Biomes and Ecosystems (PDF)

Biomes and Ecosystems is a comprehensive review of key biological and geographic classifications tied to the high-school and college curriculum. The reference work covers the broad scope of biomes and ecosystems around the world, from puddles on the street to coral reefs in Australia to rain forests in Brazil to the tundra in Siberia. Each article delves into the properties that make the subject a biome or ecosystem, and how those features work together. Especially targeted toward high-school students, this reference work is edited to make the content readily accessible as well to patrons of public, academic, and university libraries.

The work introduces readers to hundreds of specific species of fauna and flora found in ecosystems ranging from relatively pristine atolls to recognized environmental catastrophes. It goes beyond description of these species to show how they interact with each other and with their environment, and how human activities have affected them over time. Many species endemic to unique ecosystems, such as the freshwater seals of Lake Baikal, which are found hundreds of miles from any ocean, are covered along with invasive species that affect native fauna and flora, such as the crown-of-thorns starfish and the zebra mussel. Endangered animals are featured in the context of the environmental problems specific to their biomes, and include Australia’s night parrot, the Siamese crocodile, and the Amur leopard. Conservation success stories, such as the return of sustainable population of black robins to the Chatham Islands in the Pacific, are accompanied by detailed, up-to-date information on national parks, marine sanctuaries, wildlife refuges around the world, and their management.