LANDSCAPES

By: Félix

LANDSCAPES IN HOT CLIMATES:

Rainforests
Description of Rainforests
 Rainforest habitats are forests located around the tropics, which is a zone around the equator.
 Rainforests are different from other forests in the world because they get a lot of rain every year – this makes them
damp and humid.
 There are five main spots where rainforest habitats are located – Africa, Asia, Australia, Central America, and South
America.
 The largest rainforest habitat in the world is the Amazon rainforest in South America.
 Rainforests are full of millions of different kinds of plants, animals, and insects – some haven’t even been discovered
yet!
 About 80% of life in the rainforest can be found in the canopy, which is where the branches and leaves of most of the
trees join up to form a kind of umbrella.
 Other layers of the rainforest are emergent, which are trees that grow a bit taller than the canopy; the understory,
which is the bit just below the canopy; then shrubs below that; then the ground.
 Animals and reptiles move around the canopy by flying, jumping, swinging on vines, and gliding.
 We depend on rainforests because they are so full of life, and all the plants and trees produce around 20% of the
oxygen in the world that we need to breathe.
 There are many things threatening rainforests and making them smaller rather than growing larger. It’s important to
protect these habitats by caring for the environment.

Types of animals:
Vertebrates Invertebrate

Foxes Ant

Toucan & Parrot Spider

Monkey Scorpion
Photos of rainforests

Monsoon forests
Description of Monsoon forests
Monsoon forests are those which shed their leaf during the dry season and regain their growth and leaves during the
monsoon season. The monsoon forests are otherwise called Tropical deciduous forests.
Tropical deciduous forests are presented in those regions where annual rainfall is between seventy to two hundred
centimeters. In India, these forests are found in abundance. Several lianas (woody vines) and herbaceous epiphytes (air
plants) such as orchids exist. Monsoon forests have been developed especially in Southeast Asia and typified by tall teak
trees and bamboo thick trees. Tropical deciduous forests are found in areas where the annual rainfall is seventy to two
hundred centimeters. These forests are divided into dry and dry deciduous forests based on water availability. There are two
types of forest one is dry deciduous forests and second is humid deciduous forests.
Humid deciduous forests are found in areas where rainfall is hundred to two hundred centimeters. These forests grow in the
north easters states and eastern in the Himalayas, the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats and Odisha. Teak, Sal and
Rosewood trees are located in this region.
Dry deciduous forests are found in wide areas of the country where rainfall is seventy
to hundred centimeters. These forests cover deciduous towards wet areas and thorny
forests towards dry areas. These forests are found in the rainier parts of the peninsula
and in the plains of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The main trees found in these forests are
Tendu and Palas.
Some of the significant animals found there are lion, tiger, pig, deer, and elephant.

Photos of
Monsoon forests
Savannahs
Description of Savannahs
A savanna or savannah is a tropical or subtropical woodland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or
widely spaced so that the canopy does not close, above a continuous tall grass.
Savannas are comprised mostly of grasses and a few scattered trees. They cover half the surface of Africa, large areas of
Australia, South America, and India. That is a lot of the earth’s surface! Savannas can result from climate changes, soil
conditions, animal behavior, or agricultural practices. Humans create savannas by burning grasslands and cutting down trees
so they can plant crops. Large animals, like elephants, can turn a forest into a savanna by knocking trees down, stripping the
bark from the trees, and tramping on tree seedlings.
An important factor in the savanna is climate. The climate is usually warm and temperatures range from
68° to 86°F (20 to 30°C). Savannas exist in areas where there is a 6 - 8 month wet summer season, and
a 4 - 6 month dry winter season. The annual rainfall is from (25 - 75 cm) per year. During the dry season,
lightning often strikes the ground, igniting the dry grasses that cover the savanna.
There are three basic subcategories of savanna-wet, dry, and thornbush—depending on the length of
the dry season, which can vary from three to five months, five to seven months, or even longer.
Alternative subdivisions include woodland savanna, tree savanna, shrub savanna, and grass savanna.
Some classification systems also recognize a grassland savanna from which trees are absent.
The savanna is dominated by grasses such as Rhodes grass, red oats grass, star grass, lemon grass, and
some shrubs. Most savanna grass is coarse and grows in patches with interspersed areas of bare
ground. You won’t see many trees in the savanna because of little rainfall. Occasionally, you’ll find
individual trees or small groves of trees. These mostly live near streams
and ponds. The Acacia tree is an interesting plant in the savanna. It has
an umbrella shape, with branches and leaves high off the ground that
giraffes like to eat. Baobab trees also live in the savanna. They deal with
dry conditions by storing water between the bark and meat of the tree.
Animals native to African savannas include African elephants, zebras,
horses, and giraffes. Many animals in the savanna are herbivores,
which means they eat plants, and there is plenty of grass in the
savanna

Photos of Savannahs
 Hot

deserts
Description of Hot deserts
The desert is important because it covers about a fifth of the earth's surface! There are both hot and cold deserts. Antarctica
is the largest desert in the world, while the Sahara in Africa is the largest of the hot deserts. There are also deserts close to
Santa Barbara, such as the Mojave the Colorado Desert which encompass parts of Southern California. In North America,
there are four major hot, dry deserts, including the Mojave and the Great Basin. Outside the U.S. hot, dry deserts are found in
the Southern Asian realm, South and Central America, Ethiopia, and Australia.

Another type of desert is the coastal desert, for example, the Atacama Desert in Chile of South America. And then there are
cold deserts., These deserts are in places like Antarctica and Greenland where vegetation is sparce, just like the more
commonly known hot, dry deserts.
In general, hot deserts typically experience less than 250mm of rain per year. That's, on average, only about 20mm of rain a
month, though some months of the year may experience more rain than others. The general lack of moisture means the heat
in a hot desert is usually a dry heat with very low humidity. A hot desert typically experiences daily highs around 30-35°C, but
daily temperatures can reach 40°C or higher. Parts of hot deserts like the Sonoran Desert and Lut Desert have been recorded
as being as hot as 80ºC! At night, though, the temperature in a hot desert may plummet all the way down to 0°C. This is
because, with little vegetation around, there's nothing to retain any heat. In the Atacama 1 millimeter or more of rain falls
every 5-20 years. Cold deserts have short, moist, and moderately warm summers, and long cold winters like one could expect
in Antarctica. The winter temperature ranges from -5°F to -110°F (-20.5 to -79°C), and in the summer it can be a nice, balmy,
32°F (0°C). The coldest day recorded in Antarctica was -113°F (-80.5°C)!

Deserts plants have many adaptations to survive in such a dry environment. They are good at storing and finding water.
Some plants have seeds that can stay dormant in the sand for a long time, until there is enough rain for them to grow. In hot
deserts, you'll often find Cacti. Cacti are great at storing water. With their waxy coating, water can't escape, and their spines
protect them from being desert dinner. The plants that live in coastal deserts include salt bush, rice grass, black sage and
chrysothamnus. Plants can even live in cold deserts, but not as many here as in other types of deserts. Plants in cold deserts
include algae, grasses, and plants with spiny thin leaves. Usually these plants grow only in the summer.
Some animals that live in the hot desert are cold-blooded, like snakes, insects, and lizards. Mammals that live in the desert
are usually small, such as the kangaroo rat and kit fox. In the coastal desert in Djibouti, Africa, animals like gazelles, skinks,
geckos and dikdiks roam the desert. Fewer animals live in the cold desert. In Antarctica, most of the animals live near the
ocean shore. Because of their ice home, seals, penguins, and other birds rely on fish, squid and other sea creatures for their
food.
Photos of Hot deserts
LANDSCAPES IN TEMPERATE CLIMATES:
Mediterranean forests and scrublands
Description
Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub is a biome. The biome is generally characterized by dry summers and rainy winters, although in
some area’s rainfall may be uniform. Summers are typically hot in low-lying inland locations but can be cool near colder seas. Winters are
typically mild to cool in low-lying locations but can be cold in inland and higher locations.
Vegetation types range from forests to woodlands, savannas, shrublands, and grasslands; "mosaic habitat" landscapes are common, where
differing vegetation types are interleaved with one another in complex patterns created by variations in soil, topography, exposure to wind and
sun, and fire.
Mediterranean forests are generally composed of broadleaf trees, such as the oak and mixed sclerophyll forests of California and the
Mediterranean region, the Eucalyptus forests of Southwest Australia, and the Nothuras forests of central Chile. Forests are often found in
riparian areas, where they receive more summer water. Coniferous forests also occur, especially around the Mediterranean. Pine and
deciduous oak forest are widespread across California.
The Mediterranean biome houses many forms of wildlife such as wild goats, sheep, cattle, mouflon, and horses. The land supports lynx, wild
boar, rabbits, vultures and three types of eagles. Many small mammals, reptiles and insects inhabit this region.
Photos
Oceanic landscapes
Description
The marine biome is the biggest biome in the world! It covers about 70% of the earth. It includes five main oceans: the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian,
Arctic, and Southern, as well as many smaller Gulfs and Bays. Marine regions are usually very salty.
The top layer is called the euphotic zone and it is the area of the ocean where light can penetrate. The next layer is the despotic zone. This area
is too deep for lots of light to reach. Instead, the light here looks like our twilight on land. The deepest part of the ocean is called the aphotic
zone, or deep sea. The water here is awfully cold, completely dark, and low in nutritional content. The deep sea comprises 80% of all the
habitats on earth, which makes it the largest habitat on the planet. The deepest point in the ocean, the Mariana Trench is deeper than Mt.
Everest is tall! The Mariana Trench is about 36,200 feet.
The constant motion of the ocean results in currents and waves that may either be warm or cold depending on the weather and temperature of
that area. Temperatures in the ocean range from just around freezing at the pole and in the deep waters, to tropical clear waters that are as
warm as a bathtub. The average temperature of all oceans is about 4°C. Heat from the sun warms only the surface of the water. Deep down,
oceans everywhere are cold and dark.
Over 1 million species of plants and animals have been discovered in the oceans, and scientists say there may be as many as 9 million species
we haven't found yet. One reason the ocean is very important is because of all the algae. If it weren't for marine algae, we would not be able to
breathe! Through photosynthesis, marine plants and algae provide much of the worlds oxygen supply and take in huge amounts of carbon
dioxide. This absorption of carbon dioxide may be a useful tool in reducing the severity of climate change. One type of marine algae is kelp.
Kelp is important because it provides shelter and food for a lot of sea creatures. Another important marine plant is phytoplankton. These are tiny
plants that serve as food for many of the ocean creatures from the smallest of fish to large whales.
The Earth's oceans are home to most of the planet’s biodiversity. Here we can find mollusks, fish, whales, crustaceans, bacteria, fungi, sea
anemones and many other animals. The ocean can also support very large life forms. The blue whale is the biggest animal on earth. It can be
over 30 meters long. Animals in the deep sea also live in a tough environment. One creature, the anglerfish, deals with the darkness by
attracting its prey with a lure lit up by light-producing bacteria.
Photos