9 Terrestrial Biome Examples: Detailed Explanations

Terrestrial biomes include a total of four categories- grassland, forests, desert and tundra. Under these categories we have several examples each.

Terrestrial Biome Examples:

• Tropical rainforests
• Tropical dry forests
• Tropical Savanna
• Temperate grasslands
• Subtropical desert
• Temperate woodland and shrubland
• Temperate forest
• Northwestern coniferous forests
• Boreal forest or Taiga  and
• Tundra

Here we will explain the above mentioned terrestrial biome examples in detail:

Tropical Rainforest

Tropical rainforests or also referred to as tropical wet forests occur in and around the equator and is the most commonly studies among the terrestrial biome examples. Tropical rainforests boast a constant temperature gradient between 20 to 34 degrees Celsius throughout the year. So the overall climate is hot and humid all year round.

The plants growing in this region are usually evergreen and can grow huge, not allowing sunlight to get to the forest floor. The most famous tropical rainforest is the one along the Amazon Basin. Tropical rainforests are a refuge to some of the most diverse flora and fauna, due to their conserved nature year-round, with high temperatures, humidity and rainfall.

Tropical Dry forests

Tropical dry forests are located in the tropic and subtropical regions, which have seasonal showers instead of those all year round is another of terrestrial biome examples. Hence a lot of tress in this biome tend to be deciduous instead of tropical evergreens.

These forests are home to specific flora and fauna, due to their changing weather patterns, and animals that can camouflage into these surroundings. These forests are scattered across India, Australia, parts of Africa and some parts of  America and islands around all these regions.

Tropical Savanna

The grasslands of the tropics are called the Savanna, which receive very little rainfall compared to the other tropical biomes. The characteristic savanna topography consists of grass that can grow up to 7 meters in some areas along with a few isolated trees scattered among them.

Sometimes the grasslands can turn barren or be covered by small bush clusters. The African savanna is the most famous among these, flaunting its land mammals like lions, cheetahs, jaguars, zebras and wildebeest.

Being located in the tropics and without foliage cover, the temperatures in the savanna can go above 50 degrees during the daytime, but come down at night. This region gets their rainfall during the monsoon bringing about one of the most important events that occur in this ecosystem- the migration of the herbivores in thousands following the rainfall to fresh feeding grounds.

Deserts:

The last of the tropical biomes is the tropical desert. Deserts are the driest of all terrestrial biomes receiving rainfall once or twice annually. Temperatures can rise to over 50 degrees during the daytime, but goes down equally fast after sunset, to a minimum of 5 degrees in some places.

Receiving only around 25mm of rain in a year, accompanied by the high difference in diurnal temperatures, the terrain is composed mainly of sand and rocks. The sublayer of the earth does not contain a large water bed either, meaning very specific flora and fauna can survive in these conditions.

The flora and fauna have adapted not only to the vast temperature change in the environment but also how to deal with the other problems including0- scarcity of water and sandstorms.

Temperate Forests

Temperate forests are found in temperate regions of the world and are home to coniferous and deciduous trees that can withstand the colder months. The cold winters can also turn to freezing and hence a specific set of organisms live here.

While deciduous trees shed their leaves to save themselves from the frigid plight, coniferous trees as the name suggests are cone-shaped with waxy needle like leaves to repel layers of snow during winters. Most animals living here tend to hibernate to survive the food shortage in the cold winter months.

Temperate woodlands and shrublands:

The chaparral, also known as scrub forest, can be encountered in the temperate latitudes of California, along the Mediterranean Sea, and along Australia’s southern coast. The yearly rainfall in this biome averages between 65 cm to 75 cm (25.6–29.5 in), with the bulk falling during the winter.

Summers are extremely dry, and many chaparral plants become dormant during this time. The chaparral vegetation is dominated by shrubs and has evolved to withstand recurrent flames, with some species generating seeds that germinate only after a fierce fire. The ashes left over from a fire is high in nutrients such as nitrogen, which nourish the soil and stimulate plant development.

Temperate grasslands

Temperate grasslands can be found in Central, North and South America where they are also known as prairies or pampas, and in Asia, where they are known as steppes. Temperate grasslands see significant temperature changes throughout the year, with hot summers and chilly winters.

Plants have distinct growing seasons as a result of the annual temperature change. Temperatures are low for much of the winter, and water trapped in the form of ice is not available for plant growth. Just like the savanna grassland, the larger fauna population consist of grazing animals

Northwestern coniferous forests

Northwest coniferous forests, better known as temperate rainforests, receive a lot of rain due to the Pacific Ocean’s mild, moist air, hence the resemblance.

The forest is made up of a wide range of conifers, from gigantic redwoods along the northern California coast to spruce, fir, and hemlock further north. Moss frequently covers the trunks of trees and the forest floor. Flowering trees and shrubs like dogwood and rhododendron are also plentiful.

Taiga:

The boreal forest, also known as coniferous forest or just Taiga, covers most of Canada, Alaska, Russia, and northern Europe south of the Arctic Circle. This biome experiences cold, dry winters and brief, cool, wet summers. Snow is the most common form of annual precipitation. Because of the frigid temperatures, there is less evaporation.

Long and harsh winters in the boreal forest have resulted in the dominance of cold-tolerant plants. These are coniferous trees, such as pines, spruce, and fir, that retain their needle-shaped leaves throughout the year i.e.they are evergreen.

Tundra

The arctic tundra is probably the most severe of all the terrestrial biomes is the last of terrestrial biome examples. Found along with the uppermost tips of the northern hemisphere it practically stays frozen year-round. Permafrost, a layer of permanently frozen subsoil, characterizes the tundra. During the brief, cool summer, the ground thaws to a few millimeters in depth and becomes soggy and moist. The topsoil freezes again in the winter.

One reason tundra plants are short and stunted is due to this cycle of thawing and freezing, which tears and crushes plant roots. Cold temperatures, severe winds, a short growing season, and humus-deficient soils all limit plant height. So the most commonly occurring plant found there are lichens.

Grassland biome examples:

Grassland biomes include tropical and temperate grasslands. This includes the tropical savanna in Africa. Here the temperatures are higher consisting of a natural mixed woodland and grassland terrain. North American savanna grasslands are also called “Barrens”.

Temperate grasslands have different names across the globe. In North America, they are called “prairies” while “pampas” in the south. In Asia temperate grassland is referred to as “steppe” and in Africa as “veld”

Steppes/shortgrass prairies are semi-arid grasslands with short grasses. Tallgrass prairies are tall grasslands found in greater rainfall locations. Heaths and pastures are low shrublands and grasslands, respectively, where forest growth is hampered by human activities but not by the environment.

Tropical rainforest biome examples:

Tropical rainforests are home to large evergreens and a large concentration of flora and fauna found terrestrially. Some of the few remaining tropical rainforests which are also a specific terrestrial biome examples can be found in:

• Amazon basin in South America
• The Congo basin in Africa
• The Daintree rainforest of Australia
• The rainforests of Southeast Asia, Borneo, Malaysia
• The rainforests in Srilanka
• The Madagascar rainforests.

Due to intensive logging, plantation and pollution, most of these rainforests have subsided to half or even less of their original sizes. Considered the lungs of the Earth, the extinction of these forests would also lead to the downfall of millions of organisms both micro and macro that call these forests home.

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Trisha Dey

I am Trisha Dey, a postgraduate in Bioinformatics. I pursued my graduate degree in Biochemistry. I love reading .I also have a passion for learning new languages.
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