What is Biome?
Definition of Biome:
A biome is a region of
vegetation and the associated animal community that has developed in response
to climatic and other abiotic factors such as temperature, precipitation such
as rainfall, and latitude. Biomes that occur at lower latitudes are warmer and
wetter than those at higher latitudes, showing the strong influence of
latitude.
Geographical size of Biome:
Biomes are very large
areas of vegetation that include several living organisms making up various
different ecosystems. There is almost always more than one ecosystem to be
found in a single biome. A biome is actually the largest biotic unit that can
be found on the earth, and can cover a significant portion of a continent.
Animal life:
Animal life will vary
in accordance with the vegetation and climatic conditions and will include many
more species and numbers of animals than would occur in a single ecosystem.
There are still distinct animals that one may find in a particular biome. For
example, gorillas are only found in the rainforest biome and giraffes are only
found in the savanna biome.
Trophic levels:
There will be trophic
levels in the sense that there will be primary producers, plants; and
consumers, animals. The number of food webs in an entire biome would be much
greater than in an ecosystem since a biome by its definition encompasses a much
larger area and includes more than one ecosystem. For example you would find
specific aquatic and terrestrial types of ecosystems in the Amazon rainforest;
for example, you could have an Amazon River ecosystem and an ecosystem in one
specific region of the Amazon forest which encompasses the trees and soil and
all associated organisms.
Examples of biomes:
An example of a biome
is the tropical rainforest which occurs within 30 degrees north and south of
the equator. The savanna biome is also within this latitudinal zone. At higher
latitudes where conditions are colder, you would find coniferous forests while
at still higher latitudes you would find the taiga and tundra biomes.
What is Ecosystem?
Definition of
Ecosystem:
An ecosystem is the
group of plants, animals and environmental factors that all interact with each
other in a specific area. Individuals that make up an ecosystem interact
through trophic interactions, food chains, and food webs. Soil and water can
also be part of ecosystems since they provide nutrients, minerals, and habitat
for organisms. An ecosystem, therefore, includes these environmental factors
and all the organisms that interact with these factors and each other.
Geographical size of
Ecosystem:
An ecosystem does not
consist of as large an area as a biome, although it often contains many species
that interact with each other. Several ecosystems can be found within a biome.
An ecosystem is not determined by area so much as by the interactions of
organisms.
Animal life
There would be less
species of animals in a single ecosystem compared with a biome. However, the
animals would all interact with each other in an ecosystem. They would form
trophic levels in food chains.
Trophic levels:
Trophic levels are
important in an ecosystem. Often members of the ecosystem interact through food
chains and food webs, with one species feeding on another. Nutrients and energy
are thus passed along through the ecosystem in this manner. Primary producers
are the plants that use sunlight to form sugars in photosynthesis. An animal, a
primary consumer, then feeds on the plant, taking in the food and energy. A
second animal, a secondary consumer then feeds on the first animal. This
continues until the top of the food chain where the top predator is.
Examples of ecosystems:
Examples of ecosystems
are coral reef ecosystems, a Mississippi river ecosystem and a Gulf of Mexico
ecosystem. In South Africa, there are Cape fynbos ecosystems.
Difference between Biome and Ecosystem
Definition
A biome is a large
biotic unit that consists of vegetation and animal life that has developed in
response to abiotic factors of precipitation, temperature, and latitude. An
ecosystem is all the plants, animals and environmental factors that interact
within a certain area.
Climate
A biome is strongly
influenced by climatic factors such as rainfall, snow, ice, temperature; while
an ecosystem is not strongly influenced by such factors.
Latitude
A biome is influenced
specifically by latitude while an ecosystem is not specifically influenced by
latitude.
Geographical size
A biome is a very large
area of biotic life, while an ecosystem is a much smaller area.
Animal life
Animal species that are
found in a biome do not all necessarily have to interact, while in an
ecosystem, animal species do all interact in trophic interactions of food
chains and food webs.
Examples
Examples of biomes
include tropical rainforests, savanna, and coniferous forests; while examples
of ecosystems include for example coral reef ecosystem, Gulf of Mexico
ecosystem and Cape fynbos ecosystem.
Summary of Biome Vs. Ecosystem
Biomes and ecosystems
both contain plants, animals, and environmental factors; however biomes are
much larger areas that can include several ecosystems.
Biomes are determined
by climatic factors such as temperature, precipitation, and latitude.
Ecosystems are defined
by the interaction of organisms in trophic interactions, rather than by the
climatic factors of an area.
Ecosystems consist of
food chains and food webs in which the organisms interact by feeding on each
other.
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