biome

Biomes are climatically and geographically defined as similar climatic conditions on the Earth, such as communities of plants, animals, and soil organisms, and are often referred to as ecosystems.

Some parts of the earth have more or less the same kind of abiotic and biotic factors spread over a large area, creating a typical ecosystem over that area. Such major ecosystems are termed as biomes.

Biomes are defined by factors such as plant structures (such as trees, shrubs, and grasses), leaf types (such as broadleaf and needleleaf), plant spacing (forest, woodland, savanna), and climate.

A fundamental classification of biomes is:

• Terrestrial (land) biomes
• Aquatic biomes (including freshwater biomes and marine biomes)

Sometimes an entire biome may be targeted for protection, especially under an individual nation\'s biodiversity action plan.