global ecosystems

• tundra

  • found at high latitudes (60*) in northern europe, canada and alaska
  • winters are cold
  • summers are brief
  • little rainfall
  • hardly any trees
  • vegetation - includes mosses, grasses & low shrubs
  • layer of frozen ground (permafrost)
• savannah grassland

  • savannah are found between tropics
  • distinct dry & wet seasons
  • rainfall is low
  • vegetation is mostly grasses with a few trees
• temperate grasslands

  • found at higher latitudes
  • less rainfall
  • variation in temperature
  • no trees - just grasses
• temperate decidous forest

  • found at mid latitudes
  • four distinct seasons
  • summers are warm
  • winters are mild
  • rainfall all year round
  • deciduous trees lose their leaves in winter to cope with the colder weather
• polar

  • found at north & south poles
  • cold
  • icy
  • dry
  • not much grows`
  • remain dark for several months each year so growing season is very short - about 2 months
• hot desert

  • found between 15* and 35* north and south of the equator
  • little rainfall
  • hot during day
  • very cold during night
  • shrubs and cacti are sparsely distributed
• tropical rainforests

  • found around equator between tropics
  • hot and wet all year round
  • area of lush forest
  • dense canopies of vegetation forming layers
• boreal forest

  • found between 50*-60* N.
  • winters are cold and dry
  • Summers are mild and moist
  • trees are coniferous - evergreen and have needles