Biome
In
ecology, a
biome is a major regional group of distinctive
plant and
animal communities best adapted to the region's physical
natural environment,
latitude,
altitude and terrain. A biome is made up of
communities at stable steady state and all associated transitional, disturbed, or degraded,
vegetation,
fauna and
soils, but can often be identified by the
climax vegetation type.
A fundamental classification of biomes is into: #
Terrestrial (or continental) biomes and # Aquatic biomes.
Biomes are often given local names. For example, a
Temperate grassland or shrubland biome is known commonly as
steppe in central
Asia,
savanna or
veld in southern
Africa,
prairie in
North America,
pampa in
South America and
outback or
scrub in
Australia.
Latitude is a major climate-influencing factor determining biomes. There is a good correlation between the distribution of climates with
latitude, and homogeneous
vegetation bands. Another major factor is
humidity. This can be illustrated by the fact that
biodiversity increases away from the poles towards the
equator, and increases with
humidity. The most widely used classification of biomes is related to
latitude (or temperature zoning) and
humidityArctic or subarctic area
* humid type :
TundraSubarctic and boreal area
* humid type:
taiga or
boreal forestThe Boreal Forest is the largest of all biomes. Itis located in the northern hemishphere just south of the tundra.
Temperate cold
* humid type :
Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests,
Temperate coniferous forestsTemperate warm or sub-tropical
* humid:
subtropical moist broadleaf forest* semi-humid:
Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forestsTropical
* humid area:
tropical moist broadleaf forest (tropical rainforest)* semi-humid area:
tropical dry broadleaf forest,
tropical coniferous forest* Semi-arid area:
tropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands* Arid area:
deserts and xeric shrublandsAquatic
*
continental shelf*
littoral*
riparian*
pond*
coral reef*
kelp forest*
pack ice*
hydrothermal vents
*
cold seeps
*
benthic zone*
pelagic zoneAnother system of classification takes into account altitude and humidity, ignoring temperature as a factor. This classification is used to define the
Global 200 list of
ecoregions identified by the
World Wildlife Fund (WWF) as priorities for conservation.
This classification gives the following terrestrial biomes :
*
Tundra (arctic, humid)
*
Boreal forests/taiga (subarctic, humid)
*
Temperate coniferous forests (temperate cold, humid to semi-humid)
*
Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests (temperate, humid)
*
Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands (temperate, semi-arid)
*
Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and shrub (temperate warm, semi-humid to semi-arid with winter rainfall)
*
Tropical and subtropical coniferous forests (tropical and subtropical, semi-humid)
*
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests (tropical and subtropical, humid)
*
Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests (tropical and subtropical, semi-humid)
*
Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands (tropical and subtropical, semi-arid)
*
Deserts and xeric shrublands (temperate to tropical, arid)
*
Mangrove (subtropical and tropical, salt and brackish water inundated)
*
Flooded grasslands and savannas (temperate to tropical, fresh water inundated)
*
Montane grasslands and shrublands (temperate to tropical, high altitude)
The
Endolithic biome, consisting entirely of microscopic life in rock
pores and cracks,
kilometers beneath the surface, has only recently been discovered and does not fit well into most classification schemes.
*
Ecoregion*
Ecotope*
Ecozone*
Habitat*
Biomes of the world (Missouri Botanic Garden)
