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Schimperian World: The Foundations of Biome Ecology
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Schimperian World: The Foundations of Biome Ecology

Ladislav Mucina and Johan Wasserman
Flora, Vol.338, 152953
2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.flora.2026.152953
Appears in  Open Access via Read & Publish Agreements
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Open Access CC BY V4.0

Abstract

Arctic-Alpine biomes Bioclimate Climatic diagram Global climate ITCZ Temperate biomes Tropics Westerlies Zonobiome Zonoecotone
Andreas F.W. Schimper, in his famous scriptum 'Pflanzengeographie auf physiologischer Grundlage’, laid the foundations of the modern biome ecology. Schimper aptly recognised heat (temperature) and ‘hydrometeore' (the water-focused part of the climatic system, including precipitation) as axes of an ecological space template of zonal biomes (‘formations’ in his terminology). He also recognised the role of soil characteristics underpinning the azonality of what was later called 'pedobiomes'. The zonal and azonal portions of the ecological space discussed here are called the Schimperian World. A graphical representation of the Zonal Schimperian World, created by Robert H. Whittaker (Whittaker's Biome Diagram), is put to the test, and a new, adjusted graphical model is presented. We show how Schimperian World has led to the definition of the zonobiome system by Heinrich Walter, which served as the basis for the development of Mucina's hierarchical Global Biome System (GBS). The GBS recognises that the contrast between the Earth's hemispheres is of major relevance for the distribution of zonobiomes. In this context, we pay increased attention to this contrast by developing novel bioclimatic indices, called Hemispheric Asymmetry and Precipitation Inequality. The application of these indices at the zonobiome level reveals precipitation seasonality as a phenomenon that has been insufficiently recognised as a global driver of biome formation. By comparing GBS with other approaches to define 'biomes', mainly those focusing on either bioclimatic or vegetation-physiognomic patterns, we conclude that GBS is conceptually superior, as it utilises climato-genetic (process-focused) criteria. The status of our knowledge of zonoecotones and their delimitation, as well as the conceptual and terminological classification of the azonal biomes representing the Azonal Schimperian World, is also briefly introduced and discussed. Major challenges the biome ecology is facing today are summarised. These include the need for global-scale biome maps, incorporating precipitation seasonality into graphical zonal templates, increased research into defining ecotonal biomes, and a more detailed elaboration of the system for azonal biomes.

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