Biome

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A biome is a climatically and geographically defined area of ecologically similar climatic conditions such as communities of plants, animals, and soil organisms, ^[1] and are often referred to as ecosystems. Biomes are defined based on factors such as plant structures (such as trees, shrubs, and grasses), leaf types (such as broadleaf and needleleaf), plant spacing (forest, woodland, savanna), and climate. Unlike ecozones, biomes are not defined by genetic, taxonomic, or historical similarities. Biomes are often identified with particular patterns of ecological succession and climax vegetation.

The biodiversity characteristic of each biome, especially the diversity of fauna and subdominant plant forms, is a function of abiotic factors and the biomass productivity of the dominant vegetation. In terrestrial biomes, species diversity tends to correlate positively with net primary productivity, moisture availability, and temperature.^[2]

Ecoregions are grouped into both biomes and ecozones.

A fundamental classification of biomes is into:

Terrestrial (land) biomes
Freshwater biomes
Marine biomes

Biomes are often given local names. For example, a Temperate grassland or shrubland biome is known commonly as steppe in central Asia, prairie in North America, and pampas in South America. Tropical grasslands are known as savanna in Australia as well as Southern Africa where in Afrikaans it is known as veldt. Sometimes an entire biome may be targeted for protection, especially under an individual nation's Biodiversity Action Plan.

Climate is a major factor determining the distribution of terrestrial biomes. Among the important climatic factors are:

latitude: Arctic, boreal, temperate, subtropical, tropical.
humidity: humid, semi-humid, semi-arid, and arid.
- seasonal variation: Rainfall may be distributed evenly throughout the year or be marked by seasonal variations.
- dry summer, wet winter: Most regions of the earth receive most of their rainfall during the summer months; Mediterranean climate regions receive their rainfall during the winter months.
elevation: Increasing elevation causes a distribution of habitat types similar to that of increasing latitude.

Biodiversity generally increases away from the poles towards the equator and increases with humidity. The most widely used systems of classifying biomes correspond to latitude (or temperature zoning) and humidity. More info needed on the estuary biome.

Map of Biomes

Terrestrial biomes classified by vegetation

  Ice desert

  Arctic Tundra

  Taiga

  Temperate broadleaf

  Temperate steppe

  Mediterranean

  Monsoon forest

  Desert

  Xeric shrubland

  Dry steppe

  Semidesert

  Grass savanna

  Tree savanna

  Subtropical dry forest

  Tropical rainforest

  Alpine tundra

  Montane forests

Bailey system

Robert G. Bailey developed a biogeographical classification system for the United States in a map published in 1975. Bailey subsequently expanded the system to include the rest of North America in 1981 and the world in 1989. The Bailey system is based on climate and is divided into four domains (Polar, Humid Temperate, Dry, and Humid Tropical), with further divisions based on other climate characteristics (subarctic, warm temperate, hot temperate, and subtropical; marine and continental; lowland and mountain).

100 Polar Domain
- 120 Tundra Division
- M120 Tundra Division - Mountain Provinces
- 130 Subarctic Division
- M130 Subarctic Division - Mountain Provinces
200 Humid Temperate Domain
- 210 Warm Continental Division
- M210 Warm Continental Division - Mountain Provinces
- 220 Hot Continental Division
- M220 Hot Continental Division - Mountain Provinces
- 230 Subtropical Division
- M230 Subtropical Division - Mountain Provinces
- 240 Marine Division
- M240 Marine Division - Mountain Provinces
- 250 Prairie Division
- 260 Mediterranean Division
- M260 Mediterranean Division - Mountain Provinces
300 Dry Domain
- 310 Tropical/Subtropical Steppe Division
- M310 Tropical/Subtropical Steppe Division - Mountain Provinces

WWF system

A team of biologists convened by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) developed an ecological land classification system that identified fourteen biomes, called major habitat types, and further divided the world's land area into 825 terrestrial ecoregions. This classification is used to define the Global 200 list of ecoregions identified by the WWF as priorities for conservation. The WWF major habitat types are as follows:

Tundra (Arctic)
Boreal forests/taiga (subarctic, humid)
Temperate coniferous forests (temperate, humid to semi-humid)
Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests (temperate, humid)
Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands (temperate, semi-arid)
Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and shrub (temperate warm, semi-humid to semi-arid with winter rainfall)
Tropical and subtropical coniferous forests (tropical and subtropical, semi-humid)
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests (tropical and subtropical, humid)
Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests (tropical and subtropical, semi-humid)
Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands (tropical and subtropical, semi-arid)
Montane grasslands and shrublands (alpine or montane climate)
Deserts and xeric shrublands (temperate to tropical, arid)
Mangrove (subtropical and tropical, salt water inundated)
Flooded grasslands and savannas (temperate to tropical, fresh or brackish water inundated)

Freshwater biomes

According to the World Wildlife Fund, the following are classified as freshwater biomes: ^[3]

Marine biomes

Global 200 marine major habitat types

Polar
Temperate shelves and sea
Temperate upwelling
Tropical upwelling
Tropical coral

Other marine habitat types

Anthropogenic biomes

Humans have fundamentally altered global patterns of biodiversity and ecosystem processes. As a result, vegetation forms predicted by conventional biome systems are rarely observed across most of Earth's land surface. Anthropogenic biomes provide an alternative view of the terrestrial biosphere based on global patterns of sustained direct human interaction with ecosystems, including agriculture, human settlements, urbanization, forestry and other uses of land. Anthropogenic biomes offer a new way forward in ecology and conservation by recognizing the irreversible coupling of human and ecological systems at global scales and moving us toward an understanding how best to live in and manage our biosphere and the anthropogenic biosphere we live in.

Major Anthropogenic Biomes

Dense Settlements
Villages
Croplands
Rangelands
Forested

Other biomes

The Endolithic biome, consisting entirely of microscopic life in rock pores and cracks, kilometers beneath the surface, has only recently been discovered and does not fit well into most classification schemes.

References

^ The World's Biomes, Retrieved August 19, 2008, from University of California Museum of Paleontology
^ Pidwirny, Michael (2006-10-16). "Biomes". In Sidney Draggan (ed.). Encyclopedia of Earth. Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment. Retrieved 2006-11-16. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |accessyear= and |accessmonth= (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link)
^ "Freshwater Ecoregions of the World: Major Habitat Types" [1]. Accessed May 12, 2008.

External links

Template:Terrestrial biomes Template:Ecozones

[1] The World's Biomes, Retrieved August 19, 2008, from University of California Museum of Paleontology

[2] Pidwirny, Michael (2006-10-16). "Biomes". In Sidney Draggan (ed.). Encyclopedia of Earth. Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment. Retrieved 2006-11-16. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |accessyear= and |accessmonth= (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link)

[3] "Freshwater Ecoregions of the World: Major Habitat Types" [1]. Accessed May 12, 2008.

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