Biome

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One way of mapping terrestrial biomes around the

world
A biome /ˈbaɪoʊm/ is a community of
plants and animals that have common
characteristics for the environment they
exist in. They can be found over a range of
continents. Biomes are distinct biological
communities that have formed in
response to a shared physical climate.[1][2]
Biome is a broader term than habitat; any
biome can comprise a variety of habitats.

While a biome can cover large areas, a

microbiome is a mix of organisms that
coexist in a defined space on a much
smaller scale. For example, the human
microbiome is the collection of bacteria,
viruses, and other microorganisms that are
present on or in a human body.[3]

A 'biota' is the total collection of

organisms of a geographic region or a
time period, from local geographic scales
and instantaneous temporal scales all the
way up to whole-planet and whole-
timescale spatiotemporal scales. The
biotas of the Earth make up the biosphere.

History of the concept

The term was suggested in 1916 by
Clements, originally as a synonym for
biotic community of Möbius (1877).[4]
Later, it gained its current definition, based
on earlier concepts of phytophysiognomy,
formation and vegetation (used in
opposition to flora), with the inclusion of
the animal element and the exclusion of
the taxonomic element of species
composition.[5][6] In 1935, Tansley added
the climatic and soil aspects to the idea,
calling it ecosystem.[7][8] The International
Biological Program (1964–74) projects
popularized the concept of biome.[9]

However, in some contexts, the term

biome is used in a different manner. In
German literature, particularly in the Walter
terminology, the term is used similarly as
biotope (a concrete geographical unit),
while the biome definition used in this
article is used as an international, non-
regional, terminology - irrespectively of the
continent in which an area is present, it
takes the same biome name - and
corresponds to his "zonobiome",
"orobiome" and "pedobiome" (biomes
determined by climate zone, altitude or
soil).[10]

In Brazilian literature, the term "biome" is

sometimes used as synonym of
"biogeographic province", an area based
on species composition (the term "floristic
province" being used when plant species
are considered), or also as synonym of the
"morphoclimatic and phytogeographical
domain" of Ab'Sáber, a geographic space
with subcontinental dimensions, with the
predominance of similar geomorphologic
and climatic characteristics, and of a
certain vegetation form. Both include
many biomes in fact.[5][11][12]

Classifications
To divide the world in a few ecological
zones is a difficult attempt, notably
because of the small-scale variations that
exist everywhere on earth and because of
the gradual changeover from one biome to
the other. Their boundaries must therefore
be drawn arbitrarily and their
characterization made according to the
average conditions that predominate in
them.[13]

A 1978 study on North American

grasslands[14] found a positive logistic
correlation between evapotranspiration in
mm/yr and above-ground net primary
production in g/m2/yr. The general results
from the study were that precipitation and
water use led to above-ground primary
production, while solar irradiation and
temperature lead to below-ground primary
production (roots), and temperature and
water lead to cool and warm season
growth habit.[15] These findings help
explain the categories used in Holdridge’s
bioclassification scheme (see below),
which were then later simplified by
Whittaker. The number of classification
schemes and the variety of determinants
used in those schemes, however, should
be taken as strong indicators that biomes
do not fit perfectly into the classification
schemes created.

Holdridge (1947, 1964) life zones

Holdridge classified climates based on the

biological effects of temperature and
rainfall on vegetation under the
assumption that these two abiotic factors
are the largest determinants of the types
of vegetation found in a habitat. Holdridge
uses the four axes to define 30 so-called
"humidity provinces", which are clearly
visible in his diagram. While this scheme
largely ignores soil and sun exposure,
Holdridge acknowledged that these were
important.

Allee (1949) biome-types

The principal biome-types by Allee

(1949):[16]

Tundra
 Taiga
Deciduous forest
Grasslands
Desert
High plateaus
Tropical forest
Minor terrestrial biomes

Kendeigh (1961) biomes

The principal biomes of the world by

Kendeigh (1961):[17]

Terrestrial
Temperate deciduous forest
Coniferous forest
 Woodland
Chaparral
Tundra
Grassland
Desert
Tropical savanna
Tropical forest
Marine
Oceanic plankton and nekton
Balanoid-gastropod-thallophyte
Pelecypod-annelid
Coral reef

Whittaker (1962, 1970, 1975) biome-

types
The distribution of vegetation types as a function of
mean annual temperature and precipitation.

Whittaker classified biomes using two

abiotic factors: precipitation and
temperature. His scheme can be seen as a
simplification of Holdridge's; more readily
accessible, but missing Holdridge's greater
specificity.
Whittaker based his approach on
theoretical assertions and empirical
sampling. He was in a unique position to
make such a holistic assertion because he
had previously compiled a review of biome
classifications.[18]

Key definitions for understanding

Whittaker's scheme

Physiognomy: the apparent

characteristics, outward features, or
appearance of ecological communities
or species.
Biome: a grouping of terrestrial
ecosystems on a given continent that is
similar in vegetation structure,
 physiognomy, features of the
environment and characteristics of their
animal communities.
Formation: a major kind of community
of plants on a given continent.
Biome-type: grouping of convergent
biomes or formations of different
continents, defined by physiognomy.
Formation-type: a grouping of
convergent formations.

Whittaker's distinction between biome and

formation can be simplified: formation is
used when applied to plant communities
only, while biome is used when concerned
with both plants and animals. Whittaker's
convention of biome-type or formation-
type is simply a broader method to
categorize similar communities.[19]

Whittaker's parameters for classifying

biome-types

Whittaker, seeing the need for a simpler

way to express the relationship of
community structure to the environment,
used what he called "gradient analysis" of
ecocline patterns to relate communities to
climate on a worldwide scale. Whittaker
considered four main ecoclines in the
terrestrial realm.[19]
 1. Intertidal levels: The wetness
gradient of areas that are exposed to
alternating water and dryness with
intensities that vary by location from
high to low tide
2. Climatic moisture gradient
3. Temperature gradient by altitude
4. Temperature gradient by latitude

Along these gradients, Whittaker noted

several trends that allowed him to
qualitatively establish biome-types:

The gradient runs from favorable to the

extreme, with corresponding changes in
productivity.
Changes in physiognomic complexity
vary with how favorable of an
environment exists (decreasing
community structure and reduction of
stratal differentiation as the
environment becomes less favorable).
Trends in the diversity of structure
follow trends in species diversity; alpha
and beta species diversities decrease
from favorable to extreme
environments.
Each growth-form (i.e. grasses, shrubs,
etc.) has its characteristic place of
maximum importance along the
ecoclines.
 The same growth forms may be
dominant in similar environments in
widely different parts of the world.

Whittaker summed the effects of gradients

(3) and (4) to get an overall temperature
gradient and combined this with a gradient
(2), the moisture gradient, to express the
above conclusions in what is known as the
Whittaker classification scheme. The
scheme graphs average annual
precipitation (x-axis) versus average
annual temperature (y-axis) to classify
biome-types.

Biome-types
1. Tropical rainforest
2. Tropical seasonal rainforest
deciduous
semideciduous
3. Temperate giant rainforest
4. Montane rainforest
5. Temperate deciduous forest
6. Temperate evergreen forest
needleleaf
sclerophyll
7. Subarctic-subalpin needle-leaved
forests (taiga)
8. Elfin woodland
9. Thorn forests and woodlands
10. Thorn scrub
11. Temperate woodland
12. Temperate shrublands
deciduous
heath
sclerophyll
subalpine-needleleaf
subalpine-broadleaf
13. Savanna
14. Temperate grassland
15. Alpine grasslands
16. Tundra
17. Tropical desert
18. Warm-temperate desert
 19. Cool temperate desert scrub
20. Arctic-alpine desert
21. Bog
22. Tropical fresh-water swamp forest
23. Temperate fresh-water swamp forest
24. Mangrove swamp
25. Salt marsh
26. Wetland[20]

Goodall (1974-) ecosystem types

... The multiauthored series Ecosystems of

the world, edited by David W. Goodall,
provides a comprehensive coverage of the
major "ecosystem types or biomes" on
earth:[21]
I. Terrestrial Ecosystems
A. Natural Terrestrial
Ecosystems
1. Wet Coastal
Ecosystems
2. Dry Coastal
Ecosystems
3. Polar and Alpine
Tundra
4. Mires: Swamp, Bog,
Fen, and Moor
5. Temperate Deserts
and Semi-Deserts
6. Coniferous Forests
 7. Temperate Deciduous
Forests
8. Natural Grasslands
9. Heathlands and
Related Shrublands
10. Temperate Broad-
Leaved Evergreen
Forests
11. Mediterranean-Type
Shrublands
12. Hot Deserts and Arid
Shrublands
13. Tropical Savannas
14. Tropical Rain Forest
Ecosystems
 15. Wetland Forests
16. Ecosystems of
Disturbed Ground
B. Managed Terrestrial
Ecosystems
17. Managed Grasslands
18. Field Crop Ecosystems
19. Tree Crop Ecosystems
20. Greenhouse
Ecosystems
21. Bioindustrial
Ecosystems
II. Aquatic Ecosystems
A. Inland Aquatic Ecosystems
 22. River and Stream
Ecosystems
23. Lakes and Reservoirs
B. Marine Ecosystems
24. Intertidal and Littoral
Ecosystems
25. Coral Reefs
26. Estuaries and
Enclosed Seas
27. Ecosystems of the
Continental Shelves
28. Ecosystems of the
Deep Ocean
C. Managed Aquatic Ecosystems
 29. Managed Aquatic
Ecosystems
III. Underground Ecosystems
30. Cave Ecosystems

Walter (1976, 2002) zonobiomes

The eponymously-named Heinrich Walter

classification scheme considers the
seasonality of temperature and
precipitation. The system, also assessing
precipitation and temperature, finds nine
major biome types, with the important
climate traits and vegetation types. The
boundaries of each biome correlate to the
conditions of moisture and cold stress
that are strong determinants of plant form,
and therefore the vegetation that defines
the region. Extreme conditions, such as
flooding in a swamp, can create different
kinds of communities within the same
biome.[10][22][23]
 Zonobiome Zonal soil type Zonal vegetation type

ZB I. Equatorial, always moist,

Equatorial brown clays Evergreen tropical rainforest
little temperature seasonality

ZB II. Tropical, summer rainy

Tropical seasonal forest, seasonal
season and cooler “winter” dry Red clays or red earths
dry forest, scrub, or savanna
season

ZB III. Subtropical, highly Desert vegetation with

Serosemes, sierozemes
seasonal, arid climate considerable exposed surface

Sclerophyllous (drought-adapted),
ZB IV. Mediterranean, winter rainy Mediterranean brown
frost-sensitive shrublands and
season and summer drought earths
woodlands

ZB V. Warm temperate, Yellow or red forest

Temperate evergreen forest,
occasional frost, often with soils, slightly podsolic
somewhat frost-sensitive
summer rainfall maximum soils

ZB VI. Nemoral, moderate climate Forest brown earths Frost-resistant, deciduous,

with winter freezing and grey forest soils temperate forest

ZB VII. Continental, arid, with

Chernozems to
warm or hot summers and cold Grasslands and temperate deserts
serozems
winters

ZB VIII. Boreal, cold temperate

Evergreen, frost-hardy, needle-
with cool summers and long Podsols
leaved forest (taiga)
winters

Tundra humus soils Low, evergreen vegetation, without

ZB IX. Polar, short, cool summers
with solifluction trees, growing over permanently
and long, cold winters
(permafrost soils) frozen soils

Schultz (1988) ecozones

Schultz (1988) defined nine ecozones
(note that his concept of ecozone is more
similar to the concept of biome used in
this article than to the concept of ecozone
of BBC):[24]

1. polar/subpolar zone
2. boreal zone
3. humid mid-latitudes
4. arid mid-latitudes
5. tropical/subtropical arid lands
6. Mediterranean-type subtropics
7. seasonal tropics
8. humid subtropics
9. humid tropics
Bailey (1989) ecoregions

Robert G. Bailey nearly developed a

biogeographical classification system of
ecoregions for the United States in a map
published in 1976. He subsequently
expanded the system to include the rest of
North America in 1981, and the world in
1989. The Bailey system, based on
climate, is divided into seven domains
(polar, humid temperate, dry, humid, and
humid tropical), with further divisions
based on other climate characteristics
(subarctic, warm temperate, hot
temperate, and subtropical; marine and
continental; lowland and mountain).[25][26]
100 Polar Domain
120 Tundra Division (Köppen: Ft)
M120 Tundra Division – Mountain
Provinces
130 Subarctic Division (Köppen: E)
M130 Subarctic Division –
Mountain Provinces
200 Humid Temperate Domain
210 Warm Continental Division
(Köppen: portion of Dcb)
M210 Warm Continental Division –
Mountain Provinces
220 Hot Continental Division
(Köppen: portion of Dca)
M220 Hot Continental Division –
Mountain Provinces
230 Subtropical Division (Köppen:
portion of Cf)
M230 Subtropical Division –
Mountain Provinces
240 Marine Division (Köppen: Do)
M240 Marine Division – Mountain
Provinces
250 Prairie Division (Köppen: arid
portions of Cf, Dca, Dcb)
260 Mediterranean Division
(Köppen: Cs)
M260 Mediterranean Division –
Mountain Provinces
 300 Dry Domain
310 Tropical/Subtropical Steppe
Division
M310 Tropical/Subtropical Steppe
Division – Mountain Provinces
320 Tropical/Subtropical Desert
Division
330 Temperate Steppe Division
340 Temperate Desert Division
400 Humid Tropical Domain
410 Savanna Division
420 Rainforest Division

Olson & Dinerstein (1998) biomes for

WWF / Global 200
A team of biologists convened by the
World Wildlife Fund (WWF) developed a
scheme that divided the world's land area
into biogeographic realms (called
"ecozones" in a BBC scheme), and these
into ecoregions (Olson & Dinerstein, 1998,
etc.). Each ecoregion is characterized by a
main biome (also called major habitat
type).[27][28]

This classification is used to define the

Global 200 list of ecoregions identified by
the WWF as priorities for conservation.[27]

For the terrestrial ecoregions, there is a

specific EcoID, format XXnnNN (XX is the
biogeographic realm, nn is the biome
number, NN is the individual number).

Biogeographic realms (terrestrial and

freshwater)

NA: Nearctic
PA: Palearctic
AT: Afrotropic
IM: Indomalaya
AA: Australasia
NT: Neotropic
OC: Oceania
AN: Antarctic[28]
The applicability of the realms scheme
above - based on Udvardy (1975) - to most
freshwater taxa is unresolved.[29]

Biogeographic realms (marine)

Arctic
Temperate Northern Atlantic
Temperate Northern Pacific
Tropical Atlantic
Western Indo-Pacific
Central Indo-Pacific
Eastern Indo-Pacific
Tropical Eastern Pacific
Temperate South America
 Temperate Southern Africa
Temperate Australasia
Southern Ocean[30]
Biomes (terrestrial)

1. Tropical and subtropical moist

broadleaf forests (tropical and
subtropical, humid)
2. Tropical and subtropical dry
broadleaf forests (tropical and
subtropical, semihumid)
3. Tropical and subtropical coniferous
forests (tropical and subtropical,
semihumid)
4. Temperate broadleaf and mixed
forests (temperate, humid)
5. Temperate coniferous forests
(temperate, humid to semihumid)
6. Boreal forests/taiga (subarctic,
humid)
7. Tropical and subtropical grasslands,
savannas, and shrublands (tropical
and subtropical, semiarid)
8. Temperate grasslands, savannas, and
shrublands (temperate, semiarid)
9. Flooded grasslands and savannas
(temperate to tropical, fresh or
brackish water inundated)
 10. Montane grasslands and shrublands
(alpine or montane climate)
11. Tundra (Arctic)
12. Mediterranean forests, woodlands,
and scrub or sclerophyll forests
(temperate warm, semihumid to
semiarid with winter rainfall)
13. Deserts and xeric shrublands
(temperate to tropical, arid)
14. Mangrove (subtropical and tropical,
salt water inundated)[28]
Biomes (freshwater)

According to the WWF, the following are

classified as freshwater biomes:[31]
Large lakes
Large river deltas
Polar freshwaters
Montane freshwaters
Temperate coastal rivers
Temperate floodplain rivers and
wetlands
Temperate upland rivers
Tropical and subtropical coastal rivers
Tropical and subtropical floodplain
rivers and wetlands
Tropical and subtropical upland rivers
Xeric freshwaters and endorheic basins
Oceanic islands
Biomes (marine)

Biomes of the coastal and continental

shelf areas (neritic zone):

Polar
Temperate shelves and sea
Temperate upwelling
Tropical upwelling
Tropical coral[32]
Summary of the scheme

Biosphere
Biogeographic realms (terrestrial)
(8)
 Ecoregions (867), each
characterized by a main biome
type (14)
Ecosystems (biotopes)
Biosphere
Biogeographic realms (freshwater)
(8)
Ecoregions (426), each
characterized by a main biome
type (12)
Ecosystems (biotopes)
Biosphere
Biogeographic realms (marine) (12)
(Marine provinces) (62)
 Ecoregions (232), each
characterized by a main
biome type (5)
Ecosystems
(biotopes)

Example:

Biosphere
Biogeographic realm: Palearctic
Ecoregion: Dinaric Mountains
mixed forests (PA0418); biome
type: temperate broadleaf and
mixed forests
Ecosystem: Orjen,
vegetation belt between
1,100–1,450 m,
 Oromediterranean zone,
nemoral zone (temperate
zone)
Biotope:
Oreoherzogio-
Abietetum illyricae
Fuk. (Plant list)
Plant: Silver fir
(Abies alba)

Other biomes
Marine biomes

Pruvot (1896) zones or "systems":[33]

Litoral zone
 Pelagic zone
Abyssal zone

Longhurst (1998) biomes:[34]

Coastal
Polar
Trade wind
Westerly

Other marine habitat types (not covered

yet by the Global 200/WWF scheme):

Open sea
Deep sea
Hydrothermal vents
Cold seeps
 Benthic zone
Pelagic zone (trades and westerlies)
Abyssal
Hadal (ocean trench)
Littoral/Intertidal zone
Salt marsh
Estuaries
Coastal lagoons/Atoll lagoons
Kelp forest
Pack ice

Anthropogenic biomes

Humans have altered global patterns of

biodiversity and ecosystem processes. As
a result, vegetation forms predicted by
conventional biome systems can no longer
be observed across much of Earth's land
surface as they have been replaced by
crop and rangelands or cities.
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 of how best to live in and
manage our biosphere and the
anthropogenic biomes we live in.

Major anthropogenic biomes:

Dense settlements
Croplands
Rangelands
Forested
Indoor[35]

Microbial biomes

Endolithic 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.[36]

See also
Biomics
Ecosystem
Ecotope
Climate classification
Life zones
Natural environment

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External links
This section's use of external links may not follow
Wikipedia's policies or guidelines.

Look up Biome in Wiktionary, the free

dictionary.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for

Biomes and ecosystems.

"Biomes" . Encyclopedia of Earth.

Biomes of the world (Missouri Botanic
Garden)
Global Currents and Terrestrial Biomes
Map
WorldBiomes.com is a site covering the
5 principal world biome types: aquatic,
desert, forest, grasslands, and tundra.
UWSP's online textbook The Physical
Environment: – Earth Biomes
Panda.org's Habitats  – describes the
14 major terrestrial habitats, 7 major
freshwater habitats, and 5 major marine
habitats.
Panda.org's Habitats Simplified  –
provides simplified explanations for 10
major terrestrial and aquatic habitat
types.
UCMP Berkeley's The World's Biomes  –
provides lists of characteristics for
some biomes and measurements of
climate statistics.
Gale/Cengage has an excellent Biome
Overview of terrestrial, aquatic, and
man-made biomes with a particular
focus on trees native to each, and has
detailed descriptions of desert, rain
forest, and wetland biomes.
Islands Of Wildness, The Natural Lands
Of North America by Jim Bones, a video
 about continental biomes and climate
change.
Dreams Of The Earth, Love Songs For A
Troubled Planet by Jim Bones, a poetic
video about the North American Biomes
and climate change.
NASA's Earth Observatory Mission:
Biomes gives an exemplar of each
biome that is described in detail and
provides scientific measurements of the
climate statistics that define each
biome.

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