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Biosphere Map Set Group B

Biosphere (Ecosystems) Large Scale/Local Map

Source: USGS The National Map Viewer (Link: http://viewer.nationalmap.gov/viewer/)

The northwest part of the United States has a mixed bag colors on the map.
Although close in proximity, these areas have different characteristics. The
dark green on the western part of Oregon is the temperate rain forest, which
is also referred to as the marine west coast forest. The dark green areas
represent lush vegetation, which include some of the most gargantuan trees
at 200-300 feet. Some of the oldest living organism can also be found here.
In addition to the vegetation the redwood forests are home to many animal
life forms because of the cool and shady conditions. These animal life forms
include the black bear, banana slugs, the northern spotted owl, and Pacific
tree frog. Inversely, Central Oregon is brown on the map which represents an
arid region. This is caused by the rain shadow effect of the Cascades.
Subsequently, the animal and plant life are not as diversified.

Biosphere (Ecosystems) Medium Scale/Regional Map

Source: USGS The National Map Viewer (Link: http://viewer.nationalmap.gov/viewer/)

The United States (North America, in general) is part of a biogeographical

realm that is characterized by its assortment of forests, chaparral, and desert
biomes. This is corroborated by the multiple shades of greens and browns on
the map. Areas in brown are typically more arid. Whereas, areas that are
green are moist. The type of living organisms and vegetation will differ from
area to area depending on the climate.

Biosphere (Ecosystems) Small Scale/Global Map

Source: USGS The National Map Viewer (Link: http://viewer.nationalmap.gov/viewer/)

The patterns of the biosphere are a direct result of climate changes and the
structure or position of the continents and oceans. Each biome is
characterized by the animals and plants that have found their niche within
the conditions of the environment. The biosphere is split into different
biogeographical realms which include the following: Nearctic realm,
Palaearctic realm, Neotropical realm, Afrotropical realm,
Australian/Australasian realm, Indomalayan realm, Antarctic realm, and
Oceanian realm. The ecosystem feature was only available for the United
States. However, as an example South America is part of the Neotropical
realm and consists mainly of tropical forests, savannas, and deserts. This is
evidenced by the different shades of green and brown on the map.

Screencast URL:
Group B:
Lauren Pulido
Katrina Caberte
Brianna Savoy
Evie Phung
Amie Mossbarger
Professor Tina White
GEOG001_33638
Spring 2015