UNIT 2: BIOMES AND FOOD SECURITY

1. What is meant by 'Biomes and Food Security'?

‘Biomes and Food Security’ focuses on the following key points:

Investigating the role of the biotic environment and its role in food and fibre production
Examining the biomes of the world, their alteration and significance as a source of food and fibre, and the environmental challenges of and constraints on expanding food production in the future
Studying the previously mentioned points by investigating studies drawn from Australia and across the world

2. Introduction to Biomes, Climate and Ecosystems

This section of the course focuses on developing your understanding of biomes, as well as the role of climate in biomes and ecosystems. Here are some brief definitions to get you started:

Biomes

A biome is a large area of land that consists of distinctive plant and animal species which have adapted to their surrounding environment. Examples of types of biomes include deserts, grasslands, rainforests and oceans. The following map illustrates the spatial distribution of various biomes on a global scale.

Climate

Climate is more than just 'the weather'. It involves temperate, precipitation (rainfall) and humidity. For these reasons, it is arguably the most important environmental factor because it determines which living things can occupy a particular area. The following map illustrates the various climate zones on a global scale.

Ecosystems

An ecosystem is very similar in nature to a biome in that it is a system of living and non-living things. However, ecosystems are generally studied at much smaller scales than biomes. For example, an ecosystem could exist within a pond or a backyard. The following image illustrates an example of the components of an aquatic ecosystem.