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RESOURCES - BIOMES SERIES
American Deserts
American Grasslands
Freshwater Wetlands
Shorelines
American
Deserts
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What
is a Desert?
This overview of the four North American deserts explains the natural
processes that create deserts, provides maps that pinpoint the deserts,
provides maps that pinpoint the deserts' locations, describes the difference
between the deserts, and showcases representative plants and animals. BACK TO TOP |
Life
in the Desert
This program demonstrates how the desert's diverse plants and animals
have evolved special adaptations in response to their challenging environment.
It also illustrates how every species fills a specific niche and how
all life is interconnected through biological communities. BACK TO TOP
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Water
in the Desert
The desert world revolves around water. The program illustrates how plants
and animals have developed special adaptations to cope with the scarcity
of water in the desert and highlights how peoples' thirst for water is
altering the desert environment. BACK TO TOP |
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American
Grasslands
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North
American Grasslands
This program provides an overview of the various grasslands in the
continental United States and examines distinct habitats such as California, desert,
and intermountain grasslands. BACK TO TOP |
Tallgrass
Prairie
The so-called "true prairie", tall grass
prairie was once the most dramatic North American
grassland, reaching up to 12 feet in height.
Today this habitat covers only 1% of its former
range. BACK TO TOP
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Mixed
Grasslands
A combination of both short and tall grass
prairie, mixed prairie contains more plant
species than any prairie type. BACK TO TOP
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Shortgrass
Prairie
Better known as the Great Plains, this is the largest grasslands biome in North America. The grasses are less than two feet tall and are kept down by grazing animals such as buffalo. BACK TO TOP
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Coastal
Grasslands
Many people are surprised to discover that
remnant grasslands can be found along the Gulf
Coast in Texas and Louisiana and within the
Everglades. BACK TO TOP
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Grasslands
Conservation
Public and private environmental groups
are working together to save North America's
relict grasslands and restore them to their
original condition through prescribed burning
and the reintroduction of native species. BACK TO TOP
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Freshwater
Wetlands
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Lakes,
Ponds, and Pools
North America's still water habitats include temporary vernal pools,
backyard beaver ponds, and remote glacial lakes. BACK TO TOP
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Marsh
North America's widespread freshwater marshes,
such as the prairie potholes, are havens for
wildlife. BACK TO TOP
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Forested
Wetlands
Wade into the mysteries of nonriverine wetlands, ranging from spongy
bogs in the Northeast to southern bald cypress swamps. BACK TO TOP
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Rivers
and Streams
Follow a river as it journeys from its
headwaters to the sea and examine North America's
diverse waterways, including meandering blackwater
streams and raging whitewater rivers. BACK TO TOP
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Floodplain
Communities
The ebb and flow of rivers energize lively
floodplain forests and swamps. BACK TO TOP
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Water:
A User's Guide
Examine the hydrologic cycle and such timely topics as wetland alteration,
water conservation, and wetland restoration. BACK TO TOP
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Shorelines
Beach
Focusing on the ecology of shoreline habitats on both rocky and sandy coasts, this program describes the forces that shape shorelines and features habitats ranging from the inter-tidal zone to the maritime forest. BACK TO TOP
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Bay
North America's estuarine communities,
where fresh water from rivers and streams mixes
with salt water from the ocean, are amazing
nurseries for marine life. BACK TO TOP
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Marsh
Salt and brackish marshes are some of the world's most self-sufficient
habitats. Marsh-dwelling animals and plants are specially adapted to
their ever-changing environment. BACK TO TOP
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| Copyright © 2003 Distance Learning,
North Carolina Public Schools. All Rights Reserved. |
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