Scientists have been trying to classify ecosystems on the planet for a long time. But because of the lack of rank and the huge number of natural ecosystems, it is not possible to classify each puddle and sand dune with its ecosystem. Ecologists decided to classify multiple combinations of ecosystems - biomes.
What is a biome?
We hear a lot about various biomes, but few of us imagine how exactly this word is characterized. In general, a biome is a large biological system with its own climate. This system is characteristic of the dominant plant species or landscape. There is such a definition as terraria biomes. This means what minerals, wood, animals are mined on its territory. For example, biome of deciduous forests - deciduous trees prevail. Or a mushroom biome - a place with a humid climate suitable for the life of different species of fungi and their spores. If you move from the north to the equator, you can see all the main biomes.
How many core biomes?
What biomes prevail and what is their number? Environmentalists have identified nine major biomes on land. The first biome is the tundra, the second is the taiga. Further, the biome of deciduous forests in the temperate climatic zone, the biome of the steppes, chaparole (Mediterranean flora), deserts, tropical savannahs, prickly (tropical) woodlands, and the ninth biome is tropical forests. Each of them is unique in climate, vegetation and wildlife. As a separate, tenth point, we can distinguish eternal ice - a winter biome.
Tundra and taiga
The tundra is a biome with perennials. It occupies most of northern Eurasia and part of North America. Located between southern forests and polar ice. The farther the tundra moves away from the ice, the wider the area becomes treeless. The living conditions in the tundra are harsh, but despite this, there is a great variety of animals and plants. The tundra is especially beautiful in the summer season. It is covered with a thick layer of greenery, becoming a haven for migratory animals and birds. The base of the plant world is lichen, moss. Rare are stunted woody plants. The main inhabitant of the tundra is the reindeer. There are a lot of arctic foxes, hares and voles. Another resident is lemming. This small animal causes great damage to the tundra. These animals eat a huge amount of not rich vegetation of the tundra, which is not able to recover quickly. Due to a lack of food, the entire fauna of the biome suffers.
Taiga is a biome of coniferous (northern) forests. Located in the Northern Hemisphere, it occupies approximately eleven percent of all land. Almost half of this territory is occupied by larch, the rest of the trees are pine, spruce, fir. There are few deciduous ones - birch and alder. The main animals are moose and deer (from herbivores), there are more predators: wolves, lynx, martens, mink, sable and wolverine. A huge number and variety of rodents - from the vole to the mole. Amphibians live here viviparous, this is due to the short summer, for which there is no way to warm the masonry. Partridge also belongs to the main inhabitants of the taiga.
Deciduous forests and steppes
Deciduous forests are located in a comfortable zone with a temperate climate. This is mainly the east of the United States, Central Europe and part of East Asia. There is a sufficient amount of moisture, severe cold winters and long warm summers. The main trees of this biome are broad-leaved: ash, oak, beech, linden and maple. There are conifers - spruce, sequoia and pine. It has a well-developed flora and fauna. A variety of predators are wild cats, wolves, foxes. A large population of bears and deer, badgers, rodents and birds.
Steppes. The basis of this biome is the prairies of North America and the steppes of Asia. There is no necessary amount of precipitation, which would be enough for the growth of trees, but enough to prevent deserts from forming. In the steppes of North America, a large variety of herbaceous plants and herbs. There are undersized (up to half a meter), mixed grass (up to one and a half meters) and tall grasses (the height of plants reaches three meters). Altai mountains divided the Asian steppes into eastern and western. These lands are rich in humus, constantly sown with cereals, and places with tall grass are adapted for pasture. All cloven-hoofed mammals have long been domesticated. And the wild inhabitants of the steppes - coyotes, jackals and hyenas adapted to live peacefully in the neighborhood with people.
Chaparol and desert
Mediterranean vegetation occupied the territory around the Mediterranean Sea. It has very hot, dry summers, and winters are cool with high humidity. The main plants here are shrubs with thorns, herbs with a bright aroma, plants with thick glossy leaves. Trees cannot grow normally due to climatic conditions. Chaporol is famous for the number of snakes and lizards living here. There are wolves, roe deer, lynxes, cougars, hares and, of course, kangaroos (in Australia). Frequent fires prevent the invasion of the desert, favorably affecting the soil (returning useful substances to the ground), which is good for the growth of grasses and bushes.
The desert stretched its possessions on one third of all land. It occupies arid areas of the earth, where less than two hundred and fifty millimeters fall in annual precipitation. There are hot deserts (Sahara, Atacama, Aswan, etc.), and there are also such deserts where in winter the air temperature drops to minus twenty degrees. This is the Gobi Desert. Sands, bare stones, rocks are typical for the desert. The vegetation is rare seasonal, mainly milkweeds and cacti. The animal world consists of small creatures that can hide under stones from the sun. Of the large species, only a camel lives here.
Tropical biomes
Savannahs are huge spaces with dense grass and rare lonely trees. The soil here is rather scarce, tall grass and spurge prevail, trees - baobab and acacia. Large herds of artiodactyls live in the savannahs: zebras, wildebeests and gazelles. Such a number of herbivores are not found anywhere else. The abundance of herbivores served as the abundance of predators. Cheetahs, lions, hyenas, leopards live here.
Prickly woodland is found in South and Southwest Africa. There are rare deciduous trees, fanciful spiny shrubs.
Rainforests are found in South America, West Africa, and Madagascar. Constant high humidity promotes the growth of thick and huge plants. These forests reach seventy-five meter high. Rafflesia Arnoldi is growing here - this is the largest flower in the world. The soil in the tropics is poor, the main nutrients are concentrated in existing plants. Fifty years later, the annual deforestation of these tropics could provoke the largest biological catastrophe.