The Fire of Life

Earths major Biomes

• Tundra
• Grassland
• Deserts

Tundra

• Extremely cold climate
• Low diversity of living organisms
• Two types: Arctic and Alpine
• Arctic: Northern hemisphere; North Pole
• Alpine: Mountainous regions; high 

Grassland

• Savannas: Grassland covered in individual trees
• Steppes: Dry areas of grassland; hot summers, cold winters

Deserts - 4 Types

• Hot and Dry: Mojave, Great Basin, Ethiopia 
• Semiarid: Montana, Russia, Northern Asia
• Coastal: The Atacama of Chile
• Cold: Greenland, Nearctic Realm

Major Ecosystems - 3 Major Classes

• Freshwater Ecosystems
• Terrestrial Ecosystems
• Ocean Ecosystems

Freshwater Ecosystems

• Small in area; 1.8% of Earth's surface
• Support species of life; fish, amphibians, insects, plants

Terrestrial Ecosystems

• Many diverse types of ecosystems
• Commonly known as biomes

Oceanic Ecosystems

• Very large amount of Earth is covered in Ocean (75%)
• Three types of Oceanic ecosystems
• Shallow ocean water
• Deep ocean water
• Deep ocean surface

Biomes in Culture

Environmental Impact on Culture

• Each biome and ecosystem has a unique set of characteristics
• There are many things that play a role in day to day human life 
• Landforms, water, weather and climate 

Fiji

• Tropical forest biome
• Surrounded by water
• Reliance on boats
• Biggest cultural characteristic: longboats

Russia

• Largest country in the world
• Coniferous forest biome/Tundra
• Far away from any ocean
• Continental climate
• Biggest cultural characteristic: Birch trees

The Sahara

• Desert biome
• Extreme weather 
• Very limited resources
• People are very hospitable and generous
• Biggest cultural characteristic: hospitality

Humans and Fragile Biomes

Qualities of Fragile Environments

• Low biodiversity
• Biodiversity: Variety of living organisms

Examples of Fragile Environments

• The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (Oil Reserve)
• The Amazon

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (Oil Reserve)

• Low biodiversity
• When there's low biodiversity extinctions have bigger effect
• People go there for the oil reserves
• Oil spills harm the already limited living species

The Amazon

• Home the the greatest biodiversity
• Over 100 current medications have been founded from plants here
• People claim they can only make money if they cut down rainforests
• Cutting down rain forests limits resources and can destroy living things

Biggest Challenges Facing Fragile Biomes

• Possible extinction of wildlife
• Destruction of natural resouces