This document defines and describes different biomes around the world. It provides details on the climate, vegetation, and common animal species found in polar biomes like tundra and boreal forest, temperate biomes like temperate forest and steppe, and tropical biomes like rainforest, savanna, and desert. Specific biomes discussed in more depth include rainforest, savanna, desert, Mediterranean forest, temperate forest, steppe, boreal forest, tundra, and mangrove. Each biome is characterized by distinct environmental conditions that have led to the evolution of specially adapted plant and animal life.
2. Definition
Climate
Plants
Animals
Biome
Biome is a large geographical area characterized by similar
conditions of plantas, animals and climate.
A biome has many ecosystems.
4. Rainforest
Rainforest is found in areas of equatorial climate, characterized
by regular and very high precipitation and very low thermal
amplitude.
5. Rainforest
Rainforest is characterized by a very dense arboreal vegetation
because of the high humidity.
These trees may reach 50 m tall.
6. Rainforest
Rainforest contains 70% of the world’s biodiversity.
There are 200 especies of trees per hectare roughly.
7. Rainforest
However, there are no more than one or two individuals of the
same species per hectare. This is the reason why economical
exploitation of rainforest is so difficult.
8. Rainforest
Although rainforest is a very especies-rich biome, its soil is very
poor. Actually the huge quantity of decaying plants is the reason
why the vegetation is so exuberant. The deforestation of these
areas in order to grow crops is consequently useless.
9. Rainforest
Trees have roots near the surface (buttress roots) as there are
not many nutrients below the ground.
10. Rainforest
Orchids
Mosses
Lianas
Rainforest supports a rich flora of epiphytes (plants that grow
upon another plant), including orchids, mosses, lianas and
lichens, who live attached to the branches of trees.
They obtain moisture and nutrients from the air and rain.
11. Rainforest
Canopy is the upper layer of rainforest.
Many rainforest animals have evolved to live solely in the
canopy, and never touch the ground.
12. Rainforest
Bonobo
Toucan
Chimpanzee
Orang-utan
Flying fox
Gibbon
Sloth
Most of rainforest animals are frugivores (fruit eaters) and
arboreal: primates (chimpanzee, gibbon, bonobo, orang-utan,
etc.), sloths, flying fox, toucans…
13. Rainforest
Ocelot
Jaguar
Leopard
Black panther (melanistic leopard)
Impala carcass
Civet
Predator are small and able to climb trees: civet, ocelot, jaguar
and leopard.
Their eyes are adapted to see during the night. This is the
reason why their pupils sometimes appear to glow.
14. Rainforest
Leopards often stash their recent kills high up in a tree. They
have been observed hauling carcasses estimated to weigh up
to 125 kg, 3 times the weight of the leopard, up to 5 m into
trees.
15. Rainforest
Chameleon
Stick Gecko
insect
Some rainforest animals are able to change their skin colors in
order to blend it with their surroundings, as an effective form of
camouglage.
Examples include chameleons, geckos, stick insects…
16. Savanna
Savanna is found in tropical areas characterized by a dry
season and very low thermal amplitude.
17. Savanna
A savanna is characterized by the trees widely spaced so that
the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient
light to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous
layer consisting primarily of grasslands and shrublands.
18. Savanna
Thornbush savanna
Shrub
Tree
There are different types of savanna depending on the density
of trees and shrubs: shrub savanna, thornbush savanna, tree
savanna…
19. Savanna
Savanna trees are drought-tolerant.
For example, baobabs store water inside the swollen trunk (up
to 120,000 litres to endure the harsh drought conditions.
20. Savanna
Gallery forests form as corridors along rivers into savanna. The
river provides humidity resulting in a kind of microclimate. As a
result, these forests are able to exist where the surrounding
landscape wouldn’t support this vegetation.
21. Savanna
Giraffe
Zebras
Elephant
Gazelle
Impala
Gnu
Savanna is the animal-biodiversity richest biome in the world.
There are a lot of ruminants mammals: zebras, elephants,
giraffes or antilopes (gnus, gazelles, impalas…).
22. Savanna
Termite mound
Beetle
Termites
Detritivores insects play a very important role: beetles break
down animal debris an termites, which build large nests called
termite mounds, feed on dead plant material.
23. Savanna
Cheetahs
Crocodile
Lion
Ruminants mammals need to make an annual migration to new
pastures because of the dry season. When they are crossing
the rivers, many are eaten by predators such as crocodiles,
lions or cheetahs, which reach speeds of 20 kmh.
24. Savanna
Nile crocodile is an agile and rapid hunter.
25. Savanna
Competition for preys is often intense.
26. Desert
Deserts are found in tropical areas characterized by a very low
precipitation and, usually, high temperature.
Evaporation is higher than precipitation.
27. Desert
Cactus
Plants are xerophytes: they have adaptations that enable them
to survive in hot and dry environments. For example, cacti store
water in their bodies and have spines which not only defend the
cactus against herbivores but also provide shade.
28. Desert
Kangaroo rat
Oryx
Rabbit
Deserts support very little life. Some herbivore fauna includes
antilopes (oryx) and rodents (rabbits, kangaroo rats, etc.).
They usually remain hidden during daylight hours to control
body temperature or to limit moisture needs.
29. Desert
Kangaroo rats have special adaptations to live in arid
conditions: they live in deep burrows that shelter them from the
worst of the desert heat and their kidneys are at least four times
more efficient at retaining water than those of humans.
30. Desert
Gila Leopard
monster
Fennec fox
Jackal
Horned viper
Desert predators include the fennec fox and the jackal (leopards
and lions have disappeared because of the mankind).
There are also a lot of poisonous reptiles: horned viper, Gila
monster…
31. Desert
Striped hyena
Vultures
Some desert carnivore are scavangers, such as the striped
hyena and the vultures.
The striped hyena is primarily a scavenger, though it will
occasionally attack any defenceless animal it can overcome.
32. Schlerophyll
forest
Schlerophyll or mediterranean forest is found in areas with a
mediterranean climate, characterized by a dry season in
summer.
33. Schlerophyll
forest
Leathery leaves
Trees are adapted to high insolation and summer drought
(xerophytes): wide crown to provide shade; leathery leaves to
decrease transpiration; deep roots to take the most of soil
moisture…
34. Schlerophyll
forest
Holm Oak
Cork
Eucalyptus
Vegetal species include Cork Oak, which has a thick bark to
shelter it from the summer fires, and Holm Oak, which is
adapted to cold winters.
The most common tree in Australia is Eucalyptus.
35. Schlerophyll
forest
The trees are widely spaced, so they allow sufficient light to
reach the ground. It results in a rich undergrowth.
36. Schlerophyll
forest
Maquis
Garriga
The forest degradation results in a drought-tolerant and thick
shrubland called maquis. When the shrubland is not so thick, it
is called garriga..
37. Schlerophyll
forest
Cork (sacaMushrooms
del corcho)
Pigs
Wild game
Cork
Bull
Dehesa is a type of wooded pastureland found in the Iberian
peninsula, used for the grazing of livestock (bulls, pigs) and the
obtention of forest products such as cork, wild game,
mushrooms, and firewood.
38. Schlerophyll
forest
LeastSquirrel
Roe Lynx
Deer
EuropeanRed Fox
WildEagle
Weasel
Badger
Rabbit
Boar
This region is home to herbivores mammals, such as Roe Deer,
rabbit and squirrel, and omnivores such as wild boar or
European Badger. Predators include Red Fox, Lynx, Least
Weasel and eagle.
39. Schlerophyll
forest
Eagles have extremely keen eyesight which enables them to
spot potential prey from a very long distance. Eagles are able to
carry very large preys.
40. Schlerophyll
forest
Kangaroo
Platypus
Koala
Australia isolation has allowed the conservation of a lot of
endemisms, organisms unique to a defined geographic location:
platypus, marsupials (koala and kangaroo), etc.
41. Temperate
forest
Temperate forest is found in temperate climates characterized
by high and regular precipitation, such as the humid subtropical
climate or the oceanic climate.
42. Temperate
forest
English Oak
Undergrowth
English Oak is a large deciduous tree (lose their leaves in
winter). The wood is very hard and grow very slowly (200
years). The undergrowth is formed by mosses and ferns.
43. Temperate
forest
Brown Hare
bear
Beaver
Marten
Temperate forest fauna is similar to schlerophyll forest fauna,
but more diverse because of the high humidity. Animals are well
adapted to cold winters: bigger size (hare), thick furs (beaver,
marten), hibernation (brown bear), etc.
44. Steppe
Steppes are located in the interior of continents. They are
characterized by low precipitation and very high thermal
amplitude because of the remoteness from the sea.
45. Steppe
Steppe is characterized by large grasslands and shrublands.
There are different types of savanna depending on the density
of trees and shrubs: wooded steppe, shrub steppe, thornbush
steppe…
46. Steppe
Steppes and savannas are both grasslands with no trees. Both
are arid, but steppes are located in temperate climates and
savannas are located in tropical climates.
47. Steppe
Rhea
Bison
Guanaco
Cougar
Coyote
Stag
Nowadays steppe fauna is not very diverse because of
agriculture and animal husbandry. It includes bison, guanaco,
rhea, cougar, coyote, stag…
48. Steppe
This is an example of cougar hunting a stag.
49. Boreal forest
Boreal forest or taiga is located in subpolar areas characterized
by high precipitation and cold winters.
50. Boreal forest
Taiga is a biome characterized by coniferous forests. It is the
world's largest terrestrial biome (28% of the wordl) and covers
most of Canada and Alaska, most of Scandinavian peninsula,
much of Russia (especially Siberia) and northern Japan.
51. Boreal forest
Pine Needle pine
NeedleFir
fir
Conifers (pines, firs, etc.) have many winter time adaptations:
their narrow conical shape help them shed snow; their wood is
soft to resist the temperature changes; their needle leaves are
able to resist frosts...
52. Boreal forest
Conifers roots are not very deep to avoid the permafrost, soil
below the freezing point of water (0 °C) for years. Thickness of
the active layer varies by year and location, but is 0.6–4 m thick.
53. Boreal forest
Permafrost contains a huge quantity of methane, a powerful
greenhouse gas.
54. Boreal forest
Arctic hare
Muskrat
Moose
Dormhouse
Lemming
Reindeer
Cones
The taiga is home to large herbivorous mammals, such as the
moose, the reindeer and the arctic hare which eat lichens, the
dormouse and the lemming, which eat cones, and the muskrat,
that inhabits wetlands (marshlands, rivers, lakes or ponds).
55. Boreal forest
Dormice are particularly known for their long periods of
hibernation. They can hibernate six months or even longer,
sometimes waking for brief periods to eat food they had
previously stored nearby.
56. Boreal forest
Kodiak bear hunted
Wolf
SiberianOtter
Kodiak
Grizzly
tiger
Predators include wolves, which still exist in this biome, bears
such as the koadiak and the grizzly, the otter, whose fur is
extremely valuable, and the siberian tiger.
57. Boreal forest
The siberian tiger is the largest living felid, attaining 120 cm tall,
370 cm long and 320 kg.
58. Tundra
Tundra is located in circumpolar regions characterized by very
cold temperatures: average monthly temperature is always
lower than 10 ºC.
59. Tundra
Tundra in summer
Lichens
The layer of soil free of permafrost is too thin to allow the
existence of trees, as the roots cannot get bellow it.
As a result, flora includes only mosses and lichens.
60. Tundra
Muskox
These plants grow very slowly because of the harsh climatic
conditions (they often take several years to grow) and
consequently the herbivores such as the lemming, the moose
and the muskox must periodically migrate.
61. Tundra
Mosquito
Ponds in the tundra
Water lillies
Every year summer leads to life explosion: the meltwater results
in the formation of a lot of ponds and lakes. These bodies of
water are home to marsh plants such as the water lillies, which
atract a lot of mosquitoes.
62. Tundra
Gooses flying
Swan
Migration of swans
In spring, migratory birds such as the swan and the goose fly
north long distances to breed in the tundra summer. The
primary motivations are food and longer days, which provide
extended time for breeding birds to feed their young.
63. Tundra
Arctic fox inin winter
Arctic fox summer
Stoat
Tundra predators, such as the stoat and the arctic fox, have a
thick white fur to blend into their environment.
64. Tundra
Elephantbear
seal
Polar Seal
Walrus
In areas located at latitudes higher than 70º North, vegetation
completely disappears because of the extremely harsh
conditions. However, these regions are home to polar bears,
which hunt aquatic mammals such as seals or walruses.
65. Tundra
Krill
These aquatic mammals, which are shielded from extreme cold
by their blubber, eat krill, the name given to a group of tiny
crustaceans found in the oceans.
66. Tundra
The polar bear is the largest terrestrial carnivore. Adult males
weigh 600 kg.
67. Mangrove
Mangroves are located in tropical coastal areas characterised
by a warm and rainy climate, such as the equatorial climate or
the monsoon climate.
68. Mangrove
Mangroves are found in tropical tidal areas. Areas where
mangroves or mangals occur include estuaries and river deltas,
such as the Ganges Delta.
69. Mangrove
Mangroves or mangals are various kinds of trees found in this
biome. They have a lot of adaptations to survive in inundated
areas.
70. Mangrove
Inundated mangrove
Mangrove leaf
Mangroves are halophyles (organisms that live in environments
with very high concentrations of salt). For example, their roots
filter the salt and their leaves are able to secrete salt.leaf
71. Mangrove
Pneumatophoresinin a high tide
Pneumatophores the low
Stilt roots in the
Stilt roots
The aerial roots are an adaptation to these harsh conditions:
stilt roots increase height and maintain mechanical stability and
pneumatophores enable plants to breathe air in habitats
covered by water.
72. Mangrove
Mangroves are an excellent natural barrier to hurricanes and
tsunamis.
73. Mangrove
Ibis
Macaque
Fiddler Frog
Long-nosed monkey
crab
Most of mangrove animals are arboreal, such as primates
(macaques, long-nosed monkey…) and birds (ibis), or
amphibians such as the crustaceans (fiddler crab), frogs or
some fishes.
74. Mangrove
Mudskipper on inmangrove
Mudskipper a the water
Mudkipper on the mud
The mudskipper is an amphibian fish that can breathe through
their skin and use their fins to walk on land in a series of skips.
These fishes can see all around itself with their bulging eyes.
75. Mangrove
Bengal tiger
White cat
Water buffalo
Fishing
Predators include felids such as the Bengal tiger and the fishing
cat, which are skilled swimmers.
A bengal tiger can kill 30 water buffalos every year.
76. Mangrove
The average weight of Bengal tiger males is 221.2 kg. They are
very dangerous.
77. Mangrove
CrocodileTortue
marin
VaranPython
malais
There are a lot of aquatic reptiles, such as the turtle, the water
monitor, the python (a constrictor snake 7 m long) and the
saltwater crocodile
78. Mangrove
Constriction is a method used by various snake species such as
pythons to kill their prey.
79. Mangrove
An adult male saltwater crocodile's weight is 1,300 kg and
length is 6 metres.
80. Altitude: 1 560 m
Mountain Latitude: 46 ºN
Average temperature: 2,8 ºC
Annual precipitation: 999 mm
80 160
70 140
60 120
50 100
Precipitation (mm)
40 80
Temperature
30 60
20 40
10 20
0 0
J F M A M J J A S O N D
-10 -20
-20 -40
The mountain forest is located in areas at high altitude (roughly
2 000 m in middle latitudes).
Is is often characterised by high precipitation and low
temperature.
81. Mountain
0 ºC
5 ºC 10 ºC
10 ºC 20 ºC
The relief is a key factor which will determine the vegetal
distribution of these areas because of the föhn wind.
82. Mountain
N Pyrenees S
2 000 m ALPINE
1 000 m MOUNTAIN
BASAL
Holm Oak English Oak Common Beech Conifer Meadow
The vegetation in mountain areas is distributed in levels
according to the latitude.
A cliserie is a graphical representation of these levels.
83. Mountain
N Sierra Nevada S
2 000 m ALPINE
1 000 m MOUNTAIN
BASAL
Maquis Holm Oak English Oak Meadow
The vegetation in mountain areas is distributed in levels
according to the latitude.
A cliserie is a graphical representation of these levels.
84. Mountain
N Cantabrian mountains S
2 000 m ALPINE
1 000 m MOUNTAIN
BASAL
Holm Oak English Oak Common Beech Meadow
The vegetation in mountain areas is distributed in levels
according to the latitude.
A cliserie is a graphical representation of these levels.
85. Macaronesia
Macaronesia is a group of archipels in the North Atlantic Ocean:
Azores, Madeira, Savage Islands, Canary Islands and Cape
Verde.
86. Macaronesia
The vegetation of Macaronesia is considered an example of
relict: relict is an organism that at an earlier time was abundant
in a large area but now occurs at only one or a few small areas.
87. Macaronesia
N Teide S
2 000 m SUPRACANARY
1 000 m CANARY
Trade winds
750 m THERMOCANARY
500 m INTERMEDIATE
BASAL
Cardón Juniper Laurel forest Canary Pine Bushes
The vegetation of Macaronesia is extremely affected by the
altitude and the trade winds. It results in the formation of
microclimates.
