From Wikipedia, “A biome /ˈbaɪoʊm/ is a community of plants and animals that have common characteristics for the environment they exist in.”  There are two categories of biomes, terrestrial biomes and aquatic biomes.  In these two general categories there is a wide variety of biomes.  In this assignment, I have selected, and will contrast two terrestrial biomes: the savanna, and the tropical rain forest.

A savanna is an open grassland, the trees in a savanna are sufficiently spread so that they do not create a canopy blocking direct sunlight to the soil.  However, this does not mean that they do not have high tree density, the trees are simply more regularly spaced than in tropical  forests.  Savanna covers about 20% of the earth’s surface, and despite the dryness, the savanna can support a lot of life.  Grazing or browsing animals are common inhabitants of a savanna.  The temperature year-round generally averages in the high 70’s (68-86 F), which is helpful to the organisms living there.  One of the challenges that faces the inhabitants of a savanna, is the danger of wildfires, which are common in a savanna.

Unlike the savanna, tropical rain forests have a canopy of trees that almost entirely blocks direct sunlight to the soil, this provides opportunity for organisms very different from those who occupy a savanna.  Tropical rain forests do not encounter a dry season, and encounter a lot of rain (avg. of 60 mm per month) year round.  Tropical rain forests are withing 10 degrees (north or south) of the equator.  The temperature is fairly consistent year round- rarely getting above 93 degrees Fahrenheit, and rarely getting below about 68 degrees Fahrenheit, which is pretty consistent year round, however, not as consistent as the average savanna temperature range.

The two biomes are significantly different from one another and the inhabitants of each face different challenges every day.  The organisms in each biome are equip to survive the conditions of  that biome.