Deserts 

What abiotic features define this biome?

Roots

• Water storage tubers in roots (See specialized roots)

• Extremely deep tap roots

Stems

• Water storage stems (see specialized stems)

  • Although most desert plants (>85%) do not show structural adaptations to conserve water. (Gibson 1998)

• Cladophylls (see specialized stems)

• Rhizomes

Leaves

• Succulent leaves (See specialized leaves)

• Reduced leaf area (See specialized leaves)

• Reduced number of stomata (See specialized leaves)

• Sunken stomata (See specialized leaves)

• Hypodermis (See specialized leaves)

• Spiral/curly leaves (See specialized leaves)

• Hairy leaves to reflect UV light

• Window leaves (See specialized leaves)

• Deciduous leaves - e.g. remove leaves to avoid desiccation (See specialized leaves)

Entire plant

• Tubers, corms, and bulbs (See specialized roots, specialized stems, and specialized leaves)

• Annual and biennial habit

Tundra

What abiotic features define this biome?

• Ground-hugging forms, mats, and cushion-like plants

• Reduced leaf area (See specialized leaves)

• Darker leaves which can absorb more heat energy from sun

• Hairy leaves to retain moisture

• Quick growth during short growth season

• Dwarfed shrubs and trees

• Evergreen plants

• Compact inflorescences to reduce heat loss

• Wind-dispersal is common

Grasslands

What abiotic features define this biome?

• Rhizome-bearing plants, such as grasses

• Basal meristems, to avoid large herbivores

• Fire-resistance in plants

• C4 photosynthesis (see photosynthesis)

• Bulliform cells in leaves

• Wind-pollination in grasses

• Large showy flowers in "forbs"

Taiga

What abiotic features define this biome?

• Evergreen leaves

• Reduced leaf area (See specialized leaves)

• Sunken stomata (See specialized leaves)

• Hypodermis (See specialized leaves)

• Deciduous leaves - a few angiosperms are deciduous in this biome (See specialized leaves)

• Root suckers in some angiosperm trees

Temperate deciduous forests

What abiotic features define this biome?

• Deciduous leaves - avoid desiccation in drying winter (See specialized leaves)

• Spring ephemeral plants with bulbs or corms

• Early flowering herbs 

• Wind-pollinated trees with catkins (e.g. oaks, ashes, birches, etc.)

• Shrubs with flowery bracts to attract pollinators (e.g. dogwoods)

• Sun and shade leaves (See specialized leaves)

• Autumn color change - e.g. using secondary pigments for photosynthesis (See specialized leaves)

Rainforests

What abiotic features define this biome?

• Large showy flowers to aid in pollination

• Shade-adapted understory plants

• Large leaves in understory plants

• Lianas and vines

• Pneumatophores, buttress, and prop roots (See specialized roots)

• Epiphytes (e.g. bromeliads, orchids, forests cacti)

• Water storage stems in forests cacti (see specialized stems)

• Velamen on roots in orchids (See specialized roots)

• Cup-like rosette of leaves in bromeliads

Bogs

What features define this biome?

• Peat-dominated wetlands

• Acid-tolerant plants

• Carnivorous leaves (See specialized leaves)

• Succulence (See specialized leaves)

• Reduced leaf area (See specialized leaves)

Marshes

What features define this biome?

• Grass-dominated wetlands

• Rhizome-bearing plants, such as grasses

• Basal meristems, to avoid large herbivores

Swamps

What features define this biome?

• Tree-dominated wetlands

• Prop or stilt roots in tropical swamps

Lacustrine

What features define this biome?

• Lakes and ponds