GCSE-readyWorld biomes and climate graphs
Travel from the Equator to the poles and the plants and animals change in a clear pattern. These large natural regions are called biomes, and climate is the main reason they are where they are.
What is a biome?
Climate is the main control: temperature and rainfall decide which plants can grow. Soils, height and distance from the sea matter too.
The UK's natural biome is temperate deciduous forest: trees like oak and beech that lose their leaves in winter.
A pattern by latitude
Further out are savanna grasslands with a wet and a dry season.
At about 30 degrees north and south, dry air sinks, so there are hot deserts.
In the mid-latitudes are temperate forests and temperate grasslands.
Further north are huge cold boreal forests (taiga), then treeless tundra near the Arctic.
High mountains have bands of biomes too, because it gets colder with height.
| Biome | Climate | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Tropical rainforest | Hot and wet all year | Amazon |
| Savanna | Hot; wet and dry seasons | Serengeti, East Africa |
| Hot desert | Very dry; hot days | Sahara |
| Temperate deciduous forest | Mild; rain all year | Much of the UK and Western Europe |
| Boreal forest (taiga) | Long cold winters | Siberia, Canada |
| Tundra | Very cold; short summer | Northern Canada, Arctic Russia |
Reading a climate graph
Bars show monthly rainfall (mm), read on one axis. A line shows average monthly temperature (degrees C), read on the other axis.
To describe it: give the highest and lowest temperatures, the range (highest minus lowest), the wettest and driest months and the total rainfall. Then link it to a biome.
A place has average temperatures between 26 and 28 degrees C every month and rain in every month, about 2,500 mm in a year. Which biome is it likely to be?
- The temperature is high all year, with a tiny range of 2 degrees C.
- There is heavy rain in every month, with no dry season.
- Hot and wet all year matches the tropical rainforest.
Answer: Tropical rainforest
A biome is a huge ecosystem shaped mainly by climate. From the Equator: rainforest, savanna, hot desert near 30 degrees, temperate forest and grassland, boreal forest, tundra. Climate graphs show rainfall as bars and temperature as a line; describe highs, lows, range and wettest and driest months.
- Climate
- The average weather of a place, usually measured over 30 years.
- Equator
- The imaginary line around the middle of the Earth at 0 degrees latitude.
- Biome
- A large ecosystem covering a big area of the world, such as tropical rainforest or hot desert.
- Ecosystem
- A community of living things and their non-living environment, such as soil, water and climate.
- Not “Monthly temperature”. Temperature is usually the line.
Try two quick questions
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2 more questions
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Which of these is a biome?
- A garden pond
- Tundra
- A hedge
- A city
Show the answer
Answer: Tundra
Biomes are global-scale ecosystems.
Which trees are typical of the UK's natural woodland?
- Oak, ash and beech
- Palm trees
- Baobabs
- Cacti
Show the answer
Answer: Oak, ash and beech
Temperate deciduous forest has broadleaf trees.
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Checked by the GCSE-ready editorial team, 23 October 2026. Last updated 2 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we will fix it.