Land Biomes of the World

Chapter 6

Earth’s Major BiomesTundra

Tundra• Very short growing season

• Little precipitation (10-25 cm / yr)

• Very cold (only summer gets above freezing) and windy

• Permafrost

• Dry

• Low species diversity

Earth’s Major BiomesBoreal Forest (Tiaga)

Boreal Forest (Taiga)

• Short growing season

• Low precipitation (~50 cm / yr)

• Dominated by conifers (spruce, fir), but also has aspen, birch

Earth’s Major BiomesTemperate Rain Forest

Temperate Rain Forest

•Cool; high precipitation (~127 cm / yr)

•Dominated by evergreens (hemlock, spruce, cedar)

•Heavily logged

Earth’s Major BiomesTemperate Deciduous Forest

Temperate Deciduous Forest

•Hot summers, cold winters

•Moderate precipitation (75-150 cm / yr)

•Dominated by oaks, hickory, maple

•Commonly converted to agriculture

Earth’s Major BiomesGrasslands

Grasslands• Hot summers, cold winters

• Low to moderate precipitation (25-75 cm / yr)

• Dominated by tallgrass or shortgrass prairies

• Heavily converted to agriculture

Earth’s Major BiomesChaparral

Earth’s Major BiomesChaparral

Characterized by:

•Dry summers, mild winters

• Frequent fires

•Dominated by short pines, evergreen shrubs, scrub oak (but varies worldwide)

Earth’s Major BiomesDeserts

Earth’s Major BiomesDeserts

Characterized by:

•Wide daily variations in temperature

• Very dry (<25 cm precipitation / yr)

• Sparse plant coverage

Earth’s Major BiomesSavanna

Earth’s Major BiomesSavanna

Characterized by:

• Precipitation 76-150 cm / yr, but very seasonal with extended dry periods

•Dominated by grasses, with occasional trees

•African most famous for herds of wildebeest, antelope, zebra

Earth’s Major BiomesTropical Rain Forests

Earth’s Major BiomesTropical Rain Forests

Characterized by:

• Very high precipitation 200-450 cm / yr

• Very nutrient-poor soil

• Extremely high primary productivity

• Extremely high species richness