Previous Year Question

An Anthropogenic Biome or Anthrome is a broad ecological region whose structure and functioning are strongly influenced by human population, land use and sustained human activities.

Cropland is a clear example because natural vegetation is transformed and the land is continuously managed for agricultural production. Activities such as tillage, irrigation, crop selection, fertilizer application and harvesting influence the structure of the ecosystem.

In scientific classifications of Anthropogenic Biomes, Croplands constitute a major category. Other major categories include Dense settlements, Villages, Rangelands and Forested anthromes. Columbia University's SEDAC classification describes anthropogenic biomes using population density and vegetation/land-use patterns.

In contrast, Grassland and Rain forest are fundamentally natural terrestrial biome types, while Fresh water represents a natural aquatic ecosystem. They may certainly be modified by humans, but human modification alone does not make their basic biome category inherently anthropogenic.