biome

noun Ecology.

1. a complex biotic community characterized by distinctive plant and animal species and maintained under the climatic conditions of the region, especially such a community that has developed to climax.

noun

1. a major ecological community, extending over a large area and usually characterized by a dominant vegetationSee formation (def. 6)

n.

1. The total complex of biotic communities occupying and characterizing a particular area or zone, such as a desert or deciduous forest.

1. A large community of plants and animals that occupies a distinct region. Terrestrial biomes, typically defined by their climate and dominant vegetation, include grassland, tundra, desert, tropical rainforest, and deciduous and coniferous forests. There are two basic aquatic biomes, freshwater and marine, which are sometimes further broken down into categories such as lakes and rivers or pelagic, benthic, and intertidal zones.