
Organisms living in the intertidal zone along the coastline
also need to adapt to the constantly changing temperature
and the force of water moving in and out.
In the deepest parts of the ocean, organisms must be able
to withstand extreme water pressure, cold water, and com-
plete darkness. To counter such factors, organisms cluster
around hydrothermal vents in the ocean foor that release
hot water.
Freshwater biome
Organisms in freshwater biomes dont have to worry about
salinity.
Includes standing or running freshwater.
Plants and plankton are the primary producers in standing
water, while algae and plants are the primary producers in
running water.

Wetland
Either saltwater or freshwater saturates an area at least
one season a year.
Wetlands are important biomes because they store excess
water from foods, prevent erosion and slow runoff, remove
excess nutrients from runoff, provide a unique and safe
habitat for communities of plants and many species of
animals.
Estuaries
The estuary has one or more rivers feeding into it and is
also connected to the ocean.
Usually found along the coast, estuaries have both fresh-
water and saltwater.
They are very biologically productive regions with high bio-
diversity.
Aquatic biomes are not as affected by tempera-
ture and climate. Instead, the two most important
abiotic factors that affect aquatic biomes are the
availability of sunlight and the concentration of
dissolved oxygen and other nutrients in the water.
For large bodies of standing water, the water can
be divided into the following zones:
Photic zone: Sunlight penetrates enough for
photosynthesis to occur. Organisms live in a
higher density and number in the photic zone
than the aphotic zone.
Aphotic zone: Below 200 meters (656 feet),
photosynthesis is not possible. Food must be
made by chemosynthesis or else drift down
from the water above.
The types of aquatic organisms found in the
aquatic biome differ depending on where they
live.
Plankton: Tiny aquatic organisms that cannot
move on their own. They live in the photic
zone.
Phytoplankton: Bacteria and algae that use
photosynthesis to make food.
Zooplankton: Plankton that feeds on phyto-
plankton.
Nekton: Aquatic organisms that move on their
own within water. They are found both in the
photic zone and abotic zone. They feed on
plankton or other nekton. Shrimp and fsh are
categorized as nekton.
Benthos: Aquatic organisms that crawl on the
bottom of the water. Many are decomposers.
Benthos include sponges and clams.
Image credit: CK-12 Foundation, CC-BY-NC-SA 3.0
BIOMES CONT.