The natural world around us features incomparable beauty. When you take a second to just take it all in, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the glorious sight in front of you.
What’s arguably even more incredible is the fact that there are thriving communities of animals and plants all around us. The diversity of those communities is similarly remarkable. Even in a specific, you can find many animals and plants in varied living conditions.
Our goal with this article is to learn more about the living areas in the natural world. To do that, we will seek to define habitats, ecosystems, and biomes clearly. We will examine how those terms differ from one another while also identifying specific examples of them on Planet Earth.
Join us as we explore the world and the places within it that serve as homes for the beings we share this planet with.
Biome Definition
First, let’s take a closer look at the biome. It’s a term that likely rings familiar in your ears. That could be because it’s a remnant of your elementary school days.
For those who need a refresher, a biome is a large area occupied by various plants and animals. The particular species of plants and animals that reside within a biome are its defining characteristics.
Basically, you can tell those biomes apart by studying the plants and animals that live within them.
It’s important to understand just how large a single biome can be. We’re talking about a place here that can cover miles and miles of the Earth’s surface.
Even wide swaths of a continent can be classified as a single biome. According to National Geographic, five major biomes exist on Planet Earth. Let’s get to know each of them better.
Aquatic Environment
The first major biome we need to learn more about is the aquatic variant. If there is water, there is definitely an aquatic biome in it.
The aquatic biomes take up a considerable amount of the Earth’s surface. You may have heard that they cover roughly 75 percent of the planet. And it is correct in every way and form.
As the aquatic biome is massive, it’s not unusual to know that it has a category all by itself. And when there is an abroad category, there will be many subcategories under it.
Within the broad category of the aquatic environment, there are two major subcategories. These are the freshwater biome and marine biome.
The first of which is known as the freshwater biome. Examples of that include ponds, lakes, and rivers.
There is a large amount of diversity in the freshwater environment. Within this biome, you’ll find aquatic creatures big and small. You can also see a variety of creatures depending on the area’s climate.
Different types of plants can also survive in areas near freshwater.
While creatures in the freshwater biomes are plentiful, they pale compared to the amount of ground covered by the marine biomes. Marine or ocean biomes account for areas covered in saltwater.
Remember the four big oceans? Yup, they are all marine biomes.
Just think for a second about how large the Pacific Ocean is, and it’s just technically one ocean biome. That’s a good idea of how much life is inside a single aquatic environment.
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Desert
When you think of a desert, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? The vast, never-ending vision of sand? Extreme hot and dry temperatures? Oasis and camels?
Hot temperatures are not the desert’s defining quality. Instead, the one defining trait of deserts is their dryness. Deserts typically receive no more than 10 inches of rain in a year.
Deserts also make up 33% percent of the Earth’s landmass. Many of us are unaware of that fact because the desert environment is not exactly one that we find to be accommodating.
It is usual to find deserts to have water and food scarcity. Those sandy areas experience extreme temperatures that many would find unbearable. Deserts might not be a good home for humans, but some animals and plants call it home.
Cacti and saguaros are prime examples of plants that survive in this environment. They adapted to the hot, dry climate and the little rain they received.
They have deep roots that can absorb water from far sources. Their excellent water storage allows them to survive without water for long periods.
Some animals call it home. Like their plant counterparts, they have incredible resilience. They can store water efficiently or subsist on the water they get from their food.
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Forest
The third major type of biome in the forest. If trees cover the area, then it qualifies as a forest.
Rainfall is one factor that makes a forest different from a desert. Those sandy stretches of land are routinely starved for any kind of moisture.
That’s not the case for forests, as they usually receive plenty of precipitation. But they are equal regarding their coverage of the Earth’s surface. Forests also cover around 33 percent of our planet’s landmass.
The forest biome has three subcategories. They are the boreal forests, temperate forests, and tropical forests. Let’s start with the boreal forest or taiga.
Boreal forests are found near Eurasia and North America. They are known for being cooler, even though they don’t get as much precipitation as the other types of forests. Temperatures there are even known to plunge below freezing.
Meanwhile, temperate forests can be found in most parts of Asia, Europe, and North America. The climate in temperate forests can vary significantly throughout the year. The changing and evolving climate in this type of forest helps nourish and play host to such a diverse collection of flora and fauna.
According to the University of California Berkeley’s Museum of Paleontology, tropical forests feature the greatest species diversity. Even if you focus on the trees, you will still observe a remarkable diversity.
Tropical forests are commonly found near the equator. The Amazon rainforest is the best-known example of a tropical forest.
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Grassland
Continuing our rundown of the major biomes, we can now focus on the grasslands. You can think of grasslands as a midpoint between deserts and forests regarding how much precipitation they get throughout the year.
Temperatures are also generally milder for grasslands.
However, grasslands also experience seasonal weather. Because of that, certain times of the year are warmer or colder for grasslands, and the amount of precipitation is also affected by the changing seasons.
You can also divide the grassland biomes into two distinct subcategories: savanna grasslands and temperate grasslands.
Visit a savanna grassland, and you’ll find some trees here and there. They dot the landscape rather than completely covering it.
Savannas are commonly found in Africa and almost half of the area. They can also be found in Australia and South America.
Meanwhile, temperate grasslands feature no trees. You can only see sheets of grass growing everywhere.
Temperate grasslands are found in Africa, Europe, North America, and South America. The flora and fauna in this biome are diverse, rich, and varied.
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Tundra
Lastly, we have the tundras. Tundra biomes are cold, and most animals and plants can hardly survive. It has a lower amount of diversity than deserts and is only hospitable for short periods.
There are two types of tundra: alpine and arctic.
The alpine tundra is the one you will see if you’re in the mountains or rocky areas. Alpine tundras are along with the highest areas of mountains with patches of grass and shrubs. It’s also rare that many animals live in alpine tundras. Some animals that live here are mountain goats with few bugs and birds.
Arctic tundra is not diversity-rich, but they have more wildlife and plant life. You can find polar bears, wolves, and arctic hares. Salmon and trout also live here. Arctic tundra has more grasses, mosses, and flowers.
Like many biomes, tundras are threatened by climate change. We must take action now to preserve them. Here are the different types of tundra plants.
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Ecosystem Definition
We caught up with all the five major biomes. Now, we’re into ecosystems.
The term “ecosystem” is any geographic area with the living and nonliving things constantly interacting with one another. Within an ecosystem, animals may feed on plants while the plants absorb water from the pouring rain.
The living and non-living beings within an ecosystem influence how that area exists. For instance, more animals in a particular ecosystem can lead to the decimation of plant life.
Meanwhile, heavy flooding can lead to dying animals.
Ecosystems can vary wildly in terms of size. It’s one distinction compared to biomes that always account for large geographical areas. Just imagine this: multiple ecosystems can exist within a single biome.
For a better example, a garden. A garden qualifies as an ecosystem. The bugs, plants, and the type of soil you have there already represent an interesting collection of living beings and nonliving things.
On the other end of the spectrum, vast swamplands can also be considered ecosystems. The interactions between the swamps’ biotic and abiotic elements contribute to creating a distinct type of ecosystem.
Many ecosystems exist in the world, and they are all well-connected.
Witnessing how those varied ecosystems interact is part of what makes living on this planet such an amazing experience.
Habitat Defintion
Now, let’s talk about habitats.
Habitat is any place where a plant or animal can live because it provides adequate food, water, and shelter. It also provides ample space, which is crucial to the animal’s comfort and plant growth.
Remember that a place previously served as a good habitat for a specific plant or animal may become less accommodating over time. Let’s say that a herd of deer has relocated to the forest’s northern portion.
At first, they’re comfortable because the trees provide enough shelter, they have more than enough food and water, and they can roam. It may change if natural predators of deer arrive.
Suddenly, the space and shelter may become too dangerous. The deer herd will have no choice but to change their habitat. That’s because the nearby predators are hunting down the alternative.
Also, animals can have more than one habitat if they get comfortable in different environments.
Amphibians can choose to live on land or water, while the majority of animals can only live in one type of habitat.
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What Is the Difference Between an Ecosystem and a Biome?
The distinction between an ecosystem and a biome is mostly area size.
We covered biome types and subtypes here. Biomes are always large areas. An ecosystem is often not. Ecosystems can cover very small or vast areas. Multiple ecosystems can exist in just one biome.
What Is the Difference between Habitat and Biome?
Distinguishing between a biome and a habitat is easy.
A habitat is a small sliver of a biome that organisms call home. Within a forest biome, different animal groups are occupying specific segments. For a community of monkeys, their habitat is a small cluster of trees.
The land hosting the trees is also a habitat itself.
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What Is the Difference Between Ecosystem and Habitat?
Habitats are smaller than ecosystems. When you explore an ecosystem, you can find varied habitats. A cave is an example of an ecosystem with multiple habitats. In the cave, there are puddles for breeding insects, and corners may also serve as homes for bats.
The animals within that cave have adapted incredibly well to their surroundings. We hope this article has helped you understand the differences between biomes, ecosystems, and habitats.