ABSTRACT
Biomes may be seen as groupings of plants and animals on a regional scale whose distribution patterns depend heavily on patterns of climate. The biome is identified by the climax vegetation or community. A climax community is identified as one that forms in an undisturbed environment and continues to grow and perpetuate itself in the absence of further disturbance. For instance, a mature climax forest of hardwoods (oak, beech, elm, maple) may take a century or more to develop from an abandoned northeastern farm field as a series of different plants succeed each other to this final stage. The biome is a community of interacting vegetation, soil types, and animal populations that are adapted to the physical environment of the region. The major biomes of the Earth include tundra, taiga, temperate forest and grassland, deserts, and tropical biomes (Tables 1.1a; 1.1b).
