What it would be like to live in another part of the world? What would the temperature be like? Would it be dry or wet? What kinds of animals would you see? What plants grow there? How do the plants and animals survive?
By investigating these questions, you are learning about biomes. The following links provide other questions about the relationship between the living and nonliving things in biomes.
http://www.nature.nps.gov/air/webcams/parks/grsmcam/grsm.jpg
Image captured from a webcam at Great Smokey Mt. National Park
Explore the links below for realtime images of landscapes, climate, and wildlife in various biomes.
The non-living things in a biome are called abiotic factors. Examples of abiotic factors include precipitation and temperature; they control the type of life that will survive in a biome. The pattern of precipitation and temperature over a long period of time determines a biome's climate. Climate changes can have a serious impact upon the living organisms in a biome.
What are other people saying about biomes?
http://chalk.richmond.edu/education/projects/webunits/biomes/map2.gif
A biome is a community of plants and animals that live together in a particular climate.
The 6 major biomes on Earth include the following:
Some areas have characteristics of more than one biome. Earth scientists often give these locations different names. You might also see the following names on biome maps:
The following links provide helpful information about biomes. They may include photographs, maps, charts, and video clips. Some sites may be easier to read and understand than others. When you go to a link, quickly scan the information to see if it is right for you.
The living, and once-living, things in a biome are biotic factors. These include plants, animals, and insects. This video provides a brief introduction to the plant (flora) and animal (fauna) life of each biome. The video also shows the water (aquatic) biomes.
In a biome, wildlife refers to both the flora (plant life) and fauna (all types of animal life) found there. The following links provide information about wildlife in different locations around the world.
Additional terms you may use when researching biomes include:
There are many books in our library that will give you helpful background information on biomes.
As you use resources in this guide, you may find unfamiliar words or ideas relating to biomes. Use the links below if you need help defining a word or changing data from the metric system into standard English.
Need additional information? Try this Google Custom Search.