What characterizes a biome?

A biome is characterized by large ecological areas that have distinct climates and specific types of vegetation and animal life adapted to those conditions. These areas encompass consistent patterns of temperature, precipitation, and other environmental factors, which shape the types of ecosystems found within them.

Biomes can include deserts, forests, grasslands, tundras, and more, each exhibiting unique adaptations in flora and fauna that allow them to thrive in their specific environment. These adaptations result from the evolutionary processes that take place over long periods in response to the climatic conditions of the area.

The other options do not accurately capture the concept of a biome. Specific soil types pertain more to local environmental conditions than to the broader characteristics of a biome. A variety of different ecosystems can exist within a biome, but this is not the defining feature; instead, it's the climate and ecological makeup that characterize a biome. Unique species that can survive only in isolation point more towards niche adaptations rather than the comprehensive traits of a biome, which encompasses multiple species adapted to living in similar climatic conditions across a larger area.