● Each of the world's eight major biomes is distinguished by characteristic temperatures

and amount of precipitation. Polar ice caps and mountains are also shown.

● Precipitation and temperature are the two most important climate variables that
determine the type of biome in a particular location. Credit: "climate influence on
terrestrial biome" by Navarras in the Public Domain, CCO

Variable or Characteristics:

amount of ppt and temperature

Terrestrial Biomes or Land Biomes

Aquatic Biomes or Water/Marine Biomes

Terrestrial Biomes

TROPICAL RAINFOREST
● Species diversity is very high in tropical wet forests, such as these forests of Madre de
Dios, Peru, near the Amazon River. (credit: Roosevelt Garcia)
● Equatorial regions
● Most biodiverse biome (evergreen plants with various animals & insects)
● consider tropical because temperature and ppt are stable
● 20-30 degrees celsius
● Dry & wet/ rainy seasons
● Philippines, Australia, South China, Brunei, America,

SAVANNAS
● Although savannas are dominated by grasses, small woodlands, such as this one in
Mount Archer National Park in Queensland, Australia, may dot the landscape. (credit:
"Ethel Aardvark"/Wikimedia Commons)
● similar to or combination of Tropical forest & temperate grasslands
● Africa, South America, Northern Australia, Brazil, India
● Hot: 24 - 29 degrees celsius
● Annual/ yearly rainfall
● Summer & winter
● Extensive dry season: fires

DESERTS: Subtropical & Cold

● Many desert plants have tiny leaves or no leaves at all to reduce water loss. The leaves
of ocotillo, shown here in the Chihuahuan Desert in Big Bend National Park, Texas,
 appear only after rainfall and then are shed. (credit "bare ocotillo": "Leaflet"/Wikimedia
Commons)
● Centered on the Tropic of Cancer & Tropic of Capricorn
● Downwind or lee side of mountains
● North American deserts: Mohave, Southwestern Africa: Namib Desert, Northern Africa
(Sahara) & Central Australia
● subtropical: Dry air
● Day time: high 30°C-50°C or more
● Night time: cold 0°C or below
● Low annual precipitation
● Freezing temperatures: snowfall
● Gobi Desert: Northern China, Southern Mongolia: Taklimakan Desert, Western China:
Turkestan Desert, U.S.: Great Basin Desert
● Antarctic-largest cold desert
● subtropical-sandstorm

CHAPARRAL/ SHRUBS FOREST

● The chaparral is dominated by shrubs. (credit: Miguel Vieira)
● California: Mediterranean Sea, Australia: Southern coast
● Majority of rainfall: winter
● Summer: very dry, plants: dormant
● Shrubs, looks like brushes
● Fire: ashes- nitrogen, natural part for maintenance

TEMPERATE GRASSLANDS
● The American bison (Bison bison), more commonly called the buffalo, is a grazing
mammal that once populated American prairies in huge numbers. (credit: Jack Dykinga,
USDA ARS).
● North America: prairies (tall grasses), Eurasia: steppes (short grasses)
● Hot summer & cold winters
● spring and fall
● Few trees except along rivers or streams
● Grasses
● Frequent fires, low rain/moderate, grazing
● Roots and rhizomes: underground stems
● Fires: caused by lightning
● frequent occurrence of lightning
● dominated by grasses

TEMPERATE FOREST
● Deciduous trees are the dominant plant in the temperate forest. (credit: Oliver Herold)
● Eastern North America, Western Europe, Eastern Asia, Chile, & New Zealand
● -30 to 30 degrees celcius/ 0-90 degrees F
● Spring, summer, rainy seasons, winter
 ● Constant/ moderate rainfall
● Deciduous trees with few evergreen conifers
● Little photosynthesis
● Less diversity of trees & not that tall
● Rich inorganic & organic nutrients
● Thick layer of leaves in the soil

BOREAL/ TAIGA/ CONIFEROUS FOREST

● The boreal forest (taiga) has low lying plants and conifer trees. (credit: L.B. Brubaker,
NOAA)
● Canada, Alaska, Russia, Northern Europe
● Cold and dry winters, short cool and wet summers
● Annual rain: snow (winter), moderate rainfall (summer)
● coniferous plants/cold tolerant plants/ hot tolerant plants
● Coniferous trees: Pines, spruce, fir : needle shaped leaves
● Soil: acidic & little available nitrogen
● Leaves: nitrogen-rich structures (slower decompose), limit water loss/transpiration
● 3-12 degrees celsius
● Short growing season: 60-90 days

TUNDRA
● Mt. Goat, yakFigure 12. Low-growing plants such lichen and grasses are common in
tundra. Credit: Nunavut tundra by Flickr: My Nunavut is licensed under CC BY 2.0
● Arctic Tundra & Alphine Tundra
● North America, Asia & Europe
● Cold: winter -20 to -30 degrees
● Short summer: 50-60 degrees
● Licken, moss,
● Alphine - high elevation (Mt. Himalayas)
● No trees
● Cold & dry
● quite similar with taiga but no coniferous trees

SOME ANIMALS:
Hot desert: Camel, reptiles: rattlesnake, crickets, lizards etc.. Cold desert: rabbit, fox, turtle, bear
Taiga/Coniferous: moose, reindeer, wolf, fox, bear
Tundra: lemmings, snow birds, polar bear
Temperate forest: turtle, insects, salamanders, birds (hawks, woodpecker), fox, bear
Temperate grasslands: bison, lions, zebra, horse, birds (owls, hawks etc..) reptiles & insects
Savanna: elephant, zebra, lions, giraffe