AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -The biome concept organizes large-scale ecological variation. Terrestrial biomes are distinguished primarily by their predominant vegetation, and are mainly determined by temperature and rainfall. Differences in temperature or precipitation determine the types of plants that grow in a given area (Figure 1).

Detailed explanation-2: -A biome is an area classified according to the species that live in that location. Temperature range, soil type, and the amount of light and water are unique to a particular place and form the niches for specific species allowing scientists to define the biome.

Detailed explanation-3: -The two main factors that determine a particular biome are temperature and precipitation, or the climate of the region.

Detailed explanation-4: -The distribution of biomes is determined by environmental conditions, which must be appropriate to support the dominant species. Moisture and temperature are usually the most important environmental influences on the distribution of terrestrial biomes (Figure 8.2).

Detailed explanation-5: -That said, areas that have more precipitation tend to have more vegetation, and areas with less precipitation have less vegetation (refer again to the first image). On one extreme end of the spectrum, both the desert and tundra biomes receive very little rain, thus neither are very lush in terms of greenery.