What is a Biome?
A biome is a large geographical
area of distinctive plant and animal groups, which are adapted to that
particular environment. The climate and geography of a region determines what
type of biome can exist in that region. Major biomes include deserts, forests,
grasslands, tundra, and several types of aquatic environments. Each biome
consists of many ecosystems whose communities have adapted to the small
differences in climate and the environment inside the biome.
All living things are closely related
to their environment. Any change in one part of an environment, like an
increase or decrease of a species of animal or plant, causes a ripple effect of
change in through other parts of the environment.
The earth includes a huge variety
of living things, from complex plants and animals to very simple, one-celled
organisms. But large or small, simple or complex, no organism lives alone. Each
depends in some way on other living and non-living things in its surroundings.
To understand a world biome, you need
to know:
-What the climate of the region is
like.
-Where each biome is found and what
its geography is like.
-The special adaptations of the
vegetation.
-The types of animals found in the
biome and their physical and behavioural adaptations to their environment.
The link below leads to a website
on the world’s biomes: it provides detailed information on each biome along
with maps and imagery. Some more minor biomes, not in your course work, have also
been included so have a look at them if you like but don’t be confused.
