Biomes

 

Hello, friends!

Some time ago I posted a “World building questionnaire” and on the very first page of it there's a category called “biome”. 

Biome, according to Wikipedia, is “a distinct geographical region with specific climate, vegetation, and animal life”. 

Today we'll go into different types of biomes you can use for your stories!

DESERT 

→ a region of land that is very dry, often has little coverage by plants, and streams dry up unless they are supplied by water from outside the area

→ plants tend to be tough and wiry with small or no leaves, water-resistant cuticles, and often spines to deter herbivory

→ animals are often nocturnal

→ nomads move their flocks and herds to wherever grazing is available, and oases have provided opportunities for a more settled way of life

→ animals: meerkat, camel, lizards, fennec fox, snakes, scorpions, insects

→ there are hot deserts (fe Sahara) and cold desserts (fe Antarctic)

GRASSLAND 

→ made up of large open areas of grasses. They are maintained by grazing animals and frequent fires

→ animals: elephants, gazelles, zebras, rhinoceroses, wild horses, lions, wolves, prairie dogs, deer, mice, coyotes, foxes, badgers, meadowlarks, sparrows

→ flowers include asters, blazing stars, coneflowers, goldenrods, sunflowers, clovers, psoraleas, and wild indigos

→ types of grassland: savannah, meadow, steppe

→ people have used grasslands to support herds of grazing domestic animals and to grow staple crops

TUNDRA 

→ for most of the year, the tundra biome is a cold, frozen landscape, largely treeless 

→tundra has patchy, low-to-ground vegetation consisting of small shrubs, grasses, mosses, sedges, and lichens

→ animals: arctic hares, caribou, wolves, polar bears, artic foxes, elks, mountain goats

→ plants: dwarf shrubs, grasses, small-leafed shrubs, heaths

→ two types: arctic tundra, alpine tundra

→ presence of permafrost, very low temperatures, poor nutrients 

→ check Inuits to see more about how humans survive in tundra 

RAINFOREST 

→ a hot, moist biome where it rains all year long

→ plants: vines, palm trees, orchids, ferns

→ animals: primates, jaguars, antelopes, elephants, crocodiles, mountain lions, black bears

→ check Yanomami tribe of the Amazon Rainforest

→ over one quarter of natural medicines have been discovered there

TAIGA 

→ also called “boreal forest”

→ characterized by coniferous forests consisting mostly of pines, spruces, and larches

→ much of taiga is lowlands 

→ grasses grow wherever they can find a patch of sun; mosses and lichens thrive on the damp ground and on the sides of tree trunks. In comparison with other biomes, however, the taiga has low botanical diversity

→ animals: moose, maral, elk, deer, sheep, bison, chipmunk, bears, lynx, fox

POLAR 

→ these frozen landscapes are home to animals like minke whales, chinstrap penguins, arctic foxes or reindeers

→ temperatures below freezing, long winters, glaciers 

→ very little plant life in polar regions, mostly algae, lichen and moss 

MARINE 

→ describes any saltwater environment 

→ waves, tides, currents 

→ coral reefs, coral polyps, algae and seaweed

→ various fish and aquatic mammal: sharks, rays, whales, dolphins, turtles, shellfish

 DECIDUOUS FOREST 

→ composed primarily of broad-leaved trees that shed all their leaves during one season

→ plants: oaks, beeches, birches, chestnuts, aspens, elms, maples, basswoods

→ animals: foxes, bears, deers, rabbits

→ distinct seasonal variation that cycle through warm, moist summers, cold winters, and moderate fall and spring seasons