Science 8: Biomes

The purpose of this Web-Pak is to provide information resources on a specific class project/assignment. It is meant to be a starting point for student research on the Internet.

General:

• Biomes Around the World - Rainforest, Tundra, Taiga, Desert, Temperate, and Grasslands. Each section provides information on the location of the biome, what it's like, the plants, animals, interactions, along with relevant links
• Ecosystems of the World - includes definitions of ecosystems, how humans have affected ecosystems, and the major biomes
• Land Biomes: Biology- includes text on savannahs, grasslands, deserts, chapparals, temperate forests, taigas and tundras, along with Internet links for each biome
• Tour of Biomes - includes basic description of Biomes, graphs, a table summarizing moisture, temperature, vegetation, soils, and plants & animals. This site also provides descriptions of the major biomes of the world: Tropical Rainforest, Tropical Savannah, Mid-Latitude Deciduous Forest, Desert, Subarctic Taiga, Polar Tundra
• The World's Biomes - an introduction to the major biomes on Earth: Aquatic, Deserts, Grasslands, Forests, and Tundra. Inlcudes pictures, descriptions of different types of each biome (e.g. Desert - Hot & Dry, Semiarid, Coastal, and Cold)

Specific Biomes:

• Amazon Life - includes detailed information on this rainforest, its ecology, environmental impact, solutions, and biodiversity
• Iowa Prairie Network - dedicated to preserving the NA prairie biome. Includes links to sites providing information on prairie wildflowers, wetlands, etc.
• PBS Living Edens - includes places like Madagascar and the Namib Desert
• Science Museum of Minnesota:
• The Amazon - includes description of the river and its erosion, a map of the Amazon Basin, and Dr. Kean's notes on the Amazon (geographic description, the river basin, flora & fauna, settlement, cycles of flow)
• Greenland
• The Namib Desert (Namibia, West Africa)
• Taiga or Boreal Forest

Maps:

• National Geographic Map Machine: Index - don't know where a specific biome is? (e.g. Nambia Desert), then look it up in the index and link to a map providing its location

Miscellaneous:

• Biome Quiz - provides a question/answer quiz on each biome, along with additional information
• Needham High School Biome Page (gr 9):
• Desert
• The Sahara Desert
• Deciduous Forest
• Decidous Forest2
• Tundra
• Grassland
• Taiga
• Taiga2
• Tropical Rain Forest
• African Grasslands
• Thurston High School (gr 9) Biome Project - includes the biomes: marine, tundra, desert, savannah, grassland, tropical rain forest, deciduous forest, and coniferous forest (Taiga)
• WWF: Global Network HomePage - this is an environmental site which includes information on climate, conservation, the living planet, endangereds seas, forests for life, Earth report. etc.

Databases:

• The Brainium
• National Geographic Online - type biomes in the 3rd section (Search NGS Library) to find articles about particular biomes published in the National Geographic Magazine