What factors contribute to different biomes around the globe?

Insolation (sunlight), temperature, and precipitation are the main abiotic factors that influence the distribution of biomes on land. These factors together determine an area's climate.

For example, a climate that is consistently sunny, hot, and wet will support a different ecosystem compared to one with seasonal changes in daylight, temperature fluctuations, and little rain. Similar ecosystems form in similar climatic conditions, and these groups are called biomes.

Higher insolation boosts photosynthesis, which converts more sunlight energy into chemical energy. This leads to more growth of plants, increasing primary productivity and supporting a more diverse ecosystem.

Warmer temperatures also raise productivity. Chemical reactions in organisms, such as photosynthesis and respiration, happen faster in higher temperatures. This results in more plant food for herbivores, more energy for herbivores to escape predators, and faster decomposition, which speeds up the cycling of important nutrients like carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus.

More precipitation provides a steady water supply for ecosystems. Water’s unique properties, like its ability to dissolve chemicals for reactions and its high heat capacity, which allows it to absorb and transport heat, are essential for life.

Each of these abiotic factors has an optimal range, known as the "Goldilocks zone" which is just right for life to thrive. This is named after a girl in a story. She wants her porridge to be ‘not too hot, not too cold, but just right.’