Biomes - Abiotic Factors

An ecosystem :

1. is an interacting, biological community (plants and animals).
2. interacting with abiotic sources to derive energy and nutrients.
3. linked together through energy flow.
4. name can be applied on many scales - from planets to flowerpots.

A biome

1. is a large recognizable assemblage of plants and animals in functional interaction with its environment.
2. a useful scale for biogeographers (and us).
3. usually identified by the dominant vegetation type.
4. typically are organized into 10 to 15 categories. We will use 6 simplified categories.
5. abiotic factors are physical and geographic influences.

Abiotic Factors (characteristics) of Major Land Biomes