What Are the Main Biomes and How Do They Differ?
On this planet, there are different things which have been categorized into different groups and subgroups based on their features. Different scientists used various methods or schemes for classifying every living thing to understand the relationships between different organisms. There are many groups, including different sorts of food we eat, the clothes we wear, sexes, ages, and a lot more. To make sense of complexity, we have categorized different types of environments found on Earth.
What is a Biome?
A biome can often be defined as an outsized biological community or an ecosystem where differing types of living organisms including plants, animals, birds, insects, and humans are habitual of living in a certain type of climate. The world comprises a huge diversity of the types of environments which are divided and grouped into different types of biomes and are mainly based on the adaptations, range of temperature, weather, and climatic conditions.
The word “Biome” was suggested by an ecologist Frederic Edward Clements within the year 1916 which mentioned the word community.
Kinds of Biomes
There are various sorts of biomes, the precise number of biomes during this world remains not known and keep it up varying. Desserts, different types of forest, polar regions, national parks, bird sanctuaries, zoos, aquatic life are some of the examples of Biomes. Based on the certain similarities and to make the classification simpler, the biomes are main groups according to the predominant vegetation and characterized by adaptations of organisms.
The Two Different Types of Biomes are:
Terrestrial Biomes or Land Biomes.
Aquatic or Water Biomes.
The terrestrial or the land biomes are categorized and termed consistent with the climate and therefore the climax vegetation of the region during which they're found. The climax vegetation is also called the biological community of plants, animals, birds and other living species that's stable and dominant after the various years of evolutionary development.
Since plants are an important source of nutrition and are the producers in the ecosystem, they determine the nature of the inhabiting animal population. Therefore, the climax vegetation governs the animal population.
The Major Kinds of Terrestrial Biomes Within the World are as Follows:
Tundra
Desert
Savana
Mountains
Grasslands
Rain forest
Polar region
Tropical forest
Taiga (Boreal Forest)
Northern Conifer Forest
Mediterranean scrub forest
Temperate Deciduous Forest
Aquatic Biomes or Water Biomes
Water is the most vital and essential element among the biological community. The total earth’s surface is covered by water which is nearly 70 to 80 per cent. Therefore, aquatic biomes are the most important and widest biome within the world. There are numerous species of aquatic plants and animals, both large and little. According to the taxonomy records, the marine habitats are older than the terrestrial habitats, as life originated in the oceans about billions of years ago.
Aquatic biomes are the foremost stable ecosystems on this planet and with the absence of water, most of the life forms would be unable to sustain themselves and therefore the Earth would be a lifeless and desert-like place.
Even though the water temperature varies, the aquatic areas tend to be more humid and the temperature of the air on the cooler side. This water biome mainly consists of aquatic plants and animals.
The aquatic biome provides a huge array of habitats, which support a staggering diversity of species. Scientists believe that they form the basis of aquatic food webs and contribute between 70 to 85 percent of the oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere.
As much as 80 to 85 percent of the atmospheric oxygen and the food and production (photosynthesis) takes place in water. There are two major sorts of aquatic biomes within the world:
Marine biomes
Freshwater biomes
FAQs on Biomes of the World: Types, Climates & Examples
1. What is a biome and what are its defining characteristics?
A biome is a very large ecological area on the Earth's surface, defined by the specific plants and animals adapted to its climate. The primary characteristics that define a biome are its climate conditions (especially temperature and precipitation), dominant vegetation, soil type, and the community of organisms living there.
2. What are the major types of terrestrial biomes with examples?
Terrestrial (land) biomes are primarily classified by their climate and dominant plant life. The major types include:
Tropical Rainforest: Characterised by high rainfall and stable warm temperatures. Example: The Amazon Rainforest.
Desert: Experiences very low precipitation and extreme temperature fluctuations. Example: The Sahara Desert.
Grassland: Dominated by grasses rather than large shrubs or trees. Example: The prairies of North America.
Temperate Deciduous Forest: Features four distinct seasons and trees that shed their leaves annually. Example: Forests in the Eastern United States.
Taiga (Boreal Forest): A cold biome dominated by coniferous (cone-bearing) trees. Example: The forests of Siberia.
Tundra: An extremely cold, treeless region with a layer of permanently frozen soil called permafrost. Example: The Arctic Tundra.
3. How are aquatic biomes classified?
Aquatic biomes are classified based on the water's salinity (salt content). The two main categories are:
Freshwater Biomes: These have a very low salt concentration (less than 1%) and include rivers, lakes, ponds, and streams.
Marine Biomes: These are saltwater environments and cover about 75% of the Earth's surface. They include oceans, coral reefs, and estuaries (where freshwater meets saltwater).
4. What is the key difference between a biome and an ecosystem?
The key difference is scale. A biome is a large-scale geographical area that can contain many different ecosystems (e.g., the entire Tundra biome). An ecosystem is much smaller and is the interaction of all living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) things in a specific place, like a single pond within a forest biome. A biome is defined by its general climate, while an ecosystem is defined by specific interactions within it.
5. How does climate, specifically temperature and precipitation, determine the type of biome in an area?
Temperature and precipitation are the most critical factors influencing a biome's existence. Temperature affects the length of the growing season and the metabolic rates of organisms. Precipitation determines the amount of water available for plants and animals. For example, high temperature and high precipitation support a lush Tropical Rainforest, while high temperature and very low precipitation result in a Desert biome. The combination of these two factors creates a unique climatic zone that supports a specific type of vegetation, which in turn defines the biome.
6. Why is the Tundra considered one of the harshest biomes for life?
The Tundra is considered extremely harsh due to several challenging conditions:
Permafrost: A permanently frozen layer of soil beneath the surface that prevents deep root growth, limiting vegetation to small shrubs, grasses, and mosses.
Low Temperatures: Extremely cold winters and short, cool summers create a very short growing season.
Low Precipitation: The Tundra receives very little rainfall, similar to a desert.
Poor Nutrients: The cold temperatures slow down the decomposition of organic matter, resulting in nutrient-poor soil.
7. What is the importance of estuaries as a unique aquatic environment?
Estuaries are critically important because they are transitional zones where freshwater from rivers mixes with saltwater from the ocean. This creates a unique, highly productive environment called brackish water. Their importance lies in being highly fertile 'nurseries of the sea,' providing protected habitats for the juvenile stages of many commercially important species of fish, shellfish, and crustaceans.
8. Can human activities create or alter biomes?
Yes, human activities can significantly alter, and in some cases, create new biome-like conditions. For example, large-scale deforestation can convert a forest biome into a grassland or even desert-like area by changing local rainfall patterns and causing soil erosion. Similarly, extensive irrigation in arid regions can create an artificial wetland or agricultural zone. These human-induced changes, known as anthropogenic biomes or 'anthromes', now dominate much of the Earth's land surface.
