Biomes of the World for Children: Oceans, Mountains, Grassland, Rainforest, Desert - FreeSchool

Summary

This educational video explores Earth's diverse biomes, emphasizing their interdependence and unique characteristics. It covers marine biomes, including coral reefs, and freshwater biomes, highlighting their distinct species. The video also delves into terrestrial biomes such as polar regions, tundra, forests, grasslands, savannas, tropical rainforests, and deserts, showcasing their climates, flora, and fauna. The importance of these ecosystems in maintaining biodiversity and their vulnerability to human activities is underscored.

Takeaways

• 🌿 Ecosystems are communities of living things interacting with their environment.
• 🌍 Biomes are large groups of similar ecosystems sharing similar plants, animals, and weather.
• 🐟 The Marine Biome, covering 70% of Earth's surface, is the largest biome and hosts over 230,000 known species.
• 🌱 Ocean plants, like algae and phytoplankton, produce more than half of Earth's oxygen.
• 🐠 Coral reefs, despite being small areas, support 25% of marine species and are built by polyps over thousands of years.
• 🐢 Freshwater Biomes, with low salt levels, differ from marine biomes and support species like fish and beavers.
• ❄️ Polar Regions are harsh biomes with little plant life, dominated by animals that find food in the ocean.
• 🌨️ The Tundra is a cold biome with short summers and long winters, characterized by permafrost and a lack of trees.
• 🌲 Forests are biomes with a variety of plants and animals, thriving in moderate climates with ample nutrients and water.
• 🌿 Grasslands and Savannas are characterized by grasses and occasional trees, home to large herds of herbivores and their predators.
• 🐍 Tropical Rainforests, near the equator, have the highest biodiversity and are crucial for oxygen production and medicine discovery.
• 🏜️ Deserts, both hot and cold, are dry biomes where plants like cacti and animals like reptiles and mammals have adapted to survive.

Q & A

What is an ecosystem?

An ecosystem refers to how living organisms interact with the sun, air, water, and each other to survive. Within an ecosystem, organisms work together to create a balance that allows all its members to thrive.

What is the difference between a biome and an ecosystem?

A biome is a large group of similar ecosystems that share similar plants, animals, and weather. Ecosystems are smaller and exist within biomes, focusing on the interactions between living organisms and their environment.

Why is the Marine Biome important?

The Marine Biome covers about 70% of the Earth's surface and is home to more than 230,000 known species. It is also crucial because ocean plants provide more than half of the oxygen on Earth.

What animals and plants can be found in the Marine Biome?

Animals include fish, sharks, octopuses, seahorses, dolphins, manatees, seals, and whales, while plants include algae, kelp, seaweed, and tiny phytoplankton.

What makes coral reefs unique within the Marine Biome?

Coral reefs are special marine biomes because, despite covering only small areas, they house about 25% of known marine species. They are built by polyps, tiny animals with limestone skeletons, and rely on algae for survival.

How do freshwater biomes differ from marine biomes?

Freshwater biomes contain water with very low levels of salt, while marine biomes are made up of saltwater. Most animals cannot survive in both; they either live in saltwater or freshwater.

What kinds of life can be found in the polar regions?

In the south pole (Antarctic), animals like penguins, sea birds, seals, and whales thrive. In the north pole (Arctic), polar bears, seals, walruses, and other mammals survive due to their thick fur or layers of fat.

What is unique about the Tundra biome?

The tundra is extremely cold, with permafrost (permanently frozen ground) under a thin layer of soil. It has only two seasons, long dark winters and short summers, and supports limited plant life such as moss and grasses.

What are some characteristics of tropical rainforests?

Tropical rainforests are warm and humid year-round, with high rainfall. They have the greatest biodiversity of any land biome, housing half of all the world’s plant and animal species, including monkeys, snakes, frogs, and jaguars.

How do desert plants and animals survive harsh conditions?

Desert plants, like cacti, have adapted with thorns or sharp spines to protect themselves from animals. Desert animals, including reptiles and mammals, have learned to cope with extreme temperatures and limited water resources.

Outlines

00:00

🌍 Earth's Ecosystems and Biomes

This paragraph introduces the concept of ecosystems, which are the interactions between living organisms and their environment, including the sun, air, water, and each other. It explains how these organisms work together to maintain balance within the ecosystem. The paragraph then transitions into discussing biomes, which are large groups of similar ecosystems characterized by similar plants, animals, and weather. It highlights the Marine Biome as the largest biome on Earth, covering about 70% of the Earth's surface and hosting over 230,000 known species. The Marine Biome is home to a variety of marine life, including fish, sharks, dolphins, and whales. The paragraph also touches on the importance of ocean plants, which produce more than half of the Earth's oxygen. It further discusses the variety within the Marine Biome, including coral reefs, which are built by polyps and host a quarter of all known marine species. The paragraph concludes with a discussion on the Freshwater Biome, which is characterized by low salt levels and hosts different species than the Marine Biome, such as fish, frogs, and beavers.

05:06

🐧 Polar and Tundra Biomes

The second paragraph delves into the Polar Regions, which are harsh environments where plants cannot grow on the ice, and life primarily consists of animals. It describes how animals at the edges of the ice caps find food in the ocean, and how the South Pole is populated mainly by penguins, while the North Pole is home to polar bears and marine mammals like seals and whales. The paragraph then describes the Tundra, a cold biome with a short growing season and permafrost beneath a thin layer of topsoil. Despite the harsh conditions, the Tundra supports life such as moss, grasses, shrubs, and animals like arctic foxes, hares, and caribou. The paragraph also covers forest biomes, which are found in areas with moderate temperatures, abundant nutrients, and water. Forests are home to a wide variety of plants and animals, including moose, deer, bears, and various bird and reptile species.

10:07

🌿 Grasslands, Rainforests, and Deserts

The final paragraph explores the Grassland and Savanna biomes, characterized by low-growing plants and the absence of tall trees due to insufficient rainfall. It describes how these biomes support large herbivores and their predators, with grasses providing cover for smaller animals. The paragraph then shifts to Tropical Rainforests, which are warm, humid, and have the greatest biodiversity of any land biome. It highlights the tall trees, the rich variety of animal life, and the importance of rainforests as producers of oxygen and sources of new medicines. The paragraph concludes with a discussion on Deserts, which are dry and can be either hot or cold. Despite the harsh conditions, deserts support life such as cacti, grasses, shrubs, reptiles, birds, and mammals that have adapted to survive with limited water.

Keywords

💡Ecosystem

An ecosystem refers to a community of living organisms in conjunction with the nonliving components of their environment, interacting as a system. In the video, ecosystems are central to understanding how all life on Earth is interconnected, with examples including the balance of organisms with their environment to thrive.

💡Biome

A biome is a large ecosystem with similar climate, flora, and fauna. The video script describes various biomes such as marine, freshwater, polar, tundra, forest, grassland, savanna, tropical rainforest, and desert, emphasizing the diversity of life across different regions on Earth.

💡Marine Biome

The marine biome consists mainly of oceans with saltwater and is the largest biome on Earth. The script highlights that it covers about 70% of the Earth's surface and supports a vast array of species, including fish, sharks, and whales, illustrating the importance of marine ecosystems to global biodiversity.

💡Coral Reef

Coral reefs are described as special types of marine biomes that, despite being small areas, host about 25% of known marine species. They are formed by polyps and are crucial for marine biodiversity, although they are sensitive to human-induced destruction like pollution and overfishing.

💡Freshwater Biome

Freshwater biomes are distinguished from marine biomes by their low salt content. The script mentions that they include ponds, lakes, streams, rivers, and wetlands, and are home to species like fish and beavers, highlighting the unique ecosystems that freshwater environments support.

💡Polar Regions

Polar regions are characterized by harsh conditions with little plant life due to the ice caps. The video describes how animals like penguins and polar bears have adapted to these environments, emphasizing the adaptability of life to extreme conditions.

💡Tundra

The tundra is a cold biome with a short growing season and permafrost. The script explains that it has a limited range of plant life, such as mosses and grasses, and supports animals like the Arctic fox and caribou, illustrating the resilience of life in cold climates.

💡Forest Biome

Forest biomes are regions with a high density of trees and varied species of flora and fauna. The video mentions evergreen and mixed forests, indicating their role in supporting a wide variety of wildlife, such as moose, deer, and bears, and their importance to the global ecosystem.

💡Grassland and Savanna

Grasslands and savannas are characterized by low-growing vegetation and are home to large herbivores and their predators. The script describes how these biomes, despite the lack of tall trees, support a rich array of life, including grazing animals and small creatures that find cover in the grasses.

💡Tropical Rainforest

Tropical rainforests are described as hot, humid forests with high biodiversity. The video script notes their year-round warmth, the height of their trees, and the abundance of life from the canopy to the forest floor, emphasizing their importance for global oxygen production and as a source of medicinal plants.

💡Desert

Deserts are characterized by their dryness and can be either hot or cold. The script explains how deserts, despite their harsh conditions, support life such as cacti, reptiles, and mammals that have adapted to conserve water, illustrating the adaptability of life to arid environments.

Highlights

An ecosystem is a community of living organisms interacting with their environment.

Biomes are large groups of similar ecosystems with similar plants, animals, and weather.

The Marine Biome is the largest biome on Earth, covering about 70% of the Earth's surface.

Over 230,000 known species live in the Marine Biome.

The blue whale, the largest animal ever, lives in the Marine Biome.

Ocean plants provide more than half of the Earth's oxygen.

Coral reefs host 25% of all known marine species despite being small areas of the ocean.

Coral reefs are built up over thousands of years by polyps.

Freshwater Biomes are filled with water that has very low levels of salt.

Polar Regions are harsh biomes where most life is animal and plants cannot grow on the ice.

Penguins populate the South Pole, while polar bears are found at the North Pole.

The Tundra is a cold biome with only two seasons: a long, dark winter and a short summer.

Forests are home to a wide variety of plants and animals due to their optimal climate and nutrient availability.

Grasslands and Savannas are characterized by low-growing plants and lack tall trees.

Tropical Rainforests have the greatest biodiversity of any land biome.

Rainforests are important for oxygen production and are a source for many new medicines.

Deserts are dry biomes that can be hot or cold, with many plants and animals adapted to survive the harsh conditions.

Transcripts

You're watching FreeSchool!

Every plant and animal on earth depends on other living organisms to survive. How these

living things interact with the sun, air, water, and each other is called an ecosystem.

Inside an ecosystem, the organisms work together to establish a balance that allows all of

its members to thrive.

When we talk about biomes, we mean a large group of similar ecosystems. All areas in

a biome have similar plants, animals, and weather. There are many different biomes on

Planet Earth, both on land, and in the water.

Let's explore some of the many biomes on Planet Earth.

First, let's visit the Marine Biome.

The Marine Biome is made mostly of saltwater oceans and is the largest biome on Earth.

It covers about 70% of the Earth's surface and is home to more than 230,000 known species.

Animals that live in the marine biome include fish, sharks, octopus, seahorses, dolphins,

manatees, seals, and whales, among many others. The blue whale, believed to be the largest

animal that has ever lived on the earth, lives in the marine biome.

Thousands of plant species live in the oceans, too. Ocean plants are extremely important,

because they provide more than half of the oxygen on earth - that's more than every forest

in the world. Algae, kelp, seaweed, and even tiny phytoplankton all live and grow in the ocean.

There are many separate biomes within the ocean, based on changes to the temperature,

nutrients, and amount of sunlight in the water.

One special type of Marine biome is a Coral Reef.

Coral reefs are only small areas of the ocean, but about 25% of known marine species live

there. They are built up over thousands of years by tiny animals called 'polyps.' The

polyps have a limestone skeleton, and as one generation of polyps die, the next generation

grows on top of them, making the coral reef gradually bigger and bigger.

Polyps depend on energy from algae that lives inside of them to survive. Since algae is

a plant, they need sunlight to create food. That is why coral reefs are only found in

warm, sunny water.

Reefs provide food and shelter for many species, but they are vulnerable to destruction by

pollution and overfishing by humans.

The last type of aquatic biome we will visit is the Freshwater Biome.

Unlike the marine biome, which is filled with salt water, freshwater biomes are filled with

water that has very low levels of salt. For the most part, animals that can survive in

salt water cannot survive in freshwater, and animals that can survive in freshwater cannot

survive in salt water.

Animals that live in or around freshwater biomes include fish, frogs, alligators, snakes,

otters, turtles, and beavers.

There are three main types of freshwater biomes. They are ponds and lakes - which have still

water - streams and rivers - which have moving water, and wetlands - which are a combination

of land and water.

Let's move on to land biomes.

First we're going to visit the Polar Regions.

The polar ice caps in the arctic and antarctic are harsh places to live. Plants cannot grow

on the ice, so most life in this biome is animal. By living at the edges of the ice

caps, the animals that survive there are able to find food in the ocean - fish, mostly,

or smaller animals.

The south pole is mostly populated by penguins.

Sea birds like albatrosses, petrels, and gulls, may also nest or visit there, and whales and

seals thrive in the waters off the coast.

At the north pole, you might find polar bears, as well as water-going mammals like seals,

walruses, and whales. Their thick layers of fur or fat help to insulate them against the

freezing cold.

South of the Arctic lies the Tundra.

The tundra is cold, an average of only 18 degrees F or negative 7 degrees celcius. There

are only two seasons here: a long, dark winter, and a short summer. Because it is so close

to the North Pole, during the winter the nights become longer and longer until the sun doesn't

rise at all. The situation is reversed in the summer: days become longer, until the

sun stays up all day and all night.

Beneath a thin layer of top soil, the ground is permanently frozen, even during the summer

when temperatures may reach 50 degrees F or 10 degrees celcius. This is called 'permafrost.'

There are few nutrients here to sustain plants or animals. There are no trees: the growing

season is too short. Plant life in the tundra consists of moss and grasses, or small shrubs.

There are still animals to be found in the tundra. Arctic foxes and hares, snowy owls,

musk ox, and caribou are just some of the animals that live there.

Still farther south lie the forests.

At colder latitudes, forests are dominated by evergreen trees. By keeping their needles

all year round, they are able to make the most of the weaker sunlight. Farther south

the pine trees mix with broadleaf trees that drop their leaves when the weather turns cold.

Forests grow where it is not too hot, and not too cold; places with lots of nutrients

and water available. As a result, a wide variety of plants and animals make forests their home.

Moose, deer, bears, wolves, foxes, rabbits, and squirrels, as well as many, many kinds

of birds and reptiles make their homes in forested biomes.

Another type of biome is Grassland and Savanna.

Grasslands are wide open land with low growing plants like grass and flowers. There is not

enough rain in a grassland to support tall trees, but too much water to be a desert.

A savanna is very similar to a grassland, but it may also have scattered trees.

Many different types of grasses grow on grasslands and savannas, and many large herbivores live

there. Often huge herds of grazing animals travel the grasslands together, seeking safety

in numbers from the predators that hunt them.

Although there are not many places for large animals to hide in the grass, there is plenty

of cover for small animals like mice, snakes, rabbits and birds.

In hotter climates we find the Tropical Rainforest.

Rainforests are forests that get a lot of rain, and tropical rainforests are very humid

and warm. Situated close to the equator, they stay warm year-round. Tropical rainforests

have the greatest biodiversity - that is, the greatest number of plant and animal species

- of any land biome in the world.

Trees in the rainforest usually grow to at least 100 feet or 30 meters in height, and

from the highest part of the canopy to the forest floor, tropical rainforests are teeming

with life. Some rainforest animals never touch the ground for their entire lives!

Small animals like monkeys, birds, snakes, frogs, and lizards are common in the rainforest.

Sloths, monkeys, bats, anteaters, jaguars, and thousands upon thousands of insects live

there, too.

The rainforest is an important producer of oxygen for the world, as well as a home for

about half of all the world's plant and animal species. Many new medicines have been found

because of research on plants that grow there. Tropical rainforests are so large and dense

that there are believed to be many unknown plant and animal species still to be discovered

there, but rainforests are threatened with destruction as humans cut them down for wood

and farmland.

The last biome we will visit today is the Desert.

Deserts are dry. Some are hot, and some are cold, but when most people think of deserts

they think of hot places.

Deserts in warm places may get very hot during the day, but because they are so dry, they

are not able to hold in the heat from the sun, and they may drop to below freezing at night.

Despite the harsh conditions, many plants and animals have learned how to survive in

the desert. Cactus are a very famous kind of desert plant, but grasses, shrubs, and

some kinds of small trees can grow there, too. Many kinds of desert plants - not just

cactus - have some kind of thorns or sharp spines to help protect them from hungry animals.

Many types of reptiles live in deserts: snakes, lizards, and tortoises. Birds like owls and

hawks and mammals like camels, foxes, and desert hares have all discovered ways to survive

and thrive in the desert, too.

I hope you enjoyed learning about biomes of the world today. Good-bye till next time!