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Biome Information
What is a biome?
A biome is a large, terrestrial region characterized by similar
climate, soil, plants, and animals.
Define: Edge Habitat & Ecotone
Here is some information of each biome included in this
board game.
Desert- In this biome, the annual precipitation is low and often scattered unevenly
throughout the year. Desert soils have little vegetation and moisture to help store the heat,
and the skies above deserts are usually clear. A combination of low rainfall and different
average temperatures creates tropical, temperate, and cold deserts. Tropical deserts are
hot and dry most of the year. Temperate deserts have high daytime temperatures in the
summer and low temperatures in the winter with more precipitation than in tropical
deserts, and cold deserts have sparse vegetation with cold winters and hot summers.
Vegetation includes trees, shrubs, herbs, and mosses. Animals include some mammals,
birds, insects, and reptiles.
Grassland- Grasslands occur mostly in the interiors of continents in areas too moist for
deserts and too dry for forests. The three main types of grasslands are tropical, temperate,
and cold, and they results from combinations of low average precipitation and various
average temperatures.
Savanna- This biome is characterized by grassland with sparse trees, with extended
dry periods or droughts. Tropical savannas border rain forests and receive a yearly total
of about 40 to 60 inches of rainfall. They contain large herbivores, such as zebras,
elephants, and giraffes. Temperate savannas, receive only about 10 to 30 inches of rain a
year. Grasses and shrubs are abundant and support insects, birds, smaller burrowing
animals, and larger, hoofed animals.
Rainforest- Rainforests have the highest rainfall out of all the biomes, getting about
100 to 180 inches per year, which results in the greatest animal and plant diversity.
Trees form canopies that block sunlight from reaching the ground. Most animal species
live in the canopy, while the forest floor is inhabited mostly by insects living in low
nutrient soil. Decomposed products on the forest floor are washed away or quickly
reabsorbed by plants.
Deciduous Forest- Rainfall in temperate deciduous forests is evenly distributed
throughout the year. The biome has distinct summer and winter seasons. Beech and
maple are present in colder areas of the biome, while oak and hickory dominate where
temperatures are warmer. Animals in deciduous forests are both herbivorous and
carnivorous. The forest floor is fertile and contains fungi and worms.
Tundra- This biome is located in the far north and is covered by ice sheets for the
majority of the year. The soil remains permanently frozen, and though in the summer,
the topsoil can melt and support a short growing season. Very few plants grow in the
northern parts of the tundra, but lichens, mosses, and grasses occupy some southern
areas. Animals must be well suited for extreme cold or must migrate. The tundra
supports large herbivores such as reindeer and caribou, large predators, and some birds.
Taiga- The taiga is a forest biome but is colder and receives less rainfall than
deciduous forests. Coniferous trees dominate the taiga. The trees also have needleshaped leaves that help conserve water. Taiga forests contain birds, small mammals,
large herbivorous mammals, and large carnivorous mammals such as wolves and grizzly
bears.
Freshwater- Freshwater biomes include rivers, lakes, and marshes. Life here is
affected by temperature, salt concentration, light penetration, depth, and availability of
dissolved CO 2 and O 2 . The nature of freshwater demands special characteristics of the
organisms that live within it. In freshwater environments, the salt concentration within
the cell of an organism is higher than the salt concentration in the water. Organisms in
freshwater biomes need homeostatic systems to maintain proper water balance.
Chaparral- The chaparral biome has many different types of terrain. Some examples
are flat plains, rocky hills and mountain slopes. It is characterized as being very hot and
dry. As for the temperature, the winter is very mild, and in the summer, hot and dry at
40 °C, which creates frequent fires and droughts. The plants and animals are adapted to
these conditions, with plants having small, hard leaves that hold moisture and animals
being mainly grassland and desert types that are adapted to hot, dry weather.
Tropical Seasonal Forest- This forest type typically experiences an annual hard
dry season. The average rainfall is sufficient enough to promote growth of trees, but
these tree and plant species must be able to withstand periods of low precipitation and
moisture. Many of the tree species in dry forest are also deciduous. During the driest
months, these species will drop their leaves much in the same manner that northern
deciduous forest species loose their leaves in the fall and winter. This dry season leafdrop reduces the water needs of the plant, as there is no evapotranspiration through the
leaves.
Shrubland- Shrublands include regions such as chaparral, woodland and savanna.
These regions are usually found surrounding deserts and grasslands. Shrublands usually
get more rain than deserts and grasslands but less than forested areas. Shrublands
typically receive between 200 to 1,000 millimeters of rain a year. This rain is
unpredictable, varying from month to month. The shrublands are made up of shrubs
and short trees. Many shrubs thrive on steep, rocky slopes. In the areas with little
rainfall, plants have adapted to drought-like conditions. Many plants have small,
needle-like leaves that help to conserve water. Some have leaves with waxy coatings and
leaves that reflect the sunlight. Several plants have developed fire-resistant adaptations
to survive the frequent fires that occur during the dry season.
Coniferous Forest- The coniferous forest lies between the tundra to the north and
the deciduous forest to the south. Coniferous forests consist mostly of conifers, trees
that grow needles instead of leaves, and cones instead of flowers. Conifers tend to be
evergreen and contain needles all year long. These adaptations help conifers survive in
areas that are very cold or dry. Precipitation in coniferous forests varies from 300 to
900 mm annually, with some temperate coniferous forests receiving up to 2,000 mm.
The amount of precipitation depends on the forest location. In the northern boreal
forests, the winters are long, cold and dry, while the short summers are moderately
warm and moist. In the lower latitudes, precipitation is more evenly distributed
throughout the year.