What is a Biome?

To understand what a biome is, you must first know the meaning of climate. Climate is the average weather pattern in an area over time. The climate could be rainy, windy, sunny, etc.

A biome is a region with a specific climate and plants and animals that specialize in living in that climate.

Different Types of Biomes

Tundra

The tundra is the coldest biome. Tundras are located far north in the Arctic Ocean. Tundras have a layer of frozen soil all year called permafrost.

The permafrost prevents large plants from growing. Only plants with shallow roots like mosses, grasses, and lichens can grow in a tundra.

Taiga

Taigas are located just south of the tundra. A taiga is is forest of evergreen trees with cones. Winter in taigas are very cold, and summer is warm, humid, and short. During summer, insects reproduce. The large insect population attracts migrating birds that eat these insects.

Only animals and plants that can survive the cold winters live in taigas. These include lichens, mosses, spruce, rodents, foxes, wolves, ravens, etc.

Desert

Deserts are found on every continent, including Antarctica. Not all deserts are hot and dry. Some are incredibly cold.

Hot deserts are hot and dry. There is very little precipitation and moisture. When it rains, water usually never reaches the ground; it evaporates. Animals and plants that live there have special adaptations to survive the intense heat. Plants conserve water, and animals have special ways of getting water. Many animals are nocturnal, because the desert is cooler in the night.

Some deserts are extremely cold. These are found in places like Greenland, Antarctica, and central Asia. These deserts have long winters and short summers.

Grasslands

Grasslands are biomes in which most of the plants are types of grasses. In North America, grasslands are sometimes called prairies. Grasslands usually do not receive much rain. They have cool winters and warm summers. There is a lot of fertile soil in grasslands, which is why grasslands are usually used for farming.

It depends on the location of the grassland on which animals live there. In North America, there are animals like bison, prairie dogs, badgers, coyotes, and black-footed ferrets. Russian grasslands have different animals, such as Siberian chipmunks or wild boars.

Deciduous Forests

Deciduous forests are filled with trees. The leaves of these trees are green in spring and summer, but in fall, they turn yellow or orange then fall off. With fewer leaves, less transpiration occurs. When the leaves fall off, trees conserve more water for winters, when there is less rainfall.

Deciduous forests are located in North America, Asia, and Europe. Mosses, mushrooms, and ferns grow on the ground.

Rain Forests

There are two types of rain forests: Temperate and Tropical.

Temperate rain forests have lower temperatures than tropical rain forests. They are found in Pacific northwest areas, like Oregon. Temperate rain forests provide a home to many different species.

Tropical rain forests are hot and humid. They are found near the equator. Because of the climate, there are many of species of organisms; more than all the other biomes combined!