5. Tectonic Plates & Their Movement Earthquakes, volcanoes, and other geologic events are concentrated where plates separate, collide, or slide past one another. Where they separate, rifting produces very low land elevations or the emergence of new crust on the ocean floor.
22. Ice Cap Biome British Columbia, Canada The ice cap biome is devoid of vegetation, except in very few spots where enough ice or snow melts in the summer to allow tundra vegetation to grow.
23. Tundra Northern Norway Tundra vegetation is composed of mosses, lichens, shrubs, dwarfed trees, and some grasses.
24. Coniferous Forest British Columbia, Canada Needleleaf evergreen coniferous trees can stand long periods when the ground is frozen, depriving them of moisture. Coniferous forests occupy large areas of subarctic climate.
25. Desert Shrub Sinai Peninsula, Egypt Desert shrub vegetation is often found only in dry riverbeds in arid climates.
26. Steppe Eastern Turkey The steppe biome is composed mainly of short grasses and is also referred to as temperate grassland.
27. Tropical Rain Forest Dominica, West Indies The tropical rain forest climate is rainy and occurs at low latitudes. Heat and moisture are almost always present in the biome.
28. Tropical Deciduous Forest Western India The tropical deciduous forest is found in tropical areas with a dry season that still has enough moisture for tree growth. Note the Asiatic lions in the photo.
29. Scrub and Thorn Forest Northern Zimbabwe The tropical deciduous forest thins out to low, sparse scrub and thorn forest in drier areas.
30. Savanna Southern Kenya Savanna vegetation, which has taller grasses than the steppe, occurs in areas of greater overall rainfall and more pronounced wet and dry seasons.
31. Mediterranean Scrub Forest Southern California, USA The Mediterranean climate is characterized by rainless summers contrasted with cyclonic or orographic precipitation in the winter.
32. Temperate Mixed Forest Southern Missouri, USA The mixed forest is a transitional area where both needleleaf and broadleaf trees are present and compete with each other.
33. Undifferentiated Highland Vegetation San Juan Mountains, Colorado, USA Undifferentiated highland climates have a range of conditions based on elevation and exposure to wind and sun. The numerous biomes are impossible to map on a small scale.
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35. World Biodiversity Hot Spots 34 Priority Regions Identified by Conservation International