BIOMES

A BIOME SYSTEM  IS RECOGNIZED ON THE BASIS OF COMMUNITIES, OF CHARACTERISTIC COMBINATIONS OF ANIMAL AND PLANT SPECIES, OF SUCCESSIONAL  RELATIONS BETWEEN  COMMUNITIES AND THE SUCCESSIONAL RELATIONS BETWEEN COMMUNITIES AND  THE SUCCESSION IN ALL LOCAL HABITATS WHICH EVENTUALLY CONVERT INTO A CLIMAX COMMUNITY PATTERN' AND FORMS THE MOST IMPORTANT  ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTIC OF A GEOGRAPHIC AREA.

THE PRINCIPAL GEOGRAPHIC UNIT IN A ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM IS THE BIOME. THE BIOME IS DIVIDED INTO PLANT ASSOCIATIONS, DISTINGUISHED  BY UNIFORMITY IN THE SPECIES COMPOSITION OF THE CLIMAX PLANT DOMINANCE AND BIOCIATIONS, IDENTIFIED BY UNIFORMITY AND DISTINCTIVENESS IN THE SPECIES COMPOSITION OF THE CLIMAX COMMUNITY, PARTICULARLY OF THE ANIMAL PREDOMINANT. SOME NINE TERRESTRIAL BIOMES AND FOUR MARINE BIOMES ARE RECOGNIZED. ON LAND, THE MOST IMPORTANT CLIMAX SPECIES ARE USUALLY PLANT DOMINANTS THAT OCCUR IN DISTINCTIVE VEGETATION AND LANDSCAPE TYPES; IN THE OCEAN, THE MOST IMPORTANT ORGANISM  THAT DEFINE BIOMES ARE USUALLY THE PREDOMINANT  ANIMALS WHICH ARE ALSO SOMETIMES ALSO DOMINANTS.