Biomes

desert

annual precipitation is low and often scattered unevenly throughout the year; soils have little vegetation and moisture to help store the heat and the skies are usually clear

temperate shrubland / chaparral

consists mostly of dense growths of low-growing evergreen shrubs and occasional small trees with leathery leaves; moderate, sunny climate with mild, wet winters and long, warm, and dry summers

tropical savanna

contains widely scattered clumps of trees such as acacia which are covered with thorns that keep some herbivores away. This biome usually has warm temperatures year-round and alternating dry and wet seasons; home to grazing and browsing hoofed animals

temperate desert

daytime temperatures are high in summer and low in winter and there is more precipitation than in tropical deserts; the sparse vegetation consists mostly of widely dispersed, drought-resistant shrubs and cacti or other succulents

coastal coniferous forests / temperate rain forest

found in scattered coastal temperate areas with ample rainfall or moisture from dense ocean fogs

tropical rain forests

found near the equator; year- round, uniformly warm temperatures, high humidity, and almost daily heavy rainfall; dominated by broadleaf evergreen plants, which keep most of their leaves year-round; lack of fertile soil

evergreen coniferous forests / boreal forests / taiga

found south of tundra; winters are long, dry, and extremely cold; winter sunlight is available only 6-8 hours per day. Summers are short, with cool to warm temperatures and the sun shines up to 19 hours a day; dominated by coniferous trees (cones); acidic soil

temperate deciduous forests

grow in areas with moderate average temperatures that change significantly with the seasons. These areas have long, warm summers, cold but not too severe winters, and abundant precipitation; fertile soil

tropical desert

hot and dry most of the year; have few plants and a hard, windblown surface strewn with rocks and some sand

forests

lands dominated by trees

grasslands

occur mostly in the interiors of continents in areas that are too moist for deserts to form and too dry for forests to grow; they persist because of a combination of seasonal drought, grazing by large herbivores, and occasional fires

mountains

steep or high lands which cover about one-fourth of the earth's land sur- face; where dramatic changes in altitude, slope, climate, soil, and vegetation take place over a very short distance; major storehouse of water

cold grasslands / Arctic tundra

treeless plains are bitterly swept by frigid winds, and covered with ice and snow. Winters are long with short days, and scant precipitation falls mostly as snow; most growth occurs in the 8-week summer; results in permafrost

cold deserts

vegetation is sparse and winters are cold, summers are warm or hot, and precipitation is low

temperate grasslands

winters can be bitterly cold, summers are hot and dry, and annual precipitation is fairly sparse and falls unevenly throughout the year; has fertile topsoil held by grass roots; two types — short-grass and tall-grass prairies; wind blows continuously and evap. is rapid