Biomes and Ecosystems
By Trista L. Pollard
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Did you know that there are communities right in your backyard? Do you
know that some communities don't have houses, but trees, plants, and
shrubs? Well, these communities are part of ecosystems . They are also part
of biomes .
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Biomes are large areas that have similar plants, animals, and other
organisms . Organisms are living things that can work independently. Some
of these organisms we cannot see with our eyes. However, they are there.
Ecosystems are smaller than biomes. They are a community of plants and animals that live in an
environment.
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There are many biomes on Earth. However, we will only talk about four. They are forests,
grasslands, deserts, and tundras. The animals and plants in these biomes need to adapt to the
environment. Each biome has different types of water, soil, and climate.
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Forests are trees and other plants that cover a large area. These trees and plants grow in groups that
are very dense. Depending on the climate, different types of trees and plants grow in the forest. There
are tropical rainforests, tropical dry forests, cold climate forests, and temperate forests. Temperate
forests are found in the eastern United States. These forests have cold winters and warm summers. You
can tell you are in a temperate forest if the leaves change colors in the fall. Cold climate forests have
trees that have cones. You would find pine, fir, and spruce trees in these areas. These forests are found
in the mountains.
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Tropical forests are found in different areas of the world. Tropical dry forests are found in parts of
Australia and Central America. They have high temperatures. They also have very little rainfall.
Tropical rainforests are the opposite. They have a lot of rain. Some of these forests are found in Africa,
South America, and Asia.
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Grasslands are areas that are covered with grass and very few trees. You know them as prairies in the
United States. There are very hot summers and very cold winters in grassland areas. Grasslands have
some rain. However, the rain is not enough for trees to grow there.
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Deserts are the driest places on Earth. They have very little rain during the year. The plants that are
in the desert have to survive the low amount of rain. You may see cacti in deserts. The U.S. has a desert
in California. It is called the Mojave Desert (Mo-ha-vee). The Sahara Desert in Africa is the largest
desert on Earth.
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The last biome is tundra. A tundra is a frozen prairie. If you were to visit Antarctica or Alaska, you
would be visiting a tundra. Tundras have summers that are not very hot. The winters are extremely cold.
There are plants that grow in the tundra. However, there are not any trees.
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Animals that live in these different biomes need to adapt to the climate. Their feeding habits may
depend on the climate. They may have layers of fur that help to keep them warm. They may also have
very thin fur or covering for hot weather.
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Ecosystems can be very small or very large. They can be as large as the Amazon Rainforest. They
can also be the small log in your backyard. The ants in your backyard are part of an ecosystem. They
depend on the water from the rain. They use the soil to make their homes. If we drop food in the
backyard, it becomes their food. They live together with the other insects and animals.
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So take a trip into your backyard or to the park in your neighborhood. There is an ecosystem waiting
for you to explore.
Name _____________________________ Science Pd___________________
Biomes and Ecosystems
1. What are biomes? 2. What are ecosystems?
3. ______ have trees with cones. 4. Plants in deserts have to survive large amounts
Tropical rainforests of rain each year.
Tropical dry forests False
Cold climate forests True
Temperate forests
5. Complete the sentence: Grasslands are areas 6. Describe tundras.
______.
7. Where are some tropical rainforests found on 8. What are grasslands called in the United
Earth? States?
