terrestrial and aquatic
44.3 | Terrestrial Biomes By the end of this section, you will be able to: Identify the two major abiotic factors that determine terrestrial biomes Recognize distinguishing characteristics of each of the eight major terrestrial biomes The Earths biomes are categorized into two major groups: terrestrial and aquatic. Terrestrial biomes are based on land, while aquatic biomes include both ocean and freshwater biomes. The eight major terrestrial biomes on Earth are each distinguished by characteristic temperatures and amount of precipitation. Comparing the annual totals of precipitation and fluctuations in precipitation from one biome to another provides clues as to the importance of abiotic factors in the distribution of biomes. Temperature variation on a daily and seasonal basis is also important for predicting the geographic distribution of the biome and the vegetation type in the biome. The distribution of these biomes shows that the same biome can occur in geographically distinct areas with similar climates Figure 44.12 .