Biomes

Biomes are distinct biological communities (collection of plants and animals) that have formed in response to a shared physical climate. They are distinguished by characteristic temperatures and amount of precipitation. This map shows the geographic distribution of the eleven major terrestrial biomes found in Africa (out of 14 worldwide). It shows that the same biome can occur in geographically distinct areas with similar climates. Annual precipitations, fluctuations in precipitation and temperature variation (on a daily and seasonal basis) are important abiotic factors influencing the geographic distribution of a biome and the vegetation type in the biome.