World Wildlife Fund – Conservation Science > Ecoregions:
http://worldwildlife.org/science/ecoregions.cfm

1. What is an ecoregion? 
   

2. Click on “Biomes” in the navigation bar on the left side of the screen (or go to http://worldwildlife.org/science/ecoregions/biomes.cfm)  What are the names of the 8 biomes and biogeographical realms identified?

 

National Geographic/World Wildlife Fund – WildWorld:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/wildworld

3. Click the “Global 200 Priority Areas for Conservation” map.  Click and drag your mouse pointer to make a red box around the eastern United States (colored shades of blue and green); pan around until you can see and click on the light blue area labeled “202”; this pops up another window.

a. What area is identified? 

b. To which biome does it belong?

c. What is an estuary?

d. What problems are occurring in this ecoregion?

4. Close the estuary window. Under “Choose a Map,” click “Terrestrial Ecoregions,” then click on Philadelphia (turquoise area, labeled “NA0411.”

a. What is the name of this ecoregion (NA0411)? 

b. To which biome does it belong?

c. What problems are occurring in this ecoregion?

Lands in Transition – Complex Decisions in the Lake Tahoe Basin:  
http://www.gouldcenter.psu.edu/lit

5. What types of trees are found in the area? Draw a diagram showing the zones of predominant tree types before 1870.

6. Why was the forest logged so heavily from 1860-1900?

7. Why was the forest more open with bigger trees before logging (1850s) than today?

8. Click on the link to find out how biogeographers reconstruct forest history.

a. For what 3 reasons do the researchers collect fire-scarred stumps? 

b. What causes tree rings to be narrow or wide?

9. Describe the pattern of fires in the Tahoe Basin. What are the causes of fires in different areas?

10.  Why were there more fires before the mid-19th century than there are today?

11. What are the relationships between present tree density and stresses on the trees in the Tahoe Basin? 

 
Mike Ritter’s Geography of the Physical Environment – Soil Systems:  
http://www.uwsp.edu/geo/faculty/ritter/geog101/textbook/soil_systems/title_page.html

12. What is weathering and how is it related to soil?





13. What is soil texture?



14. To what texture class would a soil having 20% clay, 40% silt, and 40% sand belong?


15. What is the pH level of most good agricultural soils?

16. Why are soils that are too acidic or too alkaline not good for agriculture?







17. What are the 5 factors of soil formation?

FYI:  For information on Rachel Carson and her book Silent Spring, visit http://www.rachelcarson.org