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Biomes are areas of the planet with similar climates, landscapes, animals and plants. What lives in each biome depends on:

• how warm or cold it is
• how dry or wet it is
• how fertile the soil is

The animals in a biome depend on plants for food.

The plants in a biome can also depend on the animals to spread pollen and seeds so new plants can grow. So both plants and animals rely on each other to stay alive.

1. Rainforests

Tropical rainforests are hot and wet all year round.

They are home to half of all the different types of plants and animals on the planet.

This part of the Amazon tropical rainforest in Peru is home to these brightly-coloured Macaws. They eat seeds and like to nest in holes, like hollow trees. They eat mud from riverbanks in the forest, as it contains special minerals they need for their diet.

2. Deserts

Deserts are dry all year round.

Only a few plants might grow, such as small shrubs or cacti, because the soil is shallow and rocky. Animals come out at dusk when it is cooler.

3. Savannah

The savannah is hot all year round with a long, dry season.

Only grasses and shrubs grow here. It is home to lots of different types of animals such as elephants, zebras and wildebeest.

4. Woodlands

Woodlands are habitats where the main plants found are trees, but mosses, ferns and lichen can also be found.

The climate is warm and mild, with more rain falling in the winter than in the summer.

5. Grasslands

Grasslands are areas of land that are vast and open. Grasses are the main plants.

The largest grasslands are found in East Africa. Zebras, giraffes, elephants and rhinos all live in grasslands.

6. Tundra

The tundra is the coldest of all the biomes. There is very little rain or snow and the temperatures are freezing. Winters are long and summers are short. Part of the soil is frozen all year round, although the top part defrosts in summer and plants such as mosses can grow.

In the Arctic, the ice provides a natural hunting ground for the polar bear where it can find its favourite prey: seals.

The polar bear is top of the food chain here although melting ice due to climate change is threatening the balance of this biome.

At the other end of the Earth, the Antarctic Polar region has the same climate zone, but different animals live there. The Antarctic has no polar bears, but it does have penguins.

Healthy rainforest biomes are rich in biodiversity. It means lots of different plants and animals live there. Rainforests like the Amazon have lots of natural resources and are also a source of medicines and food.

These vast forests store carbon too, but they are threatened by deforestation and climate change. Scientists say that unless we manage this rainforest more carefully, we will lose it.

There is a link between climate, vegetation and biomes. Tropical hot wet climates are found close to the Equator where the energy from the Sun is more concentrated. The tropical rainforests of the world are located close to the Equator, between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer.