What local factors affect biomes?

What local factors affect biomes?

Four factors can affect biomes on a local level. These are altitude, rock type, soil and drainage.

Altitude: For every 100m climbed up a hill or mountain, the temperature falls between 0.5°C and 1°C, impacting the vegetation that can be found in these regions. Thinner soils and steeper slopes will reduce dense forests, with them being replaced by grasses, which are hardier and more adapted to the higher altitudes. Mountains located in tropical biomes, such as Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, feature tropical rainforests on the lower slopes, but as you reach higher, the landscape changes to scrubland, with limited vegetation. This changes further to a tundra-like desert with only mosses, lichens and tough grasses able to survive in the frozen landscape near the summit.

Rock Type: Rock type can impact the types of vegetation that can be dominant in certain areas. Soft rock, such as chalk, wears away more quickly than hard rock, such as granite. Areas where there are more permeable rocks (rock that allows water to soak through), such as sandstone or chalk, may encourage vegetation to grow. In contrast, impermeable rocks (rocks that do not let water soak through), such as marble and slate, may limit the type of vegetation that can grow. Due to the alkaline soils produced by limestone rocks, beech trees have been replacing oak trees as the dominant species in areas such as the limestone pavements of Yorkshire.

Soils: Soils are made up of water, air, particles of animals, rock and dead plants. Soil types also affect the diversity of plants and animals found in a biome. Nutrient-rich soils can support more vegetation. The acidity, drainage and thickness of soils also affect whether plants can grow. Different soil types have different benefits.

• Sandy soils: Draining efficiently due to the tiny gaps between the grains, sandy soil is pale in colour. Rye and barley can grow in this type of soil as they have some tolerance to drought.
• Clay soils: With few air gaps, clay does not easily drain. However, clay holds nutrients, and wheat, beans and grass grow well in this soil type.
• Chalky soil: Supporting grass and barley, water drains through chalky soil quickly.
• Peat: acidic and rich in nutrients, peat is different in structure as it does not contain rock particles. It is made up of decayed plants and is dark and crumbly in nature. Peat is used for cattle grazing and forestry projects.

Drainage: Areas that become frequently waterlogged due to impermeable rocks can prevent trees from growing. This leads to the formation of peat bogs and marshland, with adapted plants such as bulrushes being found there.