The biosphere brings together all living organisms on the planet, whether they are animals, plants, or microorganisms.
There is a complex structure of life on Earth due to the large number of different organisms that inhabit it. Diversity among living organisms refers to the variety of strategies adopted by individuals, animals, or plants in order to survive. Whether referring to a cat, a plant, or a bacteria, all life forms have one thing in common: the cell is the basic unit of all living organisms. Also, biomass is the accumulated energy in living organisms. Humans are able to use this energy to meet their needs.
Living organisms are found in the lithosphere as well as in the hydrosphere, or the atmosphere. Their distribution depends greatly on the climatic conditions present in a given geographic region. In order to be able to study and describe the biosphere more easily, we divide it into different biomes.
A biome is a grouping of living organisms that occupy a specific climatic region and that are adapted to the conditions prevailing there.
A distinction is usually made between terrestrial biomes and aquatic biomes as the factors that influence their distribution are different.
Many factors affect biome distribution in the biosphere. Depending on whether terrestrial biomes or aquatic biomes are considered, the factors will be different.
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Factors affecting the distribution of terrestrial biomes |
Factors affecting the distribution of aquatic biomes |
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Latitude |
Water salinity |
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Altitude |
Water depth |
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Precipitation |
Current strength and direction |
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Winds |
Amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide needed for respiration and photosynthesis |
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Soil type |
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Food |
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Insolation (sunshine, light) |
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Temperature |
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Factors are typically grouped into three main categories.
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Climatic factors particularly affect the composition of terrestrial biomes and their distribution. These mainly include sunshine, temperature, precipitation, and winds. For example, tropical climates, which are hot and humid, have lush forest vegetation, whereas dry and cold climates have rather low and sparse vegetation.
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Geographical and geological factors include latitude (from the equator to the poles), altitude, the presence of large bodies of water (lakes, seas, and oceans) and of reliefs (mountains, valleys), the nature of rocks and their texture, as well as the structure of soils. These factors determine the type of terrestrial biome that can be found.
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Physicochemical factors influence the distribution of aquatic biomes. These include water salinity, water temperature, luminosity, nutrient content, and oxygen content. These parameters depend on the water depth, the proximity of terrestrial biomes, and the climate.