Biology
Biomes of the Earth
From rainforest to desert: how temperature and rain decide which living things are at home where.
What you need first
The Earth has many faces. There are hot rainforests full of life, dry deserts, ice cold tundras, wide grasslands, dense forests, and the huge oceans. Such large habitats are called biomes. Each biome has its own climate and its own typical plants and animals.
Climate decides
Why does a dense rainforest grow at the equator while almost nothing grows in the Sahara? The answer lies in the climate. Two things are decisive: the temperature and the , meaning how much rain or snow falls. Where it is warm and wet, the most grows. Where it is very dry or very cold, there are only few species.
Typical: jaguar, liana, hummingbird
Tropical rainforest = hot and wetFitted to the home
In every biome the living things are fitted to their surroundings. A cactus in the desert stores water in its thick stem and carries spines instead of leaves to lose little water. An arctic fox in the tundra grows dense winter fur and builds up a layer of fat in autumn to get through the cold. Each species carries exactly the features that suit its habitat.
That is why you usually find a species only where the climate suits it. A howler monkey needs the warm trees of the rainforest, a camel can go for days without water in the dry desert. If the climate changes, the living things have to adapt, move on, or they vanish from the area.
Exercises
0 of 6 solvedTime to try it yourself. You can't break anything, every attempt counts.
Which two things mainly decide which biome forms?
Why does a desert cactus carry spines instead of broad leaves?
The text names these biomes: rainforest, desert, tundra, grassland, forest, and ocean. How many is that?
Match each animal to the biome where it is at home.
In a rainforest 300 mm of rain fall per month. How much falls in 2 months?
A cactus survives the desert because it stores water in its thick ….
Where this leads