Biomes

Terrestrial biomes are characterized by their prevailing vegetation, and are primarily classified by rainfall and temperature. Biomes all have certain characteristics such as microorganisms, fungi, and animals which have adapted to their particular environment. There are eight major terrestrial biomes; tropical forest, desert, savanna, chaparral, temperate grassland, coniferous forest, temperate broadleaf forest, and tundra. The tropical forest can be separated into two categories; tropical rainforest and tropical dry forest. Both, tropical rainforest and tropical dry forest are found near the equator. The tropical rainforest is generally characterized by poor soil, high rainfall, and a high diversity of plants and animals. The tropical dry forest undergoes an annual dry season. Though, the average rainfall is adequate enough to enable growth of trees, but they must be able to endure periods of low precipitation and moisture. The desert is a region that is very dry and barren because of low amounts of rainfall and high temperatures, and it supports only sparse and widely spaced vegetation or no vegetation at all. The savanna is a grassland ecosystem located in tropical and subtropical regions, which is mainly characterized by scattered trees so that the canopy does not close. A chaparral is a biome identified by cold, moist winters and hot, dry summers and dominated by stunted trees and bushes. The temperate grassland is a biome that is dominated by grasses, consists of few trees, and is distinguished by cold winters and intermediate rainfall. The coniferous forest is vegetation dominated by cone-bearing trees, found in areas of the world that have moderate to high yearly precipitation and long winters. A temperate broadleaf forest, which is located above the equator, is found in regions where there is adequate water to maintain the growth of broadleaf deciduous trees. Finally, the tundra is an enormous, treeless region in which the tree growth is prevented by low