Definition · Plain-language
Biome
A biome is a large geographical region characterised by its climate and the distinctive communities of plants and animals that have adapted to it.
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Regions shaped by climate
A biome is a very large natural region, classified by its climate and by the kinds of life that climate supports. The two most important climate factors are temperature and precipitation: together they largely determine which plants can grow, and the plants in turn shape which animals can live there. Because biomes are defined by climate rather than location, the same type of biome appears wherever similar conditions occur. A tropical rainforest in South America and one in Southeast Asia are the same biome, sharing a structure and way of life even though their particular species differ.
The major land biomes
Scientists recognise several major terrestrial biomes. Tropical rainforests are warm, wet and astonishingly rich in species. Deserts are dry, with life adapted to scarce water. Grasslands, including savannahs and prairies, are dominated by grasses under seasonal rainfall. Temperate forests have four distinct seasons and trees that often shed their leaves. The taiga, or boreal forest, is a cold belt of evergreen conifers, and the tundra is a treeless, frozen region near the poles and on high mountains. There are also aquatic biomes — freshwater and marine — which together cover most of the planet’s surface.
Biome versus ecosystem
A biome and an ecosystem are related but operate at different scales. An ecosystem is a community of living things interacting with one another and with their non-living surroundings, and it can be as small as a pond or a fallen log. A biome is far larger, a whole climatic region that contains many ecosystems of the same broad type. So a single forest biome spans countless individual forest ecosystems. Thinking of it as nested layers helps: organisms form populations and communities, which form ecosystems, which are grouped into biomes, which together make up the biosphere.
Key facts
At a glance
- Definition: a large region defined by climate and its characteristic life
- Key factors: temperature and precipitation (rainfall)
- Major land biomes: rainforest, desert, grassland, temperate forest, taiga, tundra
- Also includes: aquatic biomes — freshwater and marine
- Scale: larger than an ecosystem; contains many ecosystems
- Worldwide: the same biome type recurs where the climate is similar
Common misconceptions
What people often get wrong
Often heard: A biome and an ecosystem are the same thing.
Actually: A biome is a large climatic region containing many ecosystems of a similar type. An ecosystem is far smaller — a single community of organisms and their surroundings, such as a pond or wood.
Often heard: Each biome is found in only one place on Earth.
Actually: Because biomes are defined by climate, the same biome type recurs wherever conditions are similar. Rainforests, for example, exist on several different continents.
Often heard: Biomes are defined by which animals live there.
Actually: Biomes are defined mainly by climate, especially temperature and rainfall, and by the vegetation that climate supports. The animals follow from the plants and conditions rather than defining the biome.
Going deeper
