Biosphere

• biosphere contains the entirety of earth's living things; this is the global ecological system integrating all living things and their relationship, including their interactions with the elements of the lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere
• biosphere is sometimes referred to as the "zone of life"
• the term "biosphere" was coined by edward suess in 1875
• biosphere is divided into biomes, the world's major communities. classified according to the predominant vegetation and characterized by adaptations of organisms into a particular climate
• five major biomes:

  • aquatic
  • forest
  • desert
  • tundra
• aquatic biome include freshwater (pond, lakes, rivers) and marine (ocean, estuaries)
• forest biome include tropical, temperate, and boreal forests. as well as taiga. they can be either dominated by grasses or large shrubs or trees
• desert biome is characterized by low rainfall. most deserts have specialized vegetations and animals adapted to its conditions
• tundra biome is the coldest of all biomes. has low biotic diversity and simple vegetation structure