Title: Biomes of the Southern Hemisphere: Introduction and Approach
Abstract:Biomes are large-scale biotic communities (ecosystems) distinguished by specific ecological functionality and evolutionary origins. They can be studied and delimited using functional variables but als...Biomes are large-scale biotic communities (ecosystems) distinguished by specific ecological functionality and evolutionary origins. They can be studied and delimited using functional variables but also using physiognomic and vegetation-textural surrogates. Biomes are spatially explicit units, and as such, they can be seen as complexes of biotic communities at various hierarchical levels, including zonobiomes, global biomes, continental biomes, and regional biomes. Each of these categories has its characteristic own set of ecological drivers. Walter's zonobiome system is possibly the most common biome system coined to explain the diversity of large-scale biotic communities on Earth. It is a bioclimatic approach, recognising the role of climatic factors driving the zonal biome patterns at large scales. It also provides for biomes driven by other factors, such as soils and hydrology, called azonal biomes. This chapter aims to revisit the usefulness of the zonal/azonal conceptual framework in the ocean-dominated Southern Hemisphere. It puts significant emphasis (at the large-scale biome levels) on the climato-genetic drivers, modern tools of bioclimatology, and sources of bioclimatic data. By doing so, this chapter is also a prelude to the formulation of a new zonobiome system, serving as a basis for a Global Hierarchical Biome System.Read More
Publication Year: 2023
Publication Date: 2023-01-01
Language: en
Type: book-chapter
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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