Environmental Science
Biome concept is a terminology used to describe a community of plants and animals that have the same features due to the environment they are found in. It is a broader term used to describe the word habitat. For example, the animals and plants that are found in rain forests or an environment with a cool temperature have almost similar features. The biomes exist due to the shared physical climate. They are found in different parts of various continents. A good example is the biological communities found in terrestrials such as desert and tropical forest or marine environments such as coral reef and oceanic plankton. Equatorial forests occur due to various physical factors. One of the factors determining the equatorial forests is the pollination and seed dispersal. The seeds or various plants such as the pine as distributed differently compared to other trees such as fig trees. The pine seeds are dispersed by squirrels and bears when they bury them on the ground. The climate has to be favorable to ensure the squirrels and bears can exist within the climatic conditions. Natural pollinators such as bees are essential since they distribute the seeds naturally. Water and soil conservation is another physical factor determining the distribution of equatorial rain forests. The reason is that some plants or animals will require areas that have more water compared to deserts. Some kinds of trees or vegetation will require more water. Another factor is climate regulation and land use. Land use means that some vegetation or animals require places with more radiation such as less canopy. In some forests, the dense canopy affects the plants and animals that can survive in such an environment.
Biome concept is a term used to describe a group of plants or animals that exist in a specific location due to the climatic conditions. It another word for habitat. However, in one biome there are various habitats. It is a term used to describe the plants and animals that exist in the coral reef as compared to the ones in the desert or tropical forests. Hadley cells have a role in the distribution of deserts. It is a term used to describe the low attitude overturning circulation of air rising at the equator. Additionally, the air sinks 30 degrees latitude. Generally, it describes how the air circulates around the equator. The circulation is responsible for the trade winds that control the weather patterns. Most of the deserts are located near the equator where the Hadley cells affect the weather patterns. The circulation of dense or moisturized air falls as rain in the mountains and reach the desert areas as dry air. For example, Atacama Desert is located behind a mountain. In this case, the moisturized air rises over the mountain and cools down and later falls down as rain. The air that circulates on the other side of the mountain is dry thus causing a desert. Some deserts form far away from the sea where the moisture air has already become dry. Additionally, Hadley cells lead to cold ocean currents which run across the coast. For example, the Kalahari Desert is caused by the cold ocean currents running along the coast of Namibia and Botswana causing a desert. The cool or old air circulating along the coast is unable to hold moisture and thus it cannot cause any rain.
