Biomes
Biomes represent forms of animals and plants that bear similar characteristics attributable to comparable climate and occur in different continents. They denote distinct biological species that emanate from a collective physical climate. They differ from habitats in that any biome might encompass a diversity of environments. The difference between a biome and a microbiome is that a microbiome acts as a combination of organisms that reside in a given space, though to a lesser extent. For instance, the human microbiome represents an assortment of viruses, bacteria, and other microorganisms. Terrestrial biomes signify key regions across the globe, which share a similar climate regardless of being in dissimilar geographical settings (Han, 2007). The earth holds six main land biomes that encompass deserts, rainforests, grasslands, tundra, temperate deciduous forests, and taiga. Every one of the biomes varies in latitude, topography, comparative humidity, the amount of sunlight, and weather; they are determined majorly by temperature and rainfall and are differentiated by their prime animal and plant populations.
Fig. 1: Terrestrial biomes across the globe (Forseth, 2010, p. 11)
Every biome holds a distinctive form of fauna and flora that interrelate and acclimatize naturally to gain natural resources and live in the surroundings. Plants in deserts have become accustomed to the insufficiency of water coupled with extreme aridity through retaining water in stems, becoming dormant, and shedding leaves in the course of dry periods (Wang et al., 2014). Moreover, animals in savannahs and tropical grasslands that have a tendency of having wildfires usually have strong and long legs to ensure that they run faster than fire in case of its occurrence. In conclusion, biomes characterize forms of animals and plants that bear similar attributes due to comparable climate and arise in different continents. Each biome varies in latitude, landscape, comparative humidity, the degree of sunlight, and weather.
References
Forseth, I. (2010). Terrestrial biomes. Nature Education Knowledge, 3(10), 11.
Han, K. T. (2007). Responses to six major terrestrial biomes in terms of scenic beauty, preference, and restorativeness. Environment and Behavior, 39(4), 529-556.
Wang, L., Li, L., Chen, X., Tian, X., Wang, X., & Luo, G. (2014). Biomass allocation patterns across China’s terrestrial biomes. PloS one, 9(4), 93-96.