Types of Biomes

There are many different biomes that are found throughout the world.  There are five major biomes:  aquatic, desert, grassland, forest, and tundra, but these biomes can be broken down to many different biomes and so there is no real answer as to how many types of biomes there are.

Aquatic Biome

The aquatic biome consists of freshwater, estuaries, coral reef, marine and wetland biomes.  These biomes can be made up of freshwater or salt water and they have many different life that survives from these biomes.  The marine biome or the ocean biome has the most animals that live in it than any other biome in the world.

Wetland Biome

Wetlands include bogs, marshes and swamps and are on every continent except for the continent Antarctica.  Wetlands can be made of freshwater, saltwater or a mixture of both.  The wetland is home to many animals because it is humid most of the time.

Freshwater Biome

Freshwater biomes are any type of area that is made up of freshwater.  The freshwater biomes can include ponds, rivers, streams, and lakes.  Freshwater biomes make up only 3% of all of the water on the earth.  Most freshwater comes from melted ice or other precipitation.
Freshwater Biome

Coral Reef Biome

Coral Reef biomes are found in the ocean but they are not part of the ocean biome.  Most coral reef biomes are found in tropical areas because they need sunlight in order to grow.  Coral reefs have to live in shallow water and they need a warm climate.  The color of coral reefs happen because of the algae.

Ocean Biome

The ocean biome includes five different oceans:  Atlantic, Southern Ocean, Indian Ocean, Arctic Ocean, and Pacific Ocean.  Over 70% of the Earth is part of the ocean biome.  Most of the animal species that exist live in the ocean biome.  The ocean is made of saltwater that forms because of rocks that are on land and get swept into the ocean.  Water in the ocean is always moving.

Forest Biome

The forest biome can be broken down to the Taigas, Decidious Forest and the Tropical Rainforest.  These biomes consist of trees and plants and animals.  Many of the forest biomes have many, many trees and more rainfall than other biomes.  This helps the trees to grow strong and tall.

Taiga Biome

The Taiga Biome is one of the largest land biomes in the world.  It is known to contain coniferous forests.  Coniferous trees are cone shaped and they keep their seeds in cones and do not lose their leaves during the winter months.  There are many fires that happen in the Taiga Biome and these fires help to get rid of sick and old trees and help other ones to grow.

Taiga Biome

Temperate Deciduous Forest Biome

The forest biome is home to many animals and plants.  The temperate deciduous forest biome has trees that shed their leaves in the winter.  These types of forest biomes have all of the four seasons:  spring, summer, winter, and fall.  The deciduous forest has five different zone levels.  The temperate deciduous forest gets anywhere from 30-60 inches of rainfall per year.

Tropical Rainforest Biome

The Tropical Biome covers around 7% of the entire Earth.  These biomes are called rainforests because they get a lot of rain in the year, it can even get up to 400 inches in a year.  There are many different animals and plants that are found in the Tropical Rainforest Biome.  The Tropical Rainforest Biome is one of the oldest biomes in the world.

Grassland Biome

The grassland biome can be broken down into temperate grassland biomes and tropical savannas.  These biomes are covered in grasses and have an average amount of rainfall.

The grasslands do not have enough rainfall to grow tall trees but they have a lot of grass and much more rain than the desert.

The grassland biome makes up 25% of the Earth and are good for farmers who are looking to grow crops.

Grassland Biome

The grasslands are known to have fires sometimes and this can kill out the grass and many insects and then it causes new grass to grow and allows the animals in the grassland to be fed for a period of time.

 

Temperate Grassland Biome

The temperate grassland has two seasons, the growing and the dormant season.  The growing season happens when the weather is warm and the dormant season happens when the weather is cold and nothing grows.

Tropical Savanna Biome

The Tropical Savanna Biome is made up mostly of grasses but also has a few plants and trees.  This biome is important for animals that graze because the grasses help to keep the animals fed and give them enough food to live on.  The largest Savanna is located in Africa and it is the home to large animals such as elephants, giraffes, zebras, lions, tigers and more.

Tundra Biome

The Tundra Biome is the coldest of all of the biomes.  The tundra is located near the Arctic Circle and near the North Pole.  The temperatures of the Tundra Biome can get even lower than -30 degrees Fahrenheit.  There are hardly any trees in the tundra but there are over 400 different types of flowers and over 40 different species of animals.

More Facts About Types of Biomes:

  • Antarctica is part of the Tundra Biome even though it is not in the Arctic Circle.
  • In the summertime, the Tundra has 24 hour daylight.
  • The two types of tundras are the Alpine Tundra and the Arctic Tundra.
  • The Tropical Rainforest Biome is where most of the animals live in the trees.
  • Most of the oxygen that we breathe in the Earth comes from the Tropical Rainforest Biome.
  • The Temperate Deciduous Forest Biome has an average temperature of around 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Most of the trees that are found in the Temperate Deciduous Forest Biome make sap so that their roots stay warm when it is winter and they do not freeze.
  • Most of the trees that are found in the Taiga Biome are called evergreen trees.
  • The Taiga Biome can get as cold as -60 degrees Fahrenheit in the wintertime.
  • The Savanna Biome gets really dry in the dry season and many animals migrate to other areas.
  • Animals in the Savanna Biome depend on each other to survive.
  • The Ocean Biome contains the largest mammal in the world, the blue whale.
  • The largest Ocean Biome is found in the Pacific Ocean.
  • Around 25% of the Earth is covered by the Grassland Biome.
  • The soil in the grassland has many nutrients and is great for farming.
  • The Freshwater Biome has over 700 different species of animals.
  • There are four things that determine the ecology of the Freshwater biome: light, temperature, chemistry and flow.
  • The Coral Reef Biome has a large amount of plants that live around it.
  • When the coral reef turns white, there is a problem with the coral reef or with pollution.
  • The Desert Biome has plants but the plants do not grow very tall.
  • The largest desert in the Desert Biome is the Sahara Desert.
  • The Chaparral Biome has both the grassland and a forest.
  • The chaparral biome is in danger because there are fires that can breakout and kill many living and nonliving organisms.
  • The Wetland Biome is called a wetland because it depends on water and land.
  • Wetland Biomes help to keep areas from flooding.

What Did You Learn?

  • How many major biomes are there?  There are five major biomes:  aquatic, desert, grassland, forest and tundra.
  • Which biome is the coldest biome of all of the biomes?  The Tundra Biome is the coldest of all the biomes.
  • Which biome has the most animal species?  The Ocean Biome contains the most animals of all of the animal species.
  • Which biome has animals that mostly live in the trees?  The Tropical Rainforest Biome has animals that mostly live in the trees.
  • Which biome has marshes, bogs and swamps as part of its makeup?  The Wetland Biome has marshes, bogs, swamps, streams, ponds and other freshwater areas.

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