HomeWHICHWhich Biome Is Characterized By Permafrost

Which Biome Is Characterized By Permafrost

A biome is a very large area of the planet that can be classified according to the climate, soil, the amount of light, water and the plants and animals that exist in it. A biome can be made up of many ecosystems. Biomes are largely classified into terrestrial and aquatic biomes. There are eight major terrestrial biomes.

Types of Terrestrial Biomes:

Taiga (Coniferous)

Tundra (Alpine)

Grassland

Desert

Found roughly between 50o and 60o north latitude across most of Canada, Alaska, Russia and northern Europe.

Lies north of the subarctic boreal forests and is located throughout the Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere.

Savannas are grasslands with scattered trees and are found in Africa, South America and northern Australia.

Exist between 15o and 30o north and south latitude and are centred on the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.

This biome has cold, dry winters and short, cool, wet summers.

The soils of the tundra may remain in a perennially frozen state referred to as permafrost.

These are hot, tropical areas and have an extensive dry season and consequent fires.

Subtropical deserts are very dry, evaporation typically exceeds precipitation.

The annual precipitation is from 40 to 100 cm and often takes the form of snow.

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It impossible for roots to penetrate far into the soil and slows the decay of organic matter. The annual precipitation of the Arctic tundra is low.

The annual rainfall is of 51 to 127 cm.

There is low annual precipitation of fewer than 30 cm with a lack of predictability in rainfall.

Coniferous trees like pines, spruce, and fir retain their needle-shaped leaves year-round.

Plants in the Arctic tundra are generally low to the ground and include low shrubs, grasses, lichens and small flowering plants.

Plants have evolved well-developed root systems that allow them to quickly re-sprout after a fire.

Perennial plants in deserts are characterized by adaptations that conserve water: deep roots reduced foliage and water-storing stems.

NOTE:

A biome is different from an ecosystem. An ecosystem is the interaction of living and non-living things in an environment, whereas a biome is a specific geographic area notable for the species living there. For example, an aquatic biome can contain ecosystems such as coral reefs and kelp forests.

Hence, it can be concluded that permafrost is a defining characteristic of the Tundra biome.

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