Ecoregions

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Buy Books on Ecoregions

Biomes are useful concepts, but are very weak in their ability to provide an accurate description of the ecosystems of North America. A much more accurate and useful system is the Ecoregion concept (sometimes also referred to as ecozones). Ecoregions are defined on similarities in plant and animal species, climate, soils, and the general topography of the landscape. Ecoregions exit at three levels of definition; domains, divisions, and provinces ranked from largest to smallest.

The editors of Nearctica believe that the ecoregion concept is very important to scientists, conservationists, and land managers. Therefore the classic manual on ecoregions is reproduced here; "Descriptions of the Ecoregions of the United States" by Robert G. Bailey. The manual is a mirror of the site supported by the U.S. Forest Service of the United States Department of Agriculture. A link to the Forest Service site is also given below.

Terrestrial Ecozones of Canada. Canada Centre for Inland Waters. This is an incredibly useful and informative web site listing the major biogeographical regions of Canada. You start with a clickable map of Canada divided into the major ecozones of Canada and proceed downward to maps and descriptions of smaller ecoregions. Ecozones at this web site are defined as geographical regions characterized by similar climates and plant species. The ecozones are subdivided into smaller eco-regions based on a more refined delineation of the characters listed above. Highly recommended.

National Ecological Framework. Canadian Soil Information System. This web page contains ARC/INFO GIS files on the ecosystems of Canada.

Description of the Ecoregions of the United States. Robert G. Bailey, U.S. Forest Service. In our opinion this is one of the most significant ecological and conservation resources on the web. In this system of ecosystem mapping, the ecoregions of the United States are divided into three levels of complexity; domains, divisions, and provinces, each defining a finer and finer subdivision of the vegetation of the country. This web site presents you with three maps, one at each level. For example the United States is divided into three major divisions, 19 divisions, and 34 provinces. Depending on which level of complexity you choose, you will fine descriptions of each subdivision. For example if you choose 212 Laurentian Mixed Forest Province you will find a page describing this ecosystem type including information on land form, climate, vegetation, soils, and animals. Highly Recommended.

U.S. Forest Service Inventory and Monitoring Institute. A wealth of information on the ecoregions of North America can be found at this web site. It contains a link to the classic "Description of the Ecoregions of the United States" by Robert G. Bailey. In addition you will find a newly revised version of the ecoregions map for all of North America. The map is on the site, but there is not enough detail to use it. However you can request a free copy of this marvelous map for yourself. There are also maps of the ecoregions of the world and of the oceans. Finally all of these maps and more are available in ARC/INFO files you can download for your Geographical Information System. Highly recommended.

Ecological Subregions of the United States. W. Henry McNab and Peter E. Avers, U.S. Forest Service. Another fabulous resource from the U.S. Forest Service. It covers much of the same information as in the publication above, but covers slightly more topics for each province including land use and cultural ecology. However, there are fewer pictures. Highly recommended.

Ecological Subregions of California. U.S. Forest Service. A detailed mapping and description of the ecological subregions of California. Each subregion is described, copiously illustrated, and information given on soils, climate, plants, animals, land use, and cultural history. Highly recommended.

California Biodiversity Council. This web site is deceptive. It has a short page on biodiversity and its value. However it has a tremendous set of resources for teachers on biodiversity. There is a news letter on the conservation of biodiversity in California. The gold nugget, however, is found if you click on biodiversity and bioregions. Within this segment of the site, if you keep clicking, is a wealth of maps and information on the ecoregions of California, their environment and vegatation, sometimes down to very local area. Highly recommended.

Alaska Ecoregions Mapping. U.S. Geological Survey. This site has a clickable map of the 20 ecoregions in alaska. Choosing any of these regions results in a page detailing the climate, physical features, vegetation, soils, land use, and other information. Recommended.