The Biosphere
Biomes = major communities with similar characteristics that occur over a wide area
Terrestrial biomes mostly defined by vegetation:? Rain forest? Savannas (warm, dry climate grasslands)? Deserts (semideserts as transition from savannas to deserts)? Temperate grasslands (prairies)? Temperate deciduous (hardwood) forests (drop leaves in winter)? Temperate evergreen forests (strong winters, very dry summers)? Taiga (coniferous forests; largest terrestrial ecosystem)? Tundra (polar grassland, often permafrost below 1 m)
Convergent evolution: communities of the same biome can be made of very different, unrelated species on different continents that exhibit similar characteristics