This document describes the major biomes of the world grouped by climate zones. It defines a biome as an area with a characteristic climate and flora and fauna. The biomes are divided into cold, temperate, and hot zones. Biomes in cold zones include the polar biome with permanent ice and snow and tundra vegetation, and alpine biome with vegetation arranged in altitude layers. Biomes in temperate zones include deciduous forests, Mediterranean forests, and taiga boreal forests. Biomes in hot zones include equatorial rainforests, savannas with grass and isolated trees, and deserts with adapted succulent plants. Spain contains alpine, oceanic, Mediterranean, and Canary Island subtropical

1. UNIT 6.
THE EARTH´S BIOMES

2. REMEMBER!!!!
BIOME
• Is an area of the world that can be defined by a
particular type of climate and by a specific
flora (plants) and fauna (animals).
• We can distinguish different types of biomes:
1. Biomes in cold zones
2. Biomes in temperate zones
3. Biomes in hot zones

3. 1. BIOMES IN COLD ZONES

4. POLAR BIOME
• Landscape is white, covered
with permanent snow,
including vast glaciers and
ice caps.
• In some regions (Alaska,
Iceland or Greenland), the
ice sheet melts in the
summer, allowing TUNDRA
to form. The flora of the
tundra is made up of dwarf
shrubs, lichens and mosses.

5. Fauna
• Few types of animals can survive the ice temperatures.
However, we can find the following:
 In Antarctica: penguins, elephant seals and sea lions
 In the Arctic: seals, walruses (morsa) and polar bears.

6. ALPINE BIOME
• Vegetation varies depending on the altitude, so the flora is arranged in layers.
Layers of
vegetation in
the temperate
zone
Layers of
vegetation in the
inter-tropical
zone

7. 2. BIOMES IN HOT ZONES

8. EQUATORIAL BIOMES
• Typical biome is the
EQUATORIAL RAINFOREST,
with a wide variety of
plants, especially
perennials, such as lianas
and orchid (Amazonian, Congo or
Madagascar rainforest).
• In the coastal areas of the
equatorial region there are
palm trees and MANGROVE
SWAMPS. These swamps
contain mangrove trees,
which can survive in salt
water.

9. FAUNA
• Rainforests have an incredible diversity of animals. There are
many different species of birds, such as macaws and toucans.
There are also many species of amphibians, insects, reptiles,
and mammals, such as monkeys and jaguars

10. TROPICAL BIOMES
• The most typical biome is the
SAVANNAH. In the wetter areas,
closer to the Equator, the
savannah is made up of large
areas of tall grass and small
woods or isolated trees.
• In the more arid regions, the
savannah has short grass,
scrubland and trees, such as the
baobab or the acacia, which can
survive in spite of the low rainfall.
• In the monsoon zones,
precipitation creates the
ideal conditions for
monsoon forests. These are
called JUNGLES and contain
deciduous trees, such as
teak (teca) and bamboo.
Venezuela Tanzania

11. • The fauna includes spectacular species: large herbivores, such
as elephants and giraffes, and large carnivores, such as lions,
leopards, and cheetahs (guepardo).

12. DESERT BIOMES
• Scant vegetation, such as cacti, that has adapted to high
temperatures and low levels of rainfall.
• There is very little fauna. Only certain reptiles, insects, birds and
small mammals can adapt to this harsh (duro) climate. However,
some large animals, such as camels and dromedaries, use their
hump (joroba) to store water and fat to survive in the desert.
Gazelle

13. 3. BIOMES IN TEMPERATE ZONES

14. OCEANIC BIOMES
• The most typical biome is the DECIDUOUS FOREST biome. The most
common trees are oak, beech, elm and chestnut. In areas where the
forest has been degraded, vegetation is made up of shrubs and
scrubland. These biomes are called MOORS. When the shrubs
disappear, large areas of grass known as OCEANIC GRASSLANDS
emerge (to appear).
DECIDUOUS FOREST MOORS: páramos o LANDA
OCEANIC GRASSLANDS

15. FAUNA
• The most abundant fauna are herbivores including deer, rabbits and
squirrels, and predators such as bears and wolves.

16. MEDITERRANEAN BIOMES
• The typical biome is called
MEDITERRANEAN FOREST,
made up of evergreen trees
which can withstand the high
temperatures of the summer
months.
• The most common species are
Holm oak and cork oak.
• When the Mediterranean
forest deteriorates, it is
sometimes replaced by areas
of scrubland, with plants such
as rock rose, rosemary and
thyme. These types of
shrubland are known as
‘MAQUIS’ AND ‘GARRIGUE’.

17. • The fauna is varied. There are many herbivores such as wild
boar, roe deer (corzo) and hares, as well as birds such as
partridge and quail. There are also predators such as foxes,
lynxes and birds of prey.

18. CONTINENTAL BIOMES
• The typical biome of the
northern latitudes is the
TAIGA. The forests are
made up of evergreen trees,
which can survive the low
winter temperatures. The
most common species are
pines and firs.
• To the south of the taiga,
there are CONTINENTAL
GRASSLANDS. When these
plains of tall grass are close
to desert regions, they
become STEPPES, with
small shrubs and short
grass.

19. FAUNA
• In these biomes, there are a lot of herbivores, such as deer
and wild boar. There are also rodents, such as squirrels and
beavers, as well as predators, such as bears and wolves. Large
herbivores, such as bison and horses, live on the grasslands
CANADA

20. HUMID SUBTROPICAL BIOMES
 The most typical biome is the MIXED FOREST. It has a lot of deciduous
trees, including oak, maple (arce) and willow (sauce), along with
tropical species, such as palm trees and bamboo.
 In Argentina and Uruguay (in South America) there are extensive fertile grasslands
known as ‘PAMPAS’.
 The fauna is varied, with large herbivores, such as water buffalo, and
large predators, such as tigers. Native species include mammals such
as pandas in China and koalas in Australia.

21. BIOMES IN SPAIN

22. • ALPINE BIOME:
The vegetation grows in
layers that vary
according to altitude.
• OCEANIC BIOME:
Atlantic forest, made
up of deciduous trees,
such as oak, beech…

23. MEDITERRANEAN BIOMES
• MARITIME
MEDITERRENEAN BIOME
• CONTINENTAL
MEDIERRANEAN BIOME

24. SUBTROPICAL BIOME
ISLAS CANARIAS
DRAGO CANARIO PINO CANARIO
LAURISILVA