1. Biomes 3

2. 18.2 The distribution of biomes is determined by climate -Tundra -Taiga/Boreal Forest -Mountainous Coniferous -Deciduous Forest -Savanna -Shrublands -Grasslands -Desert -Subtropical & Tropical General Classification Scheme

3. Grassland

5. Grasslands are lands dominated by grass. Ha ha. Well its true. But WHY? Edaphic in some cases. Sometimes temperature. But in midwestern US- mostly disturbance driven structure. Today almost all of the grasslands of the US have been turned into soybean fields or corn.

6. Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) Characteristic species of tall grass prairie. Incredibly deep root system.

7. 18.20 Tallgrass prairie in Nebraska, in the center of the U.S.

8. American bison: Bison bison

9. Keystone species, and the center of a flourishing an vibrant human culture (Ogllala Sioux) they were nearly “hunted” to extinction by Anglos. It wasn’t hunting, actually, it was slaughter: Ecological Ignorance meets Basic Human Avarice…

10. Ogallala Aquifer Long term sustainability of Great Plains agriculture is very much in doubt… Water is in short supply, water table is dropping, the largest aquifer in the US, by far, is being depleted. Thousands of ghost towns, exceedingly low population density…

11. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_Commons

15. 18.26 Alpine grassland in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

16. -Steppe …I am not going into detail on Steppe. It is high elevation grasslands in Siberia, etc. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Re644qgnCtw

17. 18.2 The distribution of biomes is determined by climate -Tundra -Taiga/Boreal Forest -Mountainous Coniferous -Deciduous Forest -Savanna -Shrublands -Grasslands -Desert -Subtropical & Tropical General Classification Scheme

18. -Desert

19. Focus on the desert southwest Columnar Cacti/sub-tree, shrubs Sub shrubs/Opuntia Perennial grass Dune

21. Death valley

22. Sonoran desert very species rich…

23. Saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea) 10 feet tall Is found in the Sonoran desert.

24. Arches, Utah

25. Saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea) 10 feet tall Is found in the Sonoran desert.

26. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=725R5RvtiUI Side winder rattlesnake: (Crotalus cerastes)

27. Road Runner: Geococcyx californianus http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geococcyx http://www.youtube.com/watch?v= BxYUS_shPfo&NR=1

28. 18.2 The distribution of biomes is determined by climate -Tundra -Taiga/Boreal Forest -Mountainous Coniferous -Deciduous Forest -Savanna -Chaparral -Grasslands -Desert -Subtropical & Tropical General Classification Scheme

29. -Subtropical & tropical forest

30. 18.5 (A) Interior of Rara Avis Rainforest in Costa Rica, (B) Epiphytes are symbiotic commensals

31. 18.6 A tropical montane forest in the La Paz Waterfall Gardens Nature Park, Costa Rica

33. Rainforests: 6% of Earth’s surface- 50% of the species In the Amazon- - 170,000 species of plant (68% of the known total- 250,000) - In 5 acres- 300 species of tree. - 30% of all bird species

34. Insect diversity is unimaginable, and unknown: One example: 2.5 acres- 18,000 species of beetle- most of them were new to science (had no name).

35. Global Rainforest Loss 35% lost 50% lost 52% lost

39. Biomes 3