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What is the difference between a biome and an ecosystem?

What is the difference between a biome and an ecosystem?

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    An ecosystem is a community of interacting organisms together with its abiotic environment, through which energy flows and within which nutrients cycle. An ecosystem may technically cover on a few square meters or may cover a portion of a continent. A biome is a large geographic area defined by characteristic climate features and dominant plant life. Biomes are generally found in bands of latitude around the planet. For instance, the Tropical Rainforest biome is generally located from about  10 degrees South latitude to 10 degrees North latitude (allowing for some variation), pretty much all around the equator of the earth. In this biome there are many, similar ecosystems; each differing somewhat due to the kinds or organisms found in each one and varying according to slight differences in climate and weather features, the presence or absence of things like large bodies of water, mountains, and so on. Because of the way large masses of air coil in the atmosphere, drop most of their moisture between 10 degrees North & South of the equator, then are forced down to earth as dry air masses, most of the major deserts fall around 30 degrees North or 30 degrees South of the equator. This band of dry land makes up the desert biome. Each desert area has different species of plants and animals, so there are several desert ecosystems in the Desert Biome.

Kirk Janowiak at Quora Visit the source

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There are different levels possible when looking at the distribution of species. Let's introduce more definitions. In THIS case more defintions will make the picture more clear:An ecozone is a continentally spanning region, defined by outer barriers. An ecoregion is a huge part of a landmass or ocean that has a similar climate in common. A biome is an area of similar climate where a cluster of species is distributed throughout. At any spot you might, eventually, be able to take a similar collection of species. A habitat is exactly that area a species preferres, where it lives. An ecosystem is a list of organisms (plants, animals, fungi, bacteria, ...) common within a biome and knowing their intereactions, which animals eat which organisms, which plants are fertilized or spread by which animals, which parasites promote which deseases in what animal, what are symbioses between these organisms. So if you look at several species (bacteria or fungi or plants or animals, in water or at land) and map for each its habitat (now, omit fungi and bacteria, they are everywhere) and look at those habitats they might be on separate places. forget about those. Look at habitats that have large areas in common. These patches may be biotopes to have a closer look at, with more species and how they disperse.Don't forget the seasons. Some animals tend to live in different locations depending on weather.A habitat is not a biome. A habitat may include several biomes. A biome is not a habitat, it may be part of habitats. Many biomes make an ecoregion. It is characterized by animals and plants with huge overlapping habitats.Example: The habitat of a lion will consist of the biome of a grass land and the biome of a water hole.

Rolf Kohl

1)An ecosystem can be large or small. Two  similar ecosystems are considered as “two similar ecosystems” rather  than “one ecosystem” unless the land in between them is also included. 2)the word biome is used for visually similar but not necessarily connected areas. 3)An ecosystem is generally small when  compared to the size of a biome because unlike an ecosystem a biome may  be distributed throughout on the entire earth.

Robert Sampson

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