Biome, << BY ohm, >> is the collection of all the living things, including plants, animals, and microorganisms, in a large geographical area. The boundaries of different biomes on land are determined mainly by climate. Aquatic biomes are not easily defined.
Biomes of the world
Important land biomes include (1) tundra, (2) boreal forests, also known as taiga, (3) temperate coniferous forests, (4) temperate deciduous forests, (5) chaparrals, (6) deserts, (7) grasslands, (8) savannas, (9) tropical rain forests, and (10) tropical dry forests, also known as tropical seasonal forests.
Grassland Each biome is characterized by distinctive kinds of plants and animals and by a specific climate. For example, boreal forests have a harsh climate with long, cold winters and short summers. The major plants in this biome are cone-bearing evergreen trees, such as firs, pines, and spruces. Caribou, moose, and other deer are the dominant plant-eating animals in the taiga. Some ecologists name biomes to show the importance of both animals and plants. The boreal forest biome, for example, is sometimes called the “spruce-moose“ biome, and the temperate deciduous forest also may be referred to as the “oak-deer-maple” biome.
A desert climate A single biome can occur in many parts of the world. For example, the grassland biome includes the steppes of Asia, the prairies and plains of North America, the veld of southern Africa, and the Pampas of South America. These regions may differ in their particular species of living things, such as the kinds of grasses and the kinds of animals that eat the grasses. But these areas all share a similar climate, similar types of vegetation, and similar roles for animals and microorganisms.
Savanna The ways in which plants and animals in a biome interact with one another determine their niche in the biome. A niche is the ecological “job and address” of a plant or animal in nature. The “job” refers to the function of the plant or animal, and the “address” refers to its habitat in the biome. For example, grazing is a major function of many animals in the grassland biome. Bison (American buffaloes) once functioned as the dominant grazers on North American grasslands. Today, on African grasslands, zebras and several kinds of gazelles and antelopes together fill the grazing niche. Plants or animals that fill the same niche in different places, such as bison in North America and gazelles in Africa, are called ecological equivalents.
Chaparral in California All living things have special features that make them well adapted for life in their particular biome. For example, cactuses thrive in the desert biome. These plants can grow using little water and have spines to help protect them from plant-eating animals of the desert. Some animals living in the tundra biome are white in the winter and brown in the summer. Such coloration makes it easier for these animals to blend with snow in winter and vegetation in summer.
