A biome is a large community of vegetation and wildlife adapted to a specific climate. A biome is a large area characterized by its vegetation, soil, climate, and wildlife. There are five major types of biomes: aquatic, grassland, forest, desert, and tundra, though some of these biomes can be further divided into more specific categories, such as fresh water, marine, savannah, tropical rainforest, temperate rainforest, and taiga. Aquatic biomes include both freshwater and marine biomes. Fresh water biomes are ponds, rivers and lakes, Marine biomes include the ocean, coral reefs, and estuaries.
Grasslands are open regions that are dominated by grass and have a warm, dry climate. There are two types of grasslands: tropical grassland (sometimes called savannas) and temperate grasslands. They do not have any trees or shrubs, and receive less precipitation than savannas. Prairies and steppes are two types of temperate grasslands; prairies are characterized as having taller grasses, while steppes have shorter grasses.
Forests are dominated by trees. Forest types occur at different latitudes, and therefore experience different climatic conditions. Tropical forests are warm, humid, and found close to the equator. Temperate forests are found at higher latitudes and experience all four seasons.
Deserts are dry areas where rainfall is less than 50 centimeters (20 inches) per year. Because of their extreme conditions, there is not as much biodiversity found in deserts as in other biomes. Any vegetation and wildlife living in a desert must have special adaptations for surviving in a dry environment. Desert wildlife consists primarily of reptiles and small mammals.