The Five Major Types of Biomes
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The Five Major Types of Biomes
The Five Major Types of Biomes
A biome is a large community of vegetation and wildlife adapted to a specific climate.
Grades
5 - 8
Subjects
Biology, Ecology
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is a large area characterized by its vegetation, soil, climate, and wildlife. There are five major types of biomes:
, and
, though some of these biomes can be further divided into more specific categories, such as
rainforest,
rainforest, and taiga.
Aquatic biomes include both freshwater and marine biomes. Freshwater biomes are bodies of water surrounded by land—such as ponds, rivers, and lakes—that have a salt content of less than one percent. Marine biomes cover close to three-quarters of Earth’s surface. Marine biomes include the ocean, coral reefs, and estuaries.
Grasslands
are open regions that are dominated by grass and have a warm, dry climate. There are two types of
grasslands
tropical
grasslands
(sometimes called
savannas
) and
temperate
grasslands
Savannas
are found closer to the equator and can have a few scattered trees. They cover almost half of the continent of Africa, as well as areas of Australia, India, and South America.
Temperate
grasslands
are found further away from the equator, in South Africa, Hungary, Argentina, Uruguay, North America, and Russia. They do not have any trees or shrubs, and receive less precipitation than
savannas
and
are two types of
temperate
grasslands
prairies
are characterized as having taller grasses, while
steppes
have shorter grasses.
Forests
are dominated by trees, and cover about one-third of the Earth.
Forests
contain much of the world’s terrestrial
, including insects, birds, and mammals. The three major
forest
biomes
are
temperate
forests
tropical
forests
, and
(also known as the taiga). These
forest
types occur at different latitudes, and therefore experience different climatic conditions.
Tropical
forests
are warm, humid, and found close to the equator.
Temperate
forests
are found at higher latitudes and experience all four seasons.
Boreal
forests
are found at even higher latitudes, and have the coldest and driest climate, where precipitation occurs primarily in the form of snow.
Deserts are dry areas where rainfall is less than 50 centimeters (20 inches) per year. They cover around 20 percent of Earth’s surface. Deserts can be either cold or hot, although most of them are found in subtropical areas. Because of their extreme conditions, there is not as much biodiversity found in deserts as in other biomes. Any vegetation and wildlife living in a desert must have special adaptations for surviving in a dry environment. Desert wildlife consists primarily of reptiles and small mammals. Deserts can fall into four categories according to their geographic location or climatic conditions: hot and dry, semiarid, coastal, and cold.
tundra
has extremely inhospitable conditions, with the lowest measured temperatures of any of the five major
biomes
with average yearly temperatures ranging from -34 to 12 degrees Celsius (-29 to 54 degrees Fahrenheit). They also have a low amount of precipitation, just 15–25 centimeters (six to ten inches) per year, as well as poor quality soil nutrients and short summers. There are two types of
tundra
and
. The
tundra
does not have much
biodiversity
and vegetation is simple, including shrubs, grasses, mosses, and
. This is partly due to a frozen layer under the soil surface, called
. The
arctic
tundra
is found north of
boreal
forests
and the
alpine
tundra
is found on mountains where the
is too high for trees to survive. Any wildlife inhabiting the
tundra
must be adapted to its extreme conditions to survive.
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Director
Tyson Brown
, National Geographic Society
Author
National Geographic Society
Production Manager
Gina Borgia
, National Geographic Society
Program Specialists
Sarah Appleton, National Geographic Society
, National Geographic Society
Margot Willis
, National Geographic Society
Specialist, Content Production
Clint Parks
Producer
André Gabrielli
, National Geographic Society
other
May 7, 2025
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