The Shrubland Biome
By: Tiffany Raymond 2P
Description
Wheather & Climate
-Temperature: Shrubland biome can be described as being temperate. Summers are hot to warm and winters are cool to cold.
-Precipitation: Shrublands usually get more rain than deserts and grasslands but less than forested areas. Shrublands typically receive between 200 to 1,000 millimeters of rain a year. This rain is unpredictable, varying from month to month. There is a noticeable dry season and wet season
Landforms
-Mountains: There are no mountains due to shrublands being flat.
-Bodies of water: The shrublands are pretty much desert like so bodies of water are out of the picture.
-Canyons: There are small canyon like landforms on the shrublands but there are not etreme cayons like the Grand Canyon.
Animals
Shrubland mammals are dominated by smaller burrowing herbivores such as prairie dogs, jack rabbits, ground squirrels, and gophers and larger running herbivores such as bison, pronghorn antelope, and elk. Some carnivores include badgers, coyotes, ferrets, wolves, and cougars. The populations of many of these organisms have been drastically reduced because of the conversion of their natural habitat into cropland and some of these species are on the edge of extinction.
Plants
The shrublands are made up of shrubs or short trees. Many shrubs live on steep, rocky slopes. There is usually not enough rain to support tall trees. Shrublands are usually fairly open so grasses and other short plants that grow between the shrubs. In the areas with little rainfall, plants have adapted to drought-like conditions. Many plants have small, needle-like leaves that help to conserve water. Some have leaves with waxy coatings and leaves that reflect the sunlight. Several plants have developed fire-resistant adaptations to survive the frequent fires that occur during the dry season.
Limiting Factors
-Biotic: large animals, grazing mammals and birds.
-Abotic: the dry barren soils and the hot humid temperatures.
Ecological Concerns or Issues
-Habitat loss
-Fires
-Erosion
-Storm runoff
Citations
-Przyborski, P. (n.d.). Shrubland. Retrieved from http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Experiments/Biome/bioshrubland.php
-Collins , P. (n.d.). Environmental problems in the chaparral biomes. Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/list_7516571_environmental-problems-chaparral-biomes.html
-Pidwirny, M. (2007). Terrestrial biome. Retrieved from http://www.eoearth.org/article/Terrestrial_biome