13: Earth Biomes
By the end of this chapter you should be able to:
- Describe the characteristics of the 8 biogeographical realms.
- Descrube the major terrestrial biomes and locate them on a world map.
- Explain how human activities are affecting terrestrial biomes.
The biogeography of Earth is expressed by the mosaic of biomes that occupy its land and waters. In this chapter we'll look at the characteristics of Earth's terrestrial biomes and their distribution. We'll investigate how human activities are changing the distribution and diversity of plant and animal species, and suggest how our changing climate may affect Earth's biomes.
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- 13.3: Savanna Biome
- The Savanna biome is characterized by an extensive cover of grasses with scattered trees. It is a transitional biome between those dominated by forests and those dominated by grasses. The Savanna biome is associated with climates having seasonal precipitation accompanied with a seasonal drought. A midlatitude variant, the parkland, is located in the drier portions of the humid continental climate.
Thumbnail: Coast Redwoods. Redwood National Park, California. The stately Sequoia sempervirens, more commonly known as "Coast Redwood" is one of the tallest trees on Earth. (Courtesy Michael Ritter)