Figure 8.16
The Mediterranean biome. (A) This photo near Tunis, Tunisia, shows the shrubland vegetation structure of the Mediterannean biome. The white strip on the hillside is a firebreak made by people that is designed to contain wildfires. (B) Climate diagram for Tunis. Average annual temperatures in the Mediterranean biome range from 5°C to 20°C (41°F to 68°F), and annual precipitation totals average 50 to 120 cm (19 to 47 in). (C) The Mediterranean biome is centered at about 35 degrees latitude, and it is geographically isolated on the western margins of five different continents. With the exception of the Mediterranean region itself, all of these locations have cold ocean currents offshore that inhibit evaporation of seawater and increase aridity. The Mediterranean biome goes by several different local names in these locations, as shown on this map.(A. © Bruno Barbier/Hemis/Alamy)