1. Land Biomes of the World Chapter 6

2. Earth’s Major Biomes Tundra

3. Very short growing season Little precipitation (10-25 cm / yr) Very cold (only summer gets above freezing) and windy Permafrost Dry Low species diversity

4. Earth’s Major Biomes Boreal Forest (Tiaga)

5. Boreal Forest (Taiga) Short growing season Low precipitation (~50 cm / yr) Dominated by conifers (spruce, fir), but also has aspen, birch

6. Earth’s Major Biomes Temperate Rain Forest

7. Cool; high precipitation (~127 cm / yr) Dominated by evergreens (hemlock, spruce, cedar) Heavily logged

8. Earth’s Major Biomes Temperate Deciduous Forest

9. Hot summers, cold winters Moderate precipitation (75-150 cm / yr) Dominated by oaks, hickory, maple Commonly converted to agriculture

10. Earth’s Major Biomes Grasslands

11. Hot summers, cold winters Low to moderate precipitation (25-75 cm / yr) Dominated by tallgrass or shortgrass prairies Heavily converted to agriculture

12. Earth’s Major Biomes Chaparral

13. Earth’s Major Biomes Chaparral Characterized by: Dry summers, mild winters Frequent fires Dominated by short pines, evergreen shrubs, scrub oak (but varies worldwide)

14. Earth’s Major Biomes Deserts

15. Earth’s Major Biomes Deserts Characterized by: Wide daily variations in temperature Very dry (<25 cm precipitation / yr) Sparse plant coverage

16. Earth’s Major Biomes Savanna

17. Earth’s Major Biomes Savanna Characterized by: Precipitation 76-150 cm / yr, but very seasonal with extended dry periods Dominated by grasses, with occasional trees African most famous for herds of wildebeest, antelope, zebra

18. Earth’s Major Biomes Tropical Rain Forests

19. Earth’s Major Biomes Tropical Rain Forests Characterized by: Very high precipitation 200-450 cm / yr Very nutrient-poor soil Extremely high primary productivity Extremely high species richness