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 The Orchid Grower A Juvenile Science Adventure Novel About Orchids & Genetic Engineering |
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Ecosystem, Biome and Habitat Differences Habitat (from Latin, "it inhabits") is the place where a particular species of animal or plant lives and grows - the environment that surrounds, influences and is utilized by a species population. Ecosystem, refers to a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment (habitat). Elements of an ecosystem may include flora, fauna, lower life forms, water and soil. Biomes are defined as "the world's major biological communities, classified according to the predominant vegetation and characterized by adaptations of organisms to that particular environment" - desert, grassland, freshwater, etc. The term "Ecosystem" is broader than "habitat" since it may include a few species and their habitat; "biome" is the broadest term since it can be thought as many similar ecosystems throughout the world grouped together - most of the deserts in the world can be seen as one biome, etc. Ecosystems / Biomes / Habitats K-12 Experiments
Biome Background In ecology, a biome is a major regional group of distinctive plant and animal communities best adapted to the region's physical natural environment, latitude, elevation, and terrain. A biome is made up of ecoregions or communities at stable steady state and all associated transitional, disturbed, or degraded, vegetation, fauna and soils, but can often be identified by the climax vegetation type. The biodiversity characteristic of each biome, especially the diversity of fauna and subdominant plant forms, is a function of abiotic factors and the biomass productivity of the dominant vegetation. Species diversity tends to be higher in terrestrial biomes with higher net primary productivity, moisture availability, and temperature. [1] A fundamental classification of biomes is into:
Biomes are often given local names. For example, a Temperate grassland or shrubland biome is known commonly as steppe in central Asia, savanna or veld in southern Africa, prairie in North America, pampa in South America and outback or scrub in Australia. Sometimes an entire biome may be targeted for protection, especially under an individual nation's Biodiversity Action Plan.
Terrestrial biomesClimate is a major factor determining the distribution of terrestrial biomes. Among the important climatic factors are:
biodiversity generally increases away from the poles towards the equator, and increases with humidity. The most widely used systems of classifying biomes correspond to latitude (or temperature zoning) and humidity. Udvardy systemIn 1975, Miklos Udvardy published a system of biogeographic provinces that were divided into 12 terrestrial biomes:
Bailey systemRobert G. Bailey developed a biogeographical classification system for the United States in a map published in 1975. Bailey subsequently expanded the system to include the rest of North America in 1981, and the world in 1989. The Bailey system is based on climate, and is divided into four domains (Polar, Humid Temperate, Dry, and Humid Tropical), with further divisions based on other climate characteristics (subarctic, warm temperate, hot temperate, and subtropical, marine and continental, lowland and mountain).
WWF's major habitat typesA team of biologists convened by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) developed an ecological land classification system that identified 14 biomes, called major habitat types, and further divided the world's land area into 867 terrestrial ecoregions. This classification is used to define the Global 200 list of ecoregions identified by the (WWF) as priorities for conservation. The WWF major habitat types are as follows:
Aquatic biomes
Other biomesThe Endolithic biome, consisting entirely of microscopic life in rock pores and cracks, kilometers beneath the surface, has only recently been discovered and does not fit well into most classification schemes. See also
ReferencesExternal linksThis article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from Wikipedia Encyclopedia article "Biome" |
