biomes 16 simple

High Mountains (Alpine)

Location: mountain ranges worldwide (Andes, Alps, Rockies) | Plant: alpine aster | Animal: snow leopard | Adaptation: thick fur | Human impact: climate change shrinking habitat

Great Plains (Temperate Grassland)

Location: central North America | Plant: big bluestem | Animal: bison | Adaptation: live underground (prairie dogs) | Human impact: converted to farmland

Polar Ice Tundra

Location: Arctic (N. Canada, Russia, Greenland) | Plant: lichen | Animal: arctic fox | Adaptation: thick fur/dens | Human impact: global warming destroying permafrost

Pampas

Location: South America (Argentina) | Plant: pampas grass | Animal: maned wolf | Adaptation: speed (to escape predators) | Human impact: agriculture expansion, habitat fragmentation

Veldts (Temperate Grassland)

Location: South Africa | Plant: sweet veld grass | Animal: zebra | Adaptation: long horns | Human impact: overgrazing, land converted to cropland

Tropical Grassland Savannah

Location: Africa (sub-Saharan) | Plant: acacia tree | Animal: elephant | Adaptation: long neck (giraffe, to reach food) | Human impact: converted into farms, reduced biodiversity

Chaparral

Location: California, Mediterranean coast | Plant: sagebrush | Animal: mountain lion | Adaptation: releases toxins (some plants) | Human impact: 90% of fires caused by people, urban expansion

Coniferous Forest (Taiga)

Location: N. Canada, Russia, N. Europe | Plant: spruce | Animal: lynx | Adaptation: needles (conserve water, shed snow) | Human impact: logging, fragmentation

Temperate Deciduous Forest

Location: Eastern US, Europe, E. Asia | Plant: oak | Animal: deer | Adaptation: leaf shedding | Human impact: deforestation, urban sprawl

Temperate Rainforest

Location: Pacific Northwest (US/Canada) | Plant: western redcedar | Animal: elk | Adaptation: broad coniferous leaves | Human impact: logging, nonnative species

Tropical Rainforest

Location: near equator (Amazon, Congo, SE Asia) | Plant: kapok tree | Animal: sloth | Adaptation: ultra-rapid nutrient cycle | Human impact: deforestation, logging

Tropical Dry Forest/Monsoon Forest

Location: parts of Africa, S. Asia, S. America | Plant: hibiscus | Animal: ground viper | Adaptation: become active during rain season | Human impact: greenhouse gases, urbanization

Tropical Desert

Location: Sahara (N. Africa) | Plant: cactus | Animal: scorpion | Adaptation: nocturnal | Human impact: resource extraction, off-roading

Temperate Desert

Location: SW US, parts of S. America | Plant: saguaro cactus | Animal: kangaroo rat | Adaptation: burrows | Human impact: irrigation using limited water, urbanization

Wetlands

Location: Florida Everglades, coastal areas | Plant: mangrove | Animal: American alligator | Adaptation: spoon-shaped bill (spoonbill) | Human impact: pollution runoff, drained for farmland

Steppes

Location: Central Asia (Mongolia, Kazakhstan) | Plant: steppe grass | Animal: saiga antelope | Adaptation: keen eyesight | Human impact: overgrazing, agricultural conversion