The 8 types of biomes that exist in the world

These natural environments mean that life forms have to adapt to their climate and relief.

How important is the environment! If we don't take care of it, we will end up losing the different the different natural landscapes that exist throughout the world, such as forests, jungles and seascapes.such as forests, jungles or seas. Each environment has characteristic animals (fauna) and plants (flora), which are related to each other and to the climatic conditions (mainly temperature and rainfall), forming a small system known as an ecosystem.

The truth is that there are large extensions in the world in which a specific climate predominates and are inhabited by a similar fauna and flora that form small communities, that is to say, these territories are composed of different similar ecosystems. The whole is called biomes. It is precisely about the latter that we will talk in this article: types of biomes.

The types of biomes

To define the different types of biomes is not an easy thing. There are a multitude of criteria for their classification and throughout history different methods have been appearing, such as the Holdridge system, Whittaker or the one proposed by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Although in this article I will talk about the main biomes as they have been traditionally taught, it is good to keep this in mind.

1. Tundra

Located mainly in the northern hemisphere, in the fringe of the Arctic CircleThis terrestrial biome is characterized by a climate of low temperatures and precipitation, with short periods of favorable weather.

The soil is in constant permafrost.The flora that inhabits this biome is basically composed of plants of limited growth, such as grasses, mosses and lichens. As for the fauna, there are large mammals and migratory species.

Taiga

This biome is normally located in the northern hemisphere, in the boreal strip. The predominant climate consists of very cold winters and short summers, with rather low precipitation.. On this occasion, the soil only freezes in winter, so it is not so poor in nutrients.

The remarkable flora is based on coniferous tree forests (e.g. spruce). As for fauna, it consists of migratory species and animals that winter in the cold seasons, such as the bear.

3. Deciduous forests

This type of biome is located in certain areas of the USA, Europe, China and South America. The period of favorable weather is longer than the previous ones, although the winter is still freezing. The peculiarity of these forests is the soil rich in organic matter which comes from the decomposition of fallen leaves in autumn-winter.

The flora that composes these forests is based on deciduous trees, that is to say, that in winter they lose their leaves. The fauna is very varied, and there are still migratory species and wintering animals.

4. Steppes, grasslands and pampas

The same biome is called by different names depending on the continent where it is found: steppes in Eurasia, grasslands in North America and pampas in South America. This natural environment is characterized by cold winters and hot summers, with periods of drought.

The flora is adapted to this very seasonal biome, i.e. winter rest, very active spring and water deficit in mid-summer. Therefore, it is dominated by grasses and perennial herbs, it is dominated by grasses and perennial herbs (they do not lose their leaves). The fauna that inhabits it is either adapted to fluctuating resources or is migratory.

5. Mediterranean forests

Mainly located around the Mediterranean Sea, this type of biome is also found in California, Chile, Cape Town (South Africa) and southwestern Australia. The typical climate of these areas is moderate winters and warm summers, with precipitation in winter and spring, but with periods of summer drought.

The forests consist of a single type of evergreen tree with drought resistance, e.g. oaks, evergreen oaks, evergreen oaks and evergreen evergreen evergreens.such as holm oaks, cork oaks or oaks, together with shrubs and understory plants (living under the shade of the trees). The fauna observed are mainly forest species but not migratory, although some are wintering.

6. Tropical rainforest

Distributed in South America (Amazon), Africa (Congo) and Indonesia. It stands out for the absence of seasons, having a constant and high temperature throughout the year and abundant rainfall.

It is the biome with the greatest biodiversity and complexity in the world, where more than 50% of the species live. The flora is dominated by giant trees (over 70m high), followed by all types of plants, including vines and palms. In the fauna abundant insects, arachnids, amphibians, reptiles and birds.. Among the mammals, arboreal mammals, or large mammals that live on the ground, are common.

7. Desert

This type of biome is distributed throughout the world, being found in North America, South America, Africa, Asia and Australia. It is characterized by the lack of precipitation and the high erosion that the soil erosion of the soil by the wind, which makes life difficult. There can be both hot (Sahara) and cold (Gobi) deserts.

Both the flora and fauna that inhabit these biomes are adapted to these extreme conditions. adapted to these extreme conditions. Although scattered, the flora exists. Drought-resistant plants such as xerophytes (cacti) predominate. As for the fauna, small animals are common and have developed mechanisms to avoid moisture loss, such as the strategy of hiding underground during the day.

8. Aquatic biomes

Finally, it is worth mentioning aquatic biomes in general. In fact, it is the one with the largest presence in the world, since it includes all the oceans. includes all the oceans. This type of biome is divided into marine biomes (seas) and freshwater biomes (rivers).

Bibliographical references:

• Bartsch, J., Colvard, M.P. (2009). The Living Environment. Nueva York: Prentice Hall.
• Lidicker W. (2008). Levels of organization in biology: on the nature and nomenclature of ecology’s fourth level. Biological Reviews.
• Odum, E. P. (1971). Fundamentals of Ecology. Nueva York: Saunders.