somoutreach

Biomes and Different Environments

General Definition and Importance

A biome is a region characterized by a specific ecosystem of vegetation, soil, and wildlife. The five major types are grassland, tundra, desert, aquatic, and forest but they can be further categorized (e.g., freshwater and saltwater from the aquatic biome ). Biomes and the plants and animals that thrive in them go hand-in-hand with climate, which is the average weather over a long period of time. For example, an area like the desert that receives very little rain has very little vegetation. Climate change impacts biomes and the ecosystems surviving within them, so learning more about them is a great first step in helping preserve these environments as best as possible. See below for engaging activities on biomes and different environments! 

Key Concepts

Oklahoma State Standards

We found that understanding Earth’s biomes and environments is relevant to meeting the 2020 Oklahoma Academic Standards below:

EN.LS2.2 Use mathematical representations to support and revise explanations based on evidence about factors affecting biodiversity and populations in ecosystems of different scales.
  • Ecosystems have carrying capacities, which are limits to the numbers of organisms and populations they can support. These limits result from such factors as the availability of living and nonliving resources and from such challenges such as predation, competition, and disease.
  • Organisms would have the capacity to produce populations of great size were it not for the fact that environments and resources are finite. This fundamental tension affects the abundance (number of individuals) of species in any given ecosystem.
  • A complex set of interactions within an ecosystem can keep its number and types of organisms relatively constant over long periods of time under stable conditions.
  • If a modest biological or physical disturbance to an ecosystem occurs, it may return to its more or less original status (i.e., the ecosystem is resilient) as opposed to becoming a very different ecosystem.
  • Extreme fluctuations in conditions or the size of any populations, however, can challenge the functions of ecosystems in terms of resources and habitat availability.
EN.LS2.7 Design, evaluate, and refine a solution for reducing the impacts of human activities on the environment and biodiversity.

Anthropogenic changes(induced by human activity) in the environment can disrupt an ecosystem and threaten the survival of some species.
Biodiversity is increased by the formation of new species (speciation) and decreased by the loss of species (extinction).
Humans depend on the living world for the resources and other benefits provided by biodiversity, but human activity is also having adverse impacts on biodiversity. Thus, sustaining biodiversity so that ecosystem functioning and productivity are maintained is essential to supporting and enhancing life on Earth.
Sustaining biodiversity also aids humanity by preserving landscapes of recreational or inspirational values.
When evaluating solutions it is important to take into account a range of constraints including cost, safety, reliability and aesthetics, and to consider social, cultural, and environmental impacts.

ES.ESS3.5 Construct a scientific explanation from evidence for how geological processes cause uneven distribution of natural resources.

Most elements exist in Earth’s crust at concentrations too low to be extracted, but in some locations-where geological processes have concentrated them-extraction is economically viable.