Biomes, Elevation, & Distance: How Complex is This?

I’m working on a project as a writer/developer for a concept created by a full-time illustrator and concept artist. I’m working on the map, but I’m struggling to understand the concepts of how biomes, elevation, and distance work on maps. I know the “copy the world map” method is possible (then reshape things), but there are some variables that don’t fit that approach. I know there are ways to do this, but I’m not sure how complex it is. Can people look at some basic locations numbers and distances and know what is possible and not possible. Does the above average (or average) worldbuilder know what happens to the biomes when you add in elevation? How close can biomes be to each other, on an earth sized world?

Who is the expert in this? Should I not feel the need to hire someone to look at a basic map and explain my options? Can I hire someone?

How complex is this?