biome

American  

[bahy-ohm] / ˈbaɪ oʊm /

noun

Ecology.

1. a complex biotic community characterized by distinctive plant and animal species and maintained under the climatic conditions of the region, especially such a community that has developed to climax.

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biome British  

/ ˈbaɪˌəʊm /

noun

1. a major ecological community, extending over a large area and usually characterized by a dominant vegetation See formation

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biome Scientific  

/ bī′ōm′ /

1. A large community of plants and animals that occupies a distinct region. Terrestrial biomes, typically defined by their climate and dominant vegetation, include grassland, tundra, desert, tropical rainforest, and deciduous and coniferous forests. There are two basic aquatic biomes, freshwater and marine, which are sometimes further broken down into categories such as lakes and rivers or pelagic, benthic, and intertidal zones.

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Etymology

Origin of biome

First recorded in 1915–20; bi- ² + -ome, indicating a mass or part of something ( see -oma)

Explanation

A biome is a specific environment that's home to living things suited for that place and climate. A desert biome is great for a lizard, but a koala needs the leafy greens of a forest biome. A plant or animal makes its home in a specific biome, which is pronounced "BI-ohm." While a biome can range from an arctic tundra to a tropical rain forest, living things need to stay in the biome that's best suited to keeping them alive and growing. Scientists in the field of ecology, the study of the environmental connections between living things, work to understand the effects of climate change and population growth on biomes.

Example Sentences

Your gut biome is the holy grail of wellness, so it’s only natural us humans would want to find it, conquer it and aggressively exploit it.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

If I rigorously follow my new diet plan, he says, I could see a change to my gut biome "within a few weeks", he explains.

From BBC • Jan. 12, 2026

About five hours into Ultros, you realize this heady biome is both a sarcophagus and the place of birth for something dark and unknown.

From New York Times • Feb. 21, 2024

"This means that we need to protect plants and their fungal endophytes across the boreal biome, and not just in one location, or we risk losing vital biodiversity and protective fungi in these important forests."

From Science Daily • Feb. 20, 2024

We open a door near the bathroom and pierce a seal into an entirely different biome of the hospital—red brick, indoor trees, posters of notable doctors who practiced there.

From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini

Related Words

• ecosystem
• habitat