What defines a biome?

A biome is characterized as a large ecological area that is defined by its climate, soil, plants, and animals. This definition encompasses the key components that determine the types of ecosystems that can exist within a biome, including temperature, precipitation, and the physical characteristics of the environment.

Biomes can vary significantly in their characteristics; for example, deserts, forests, grasslands, and tundras all represent different biomes with distinct climates and communities of organisms. The interactions between the climate and the biological aspects (flora and fauna) of a biome help in classifying the region and understanding the ecological dynamics present there.

The other options do not accurately encapsulate what a biome is. For instance, a small ecological area defined by one plant species would be too limited in scope, and a region without any life would not qualify as a biome at all. Similarly, a geographical area solely defined by human populations lacks the crucial ecological components that are integral to the concept of a biome. Thus, the comprehensive nature of the large ecological area defined by various environmental factors makes the second option the correct definition of a biome.