Biology 2483A Lecture Notes - Temperate Deciduous Forest, Seasonal Tropical Forest, Biome
23 Nov 2012
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Document Summary
The biosphere is the zone of life on earth. It is mostly restricted to the surface of the earth. It is located between the lithosphere (earth"s surface crust and upper mantle) and the troposphere (the lowest layer of the atmosphere). Biomes are large-scale biological communities shaped by the physical environment, particularly climate. Biomes are categorized by dominant plant forms, not taxonomic relationships. They are not characterized by animals because animals are mobile. They can avoid local conditions by moving around and are more adept at surviving by choosing a more favourable microclimate. Plants can"t move around, so categorizing biomes based on them is better and more accurate. Plants occupy sites for a long time and are good indicators of the physical environment, reflecting climatic conditions and disturbances. Terrestrial biomes are characterized by growth forms of the dominant plants, such as leaf deciduousness (seasonal shedding of leaves) or succulence (think, leathery leaves, development of fleshy water storage tissues).
