The chaparral biome is a part of each continent and consists of various types of terrain including mountains and plains. It is often confused with the desert biome because they share many similarities such as both being hot and dry.The chaparral biome receives more rainfall per year than the desert biome.his biome is characterized by having both forests and grassland. The summer season is very dry and can lasts up to five months. The dry summer makes the chaparral biome sensitive to fires. Occasional fires in the chaparral biome are helpful because they help balance out the living organisms and nonliving organisms.