Biomes of the World

A biome is defined as a very large geographical area that is identified by distinctive plant and animal groups which have adapted to a particular environment. The geographical and the climatic conditions determine as to what kind of biome can exist in a particular condition. The world’s biomes are classified into the following six categories. Below you will find a short description of each of the biomes.

Freshwater Biome

The salt water concentration in freshwater biomes is usually less than 1%. There are three main types of freshwater biomes namely ponds and lakes, rivers and streams and lastly wetlands. The ponds and lakes biomes can range from a few square feet to thousands of square miles and are scattered throughout the earth. In the streams and rivers biomes, the flora and animals found living in the water depends on the distance of the stream from its source. At the source, the stream is cooler, clearer and has high oxygen content and freshwater fish such as trouts can be found. At the mouth of the stream, the content of oxygen is less and the water becomes murky because of all the sediments that the stream picks up on the way. The diversity of flora decreases considerably and fishes that require less oxygen like catfish and carps are found in abundance.

Marine Biome

The marine regions cover about three-fourths of the earth’s surface and include oceans, coral reefs and estuaries. The marine algae are one of the biggest contributors of oxygen in the world and it also absorbs a massive amount of carbon dioxide. Further, evaporation of the sea water causes rainfall on the lands. The oceans are separated into four main regions namely intertidal, abyssal, benthic, and pelagic. All the four zones have a great diversity of species and it has even said that the diversity contained in the ocean is far greater than that seen on land. Coral reefs are widely distributed in warm shallow water and the dominant organisms found are coral. Estuaries are defined as areas where the fresh water streams and rivers merge with the ocean. The mixing of water with very different concentrations of salt creates an environment for algae, seaweeds mangrove trees, worms, oysters and waterfowl.

Desert Biome

One fifth of the earth’s surface is covered by deserts which receive less than 50 centimeters of rain per year. Deserts are inhabited by specialized vegetation and animals. The vegetation prominently includes cactus. Large mammals are not seen because they are not capable of storing water or withstanding the high temperatures. The only mammal seen is the camel which can store flight in its hump and small kangaroo mice. Reptiles which require very little water and food are predominantly seen in the deserts. The four types of desert regions seen are hot and dry, semiarid, coastal and cold.

Forest Biome

One third of earth’s land area is covered by forests. Unfortunately the forests are dwindling today because of large scale industrializations and deforestations. Forests are classified based on latitudes and the 3 major categories are tropical, temperate and boreal forests. The forests are acknowledged for great diversity in trees and are seen spread across the world.

Grassland Biome

The grassland biome is characterized by lands that are dominated by grasses. The two main divisions of the grasslands are the tropical grasslands (also known as Savanna) and the temperate grasslands. Savannas are grasslands that are scattered with a few trees. It is found across Central Africa, Australia, India and South America. Warm hot climate is important to maintain the savanna region and the annual rainfall has to less than 50 inches every year. Drought periods are important otherwise these regions would change into tropical forests. The temperate grasslands are characterized with grasses and dominant vegetation. Large shrubs and trees are absent and the rainfall is lesser when compared to the Savannas. They are mainly seen in Central Africa and parts of South Africa.

Tundra Biome

Tundra is the coldest of all the biomes and is noted for frost molded landscapes, very low temperatures and short growing seasons. The characteristic of this biome includes low biotic diversity, a simple vegetation structure and limited drainage. The Tundra biome is separated into two regions, the first region is known as the Artic tundra that is located in the Northern hemisphere, encircling the North Pole and extending southwards towards the coniferous forests of taiga. The second tundra region is the Alpine tundra and is located on mountains all over the world where trees cannot grow.

I hope that you have found the information presented about the in this article interesting and useful. Happy reading!