What does biome mean?
A biome is one of the Earth's major natural regions distinguished by its climate, plant life, and animal life. Rather than referring to a single place, the term describes an entire category — such as tropical rainforest, desert, grassland, taiga, or tundra — whose members share broadly similar conditions regardless of where they sit on the globe. Ecologists use biomes to organize and compare the planet's living systems at a large scale, sitting between the level of the whole biosphere above and individual ecosystems below. The word was introduced by American ecologist Frederic Clements in the early twentieth century and has since become standard vocabulary in biology classrooms, conservation work, and climate science. Because biome boundaries shift with temperature and rainfall, the term now appears frequently in discussions of climate change, as scientists track how warming alters which plants and animals can survive where.
nounA large naturally occurring community of flora and fauna occupying a major habitat, such as a forest or tundra. It is a broad ecological classification defined chiefly by climate and dominant vegetation.
- A large naturally occurring community of flora and fauna occupying a major habitat, defined by climate and characteristic vegetation.
- (Loosely) A distinct ecological community or environment more generally, sometimes extended to microbial or human-made contexts (e.g., the gut microbiome's broader usage).
"The Amazon rainforest is the world's largest tropical biome."
"Coral reefs are among the most biodiverse aquatic biomes on Earth."
"Climate change is causing shifts in the boundaries of many terrestrial biomes."
Standard plural; simply add -s with no spelling change.
"Scientists have identified roughly ten major terrestrial biomes worldwide."
The word 'biome' didn't exist until 1916 — ecologist Frederic Clements coined it to describe what he called the 'world's great life zones.'
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of biome
The word biome was coined in English in 1916 by the American ecologist Frederic Edward Clements. It combines the Greek root bios, meaning life, with the suffix -ome, suggesting a collective whole or body. The same Greek root underlies related words such as biology and biosphere.
How biome is actually used
Biome is primarily used in scientific, educational, and environmental contexts. It carries no strong connotation of formality but is rarely heard in casual conversation outside ecology-related discussions. Pluralization is straightforward: biomes.
Easily confused with biome
An ecosystem is a smaller-scale community of organisms interacting with their specific environment, while a biome is a much larger geographic region characterized by similar climate, plants, and animals.