All About Biomes: Selected Sites and Information Sources

Learn about biomes - complex and fascinating communities of plants and animals that adapt to a physical environment - by visiting the links below.

The World's Biomes
Learn about biomes, organized into five major groups - aquatic, deserts, forests, grasslands, and tundra - at this informative site, created by students at the University of California, Berkeley.

Exploring the Environment: Biomes, from Wheeling Jesuit University/NASA-supported Classroom of the Future

Biomes
Visit this terrific EdSelect collection of sites about biomes, compiled by Library Specialist Pat Elliott.

Biomes of the World
Learn about the coniferous forest, deciduous forest, tropical rainforest, tundra, ocean, fresh water, desert, and savannah at this site. Remember to look at the "Web Resources" available for each of these biomes.

Biomes - Habitats
Visit this EnchantedLearning.com site, which features information about the animals and plants that inhabit many of the earth's biomes, including: desert, tundra, chaparral (shrubby, coastal area), taiga (coniferous forest), temperate deciduous forest, grassland, tropical rain forest, land caves, wetlands, freshwater marsh, temperate ponds, and oceans.

What's It Like Where You Live?
This site, created by staff members at the Missouri Botanical Garden, features descriptions and images of biomes of the world, and fresh water and marine ecosystems.

Biomes and Habitats
Visit this site and read "A Short Introduction to Terrestrial Biomes", to learn more about various biomes, including tundra, taiga, temperate deciduous forest, grasslands, desert, and Mediterranean scrub and woodland (also called chaparral).

WorldBiomes.com
Visit this comprehensive site, which features information, images and maps, about the world's major biomes - aquatic, desert, forest, grasslands, and tundra. Be sure to check out the Frequently Asked Questions page.

Biomes, by John W. Kimball

PLANT AND ANIMAL SPECIES in the....

OCEAN

Aquatic Biomes, from WorldBiomes.com

Hydrothermal Vents, from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's New Millenium Observatory (NeMO)

Deep Sea Ecology: Hydrothermal Vents and Cold Seeps, from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
(Also see "Oases on the Ocean Floor".)

Life as we (didn't) know it / Science at NASA

The Strange Ecosystem of Hydrothermal Vents

Living at Extremes, by Peter Tyson, from PBS Online's Into the Abyss

Hydrothermal Vent, from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia

Creatures of the Thermal Vents, by Dawn Stover, from Ocean Planet, a Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibition. (This resource includes a nice list of additional links.)

Voyage of the Deep, from the University of Delaware's Graduate College of Marine Studies

Hydrothermal Vent Fauna of the Juan de Fuca Ridge, from the Hatfield Marine Science Center, Oregon State University

Black Smokers, from the American Museum of Natural History Expeditions

Hydrothermal Vents, from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego

Vent Biology, from Dive and Discover: Deeper Discovery, by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Voyage of the Deep, from the University of Delaware's Graduate College of Marine Studies (Also see Hydrothermal Vents)

SIRS Discoverer and WebFind
Check out this full-text collection of newspaper and magazine articles, reference books, pictures, government documents and recommended web sites for great information about the ocean and other biomes, including animal and plant life. Here are just a few of the many excellent articles you'll find:

"Deep Heat", by Beth Geiger, from Current Science, Mar. 17, 2006

"Weird World of the Deep", by Em Bilokur, from Ranger Rick, June 1998

"Scientists Discover New Hydrothermal Vents", by Alicia Chang, from Morning Sun (Pittsburg, KS), Dec. 5, 2005

"Dive to the Abyss", by Robert Evans, from MUSE, Dec. 2000

TUNDRA
Terrestrial Mammals of the Arctic

The Polar Regions

Tundra, from Blue Planet Biomes, created by Elisabeth Benders-Hyde and Karl Nelson

Biomes: Artic Tundra - Plants

RAINFOREST
ETE: Biomes - Tropical Rainforest

Species: In The Rainforest, from Thinkquest.org

Rainforest: from Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

GRASSLAND
Grasslands, from Blue Planet Biomes, created by Elisabeth Benders-Hyde and Karl Nelson

DESERT
Sahara Desert, from the World Wildlife Fund

Sonoran Desert, from The Encyclopedia of Earth (Learn about the scholars, scientists, educators, and institutions responsible for the high-quality content available in this terrific resource.)

Desert Wildlife of Australia, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics

DECIDUOUS FOREST
Deciduous Forest, from Blue Planet Biomes, created by Elisabeth Benders-Hyde and Karl Nelson

FULL-TEXT ENCYCLOPEDIA, MAGAZINE AND MOVIE INFORMATION SOURCES

Biome: from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This comprehensive Wikipedia article organizes biomes by latitude, the "climate-inducing factor" which determines biomes, as follows: arctic or subarctic; subarctic and boreal; temperate cold; temperate warm or sub-tropical; tropical; and aquatic. Wikipedia alse features extensive articles on each of the earth's major biomes, including:
taiga
tundra
deciduous forest
rainforest
tropical rain forest
grasslands
desert
lake
ocean
river
coast
wetland

STUDENT RESOURCE CENTER
(Ask an IMC staff member for the Library ID you'll need to log in.) Enter the simple keyword search "biome", and you will retrieve a comprehensive annotated list of the many terrestrial, marine and human-dominated biomes described in the UXL Encyclopedia of Science (2002). Be sure to look at the extensive list of biomes listed as "Related Subjects".

MIDDLE SEARCH PLUS
Search this collection of more than 140 full-text magazines selected for use by middle school students to learn more about biomes. (Ask an IMC staff member for the User ID and Password you'll need to log in.) Here are examples of the kinds of interesting articles you'll find in Middle Search Plus:

"Our World". KIDS DISCOVER (Feb. 2002)
This article offers a discussion of the earth's biomes, including: tundra; coniferous forest; deciduous forest; desert; temperate grassland; savannah; chaparral; mountain; temperate rain forest; and tropical rain forest.

"Going to Extremes", by Beth Geiger. CURRENT SCIENCE (4/22/05)
"This article focuses on biologist Roman Dial. When he was 9 years old, Dial spent the summer in Alaska with two uncles, exploring the tundra. That took him on several outdoor adventures. Dial returned to Alaska for college, where, he admits, his adventures often overshadowed his studies. But between climbing mountains and skiing across glaciers, Dial earned advanced degrees in math and biology. Dial's favorite research topic is loftier. He studies forest canopies, the topmost layers of forests, which host ecosystems different from those on forest floors. Forest canopies are difficult to reach and study, making them a perfect laboratory for an extreme scientist."

BrainPOP MOVIES ABOUT BIOMES
BrainPOP features several animated movies about biomes, including: Land Biomes, Taiga, Tundra, Deserts, and Savanna. (Ask an IMC staff member for the User Name and Password you'll need to log in to BrainPOP.)

PRINT INFORMATION SOURCES AVAILABLE IN THE IMC

Biomes of the World. Danbury, CT: Grolier Educational, 1999. (REF 577 vols.1-9)
This encyclopedia explores each of the earth's major ecological regions, defining important features, animals, and environmental issues.

Encyclopedia of Biomes, by Marlene Weigel. Boston, MA: Gale, 2000. (REF 577 Wei)
Arranged alphabetically, each volume offers comprehensive and easy-to-use information about twelve of the earth's major biomes and their many component ecosystems.

World Book Ecology. Chicago: World Book, 2001. (REF 577 Hoo)
Volumes in this series include: Life on the plains; Life in the cities; Life in the deserts; Life in the mountains; Life in the oceans; Life in the polar lands; Life in the rain forests; Life in the coastlines; Life in the woodlands; and Life on the islands. Each volume includes an examination of plant and animal life, the effects of human industrial activity, and a discussion of ways in which we can protect the environment.

RECOMMENDED FICTION

California Blue, by David Klass.
When seventeen-year-old John Rodgers discovers a new sub-species of butterfly which may necessitate closing the mill where his dying father works, they find themselves on opposite sides of the environmental conflict. (Lexile 820)
New York: Scholastic, c1994, 200 p.

Charlie's Raven, by Jean Craighead George.
When Charlie's grandfather falls ill, Charlie brings home a lively baby raven named Blue Sky because his Native American friends claim that ravens wield powerful medicine. (Lexile 710)
New York: Dutton Children's Books, 2004, 190 p.

Flush, by Carl Hiaasen.
With their father jailed for sinking a river boat, Noah Underwood and his younger sister, Abbey, must gather evidence that the owner of this floating casino is emptying his bilge tanks into the protected waters around their Florida Keys home.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf: Distributed by Random House, 2005, 272 p.

Hoot, by Carl Hiaasen.
Roy, who is new to his small Florida community, becomes involved in another boy's attempt to save a colony of burrowing owls from a proposed construction site. (Lexile 760)
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2002, 227 p.

The Maze, by Will Hobbs.
Rick, a fourteen-year-old foster child, escapes from a juvenile detention facility near Las Vegas and travels to Canyonlands National Park in Utah where he meets a bird biologist working on a project to reintroduce condors to the wild. (Lexile 720)
New York: Morrow Junior Books, c1998, 198 p.

Tangerine, by Edward Bloor.
Paul Fisher is supposed to be legally blind, although he can see well enough to play soccer. When his family moves to Tangerine, Florida, Paul doesn't expect life to be much different. His brother Erik's football dream will dominate his parents' attention, and Paul will be forgotten. But Tangerine is different than Houston--really different. When a sinkhole swallows part of Paul's middle school during a torrential rainstorm, Paul gets a chance to attend Tangerine Middle School, where he can play soccer. The Tangerine War Eagles are different than any other soccer team Paul has played on, different just like the town. The team includes guys and girls, and it's a team of misfits like Paul. Playing with the War Eagles, he finds new self-confidence and begins to see life more clearly. Something is very wrong with Paul's family, something about his brother Erik that neither of his parents will admit. Paul knows that it's only a matter of time before the real Erik reappears with disastrous consequences. Paul Fisher is supposed to be legally blind, but he sees better than anyone else in his family. (Lexile 680)-- Description by: Tom Reynolds (from NoveList)
San Diego, CA: Harcourt Brace, copyright 1997, 294 p