The 8 types of biomes that exist in the world

How important is the environment! If you don't take care of it, you will end up losing the different natural places that exist throughout the world, 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, which is known as ecosystem.

The truth is that large areas of the world are observed in which a specific climate predominates and is inhabited by a Similar fauna and flora that form small communities, that is, these territories are made up of different ecosystems Similar. The set is what are called biomes. We will talk about the latter in this article: the types of biomes.

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The types of biomes

Defining the different types of biomes is not an easy thing. There are many criteria for their classification and throughout history different methods have appeared to This, such as the Holdridge, Whittaker system or the one proposed by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF in its acronym) English). 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, on the fringe of the arctic circleThis terrestrial biome is characterized by a climate of low temperatures and rainfall, with short periods of favorable time.

The soil is in constant permafrost, that is, freezing and thawing continuously, which causes it to be poor in nutrients and the The flora that inhabits this biome is basically composed of plants with limited growth, such as grasses, mosses and lichens. As for the fauna, the presence of large mammals and migratory species stands out.

2. Taiga

This biome is normally located in the northern hemisphere, in the northern fringe. The prevailing climate consists of very cold winters and short summers, with rather little rainfall. On this occasion, the soil only freezes in winter, so it is not so poor in nutrients.

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

3. Deciduous forests

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

The flora that makes up these forests is based on deciduous trees, that is, they lose their leaves in winter. The fauna is very varied, and migratory species and wintering animals continue to occur.

4. Steppes, prairies and pampas

The same biome receives 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 that is adapted to this very seasonal biome, that is, winter rest, very active spring and water deficit in mid-summer. Thus, is dominated by grasses and perennial herbs (they do not lose the 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 observed in California, Chile, Cape Town (South Africa) and southwest Australia. The typical climate of these areas is moderate winters and hot summers, with precipitation in winter and spring, but with periods of summer drought.

Forests are made up of a unique type of evergreen tree with drought resistance, such as holm oaks, cork oaks or oaks, along with shrubs and understory plants (which live under the shade of trees). The fauna that is observed are, above all, forest species but not migratory, although some are wintering.

6. Rain forest

Distributed by 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 reside. The flora is dominated by giant trees (more than 70m high), followed by all types of plants, including vines and palm trees. In fauna insects, arachnids, amphibians, reptiles and birds abound. Among the mammals, those of arboreal life are common, or the large ones that carry out their life on the ground.

7. Desert

This type of biome is distributed throughout the world, found in North America, South America, Africa, Asia and Australia. It is characterized by a lack of precipitation and high erosion that the soil suffers from 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. Although scattered, the flora exists. Drought-resistant plants such as xerophytes (Cactus) predominate. As for the fauna, small animals are common that have developed mechanisms to avoid the loss of humidity, such as the strategy of hiding underground during the day.

8. Aquatic biomes

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

Bibliographic references:

• Bartsch, J., Colvard, M.P. (2009). The Living Environment. New 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. New York: Saunders.