Which Biome?

Each of us lives in a biome – “bi·ome (bī′ōm′) – noun – any of several major life zones of interrelated plants and animals determined by the climate, as deciduous forest or desert”.

At the broadest level there are 5 major biomes: tundra, grassland, forest, desert, and aquatic. Scientists argue about how many biomes there are – for now I’m going to stick with these five.

I live in Kansas, midwest USA, a state known for its sweeping grasslands: the place where bison were hunted almost to extinction; Little House on the Prairie and The Wizard of Oz country, where the views are wide open prairie swept by tornadoes and dust storms. At least that’s how most people imagine it. But, just to be confusing, my part of Kansas, right on the state line with Missouri, is not flat, open prairie – it is hilly and there are tons of trees here. It’s really more of a forest. In fact tree encroachment on grassland in Kansas is a problem, one which I will save to discuss another time.

When you live in a city it can be hard to figure out which biome is natural to your area. This map shows biomes mapped on the globe. It includes 3 kinds of forest – rainforest, temperate deciduous forest, and boreal/taiga forest – and 3 types of grassland – chaparral, grassland, and savannah. Confused yet? Since I’m a fan of The Wizard of Oz and Little House on the Prairie I’m going to claim grassland as my biome. After all, if it weren’t for human interference most of Kansas would still be grassland.

Assuming you’ve figured out which biome applies to your place on the planet, I’d love to hear. If you can’t figure it out I’d be glad to help

Related posts:

1. Prairie Flowers
2. Prairie Dog Myth
3. Prairie Flowers Conversation