Desert wildlife consists primarily of reptiles and small mammals. Any vegetation and wildlife living in a desert must have special adaptations for surviving in a dry environment. Because of their extreme conditions, there is not as much biodiversity found in deserts as in other biomes. Deserts can be either cold or hot, although most of them are found in subtropical areas. They cover around 20 percent of Earth’s surface. Boreal forests are found at even higher latitudes, and have the coldest and driest climate, where precipitation occurs primarily in the form of snow.ĭeserts are dry areas where rainfall is less than 50 centimeters (20 inches) per year. Temperate forests are found at higher latitudes and experience all four seasons. Tropical forests are warm, humid, and found close to the equator. These forest types occur at different latitudes, and therefore experience different climatic conditions. The three major forest biomes are temperate forests, tropical forests, and boreal forests (also known as the taiga). Forests contain much of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity, including insects, birds, and mammals. Prairies and steppes are two types of temperate grasslands prairies are characterized as having taller grasses, while steppes have shorter grasses.įorests are dominated by trees, and cover about one-third of the Earth. They do not have any trees or shrubs, and receive less precipitation than savannas.

Temperate grasslands are found further away from the equator, in South Africa, Hungary, Argentina, Uruguay, North America, and Russia. They cover almost half of the continent of Africa, as well as areas of Australia, India, and South America. Savannas are found closer to the equator and can have a few scattered trees. There are two types of grasslands: tropical grasslands (sometimes called savannas) and temperate grasslands. Grasslands are open regions that are dominated by grass and have a warm, dry climate. Marine biomes include the ocean, coral reefs, and estuaries. Marine biomes cover close to three-quarters of Earth’s surface. Freshwater biomes are bodies of water surrounded by land-such as ponds, rivers, and lakes-that have a salt content of less than one percent. There are five major types of biomes: aquatic, grassland, forest, desert, and tundra, though some of these biomes can be further divided into more specific categories, such as freshwater, marine, savanna, tropical rainforest, temperate rainforest, and taiga.Īquatic biomes include both freshwater and marine biomes. A biome is a large area characterized by its vegetation, soil, climate, and wildlife.

World conqueror 4 biomes