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Major Biomes UPSC | Ecosystem | Physical Geography

What are biomes? 

Biomes can be defined as a collection of plants and animal species interacting within specific certain climatic conditions such as rainfall, temperature, humidity, and soil conditions. The biosphere can be divided into 5 major biomes.

The following are five major biomes of the world:

  • Forest biome
  • Grasslands biome
  • Desert biome
  • Tundra biome
  • Aquatic  Biome
  • Altitudinal Biome


Forest Biomes:

Forest biomes are comprised of trees and wildlife.

Forest biomes can be further classified into the following types:

  • Tropical Rain Forest Biome
  • Tropical Deciduous Forest Biome
  • Temperate Forest Biome
  • Boreal Forest Biome

Tropical Rain Forest Biome: 

Region: 

  • It lies between 10 degrees north and south latitude.

Distribution of tropical rain forests in the world:

  • In South America:
    • Brazil
    • Venezuela
    • Colombia
    • Peru
  • In Africa:
    • Congo
    • Angola
    • Zambia
    • Uganda
    • Madagascar
  • New Guinea
  • Australia
  • Indonesia
  • India
  • Myanmar
  • Sri Lanka

Climatic characteristics:

  • No dry season, daily precipitation
  • The average 20 to 25 degrees C temperature is evenly distributed.

Flora and fauna:

  • Soil is acidic and poor in nutrients.
  • It has a multi-layered canopy with tall and large trees.


Tropical Deciduous Forest Biome: 

Region: 

  • It lies between 10°-25° latitude in both hemispheres.

Climatic characteristics:

  • Around 100 cm of precipitation annually seasonally. 
  • Average 25 to 30 degrees C temperature

Flora and fauna:

  • Soil is rich in nutrients.
  • It has fewer dense trees with medium height; 


Temperate Forest Biome: 

Region: 

  • Eastern North America
  • Northeastern Asia
  • Western and Central Europe

Climatic characteristics:

  • Rainfall is evenly distributed; around 75-150 cm of rainfall
  • Temperature: Average 20 to 30 degrees C

Flora and fauna:

  • Soil is rich in nutrients and humus.
  • It has a moderately dense broad leaves tree with less diversity of tree species.


Boreal Forest Biome: 

Region: 

  • A broad belt of Eurasia and North America
  • It is part of Alaska, Canada, Scandinavian, and Siberia. 

Climatic characteristics:

  • Warm summer and long cold dry winter
  • Precipitation in form of snowfall

Flora and fauna:

  • Soil is acidic, poor in nutrients, and has a thin soil cover.
  • It has evergreen conifers trees such as pine, fur, etc.

Desert Biome: 

The Desert biome is in two categories:

  • Cold desert
  • Hot Desert

Region: 

Hot deserts are:

  • Sahara Desert
  • Kalahari Desert
  • Atacama

The major Cold desert is in Tundra climatic region.

Climatic characteristics:

  • Very low rainfall

Flora and fauna:

  • Soil is rich in nutrients with little or no organic matter.
  • It has little vegetation.


Grassland Biome: 

Grasslands are found in areas where not much rainfall happens.
The following are the types of Grasslands.
Tropical Grassland:
Tropical grasslands are found on either side of the equator and extend to the tropics.
Tropical grasslands get moderate to low amounts of rainfall.
Grasses can grow as tall as 3 to 4 meters high.
The following are the examples:

  • Savanna in East Africa
  • Campos in Brazil
  • Liana in Venezuela

Temperate Grasslands:
It is found in mid-latitudinal zones and interior parts of continents.
Grasses are short and nutrients
Animals are wild buffalo and Bison
The following are the examples:

  • Pampas: Argentina
  • Prairie: North America
  • Veld: South Africa
  • Steppe: Central Africa
  • Down: Australia
Aquatic Biomes:
It can be freshwater or marine aquatic biome.

Altitudinal Biome:
Altitudinal biomes are found on slopes of high mountain ranges like the Himalayas, Andes, and Rockies. 
Vegetation and climate vary according to altitude.



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