The world’s largest tropical island, New Guinea is located north of Australia, just south of the equator. It is tectonic in origin, with large changes in elevation and many different habitats. Because of its size and varied terrain, New Guinea has a greater variety of habitats than any similar-sized land area in the world. In […]

Many of Europe’s flowering plants are similar to those in North America, belonging to many of the same genera but to different species. Some of the most common North American flowering plants have cousins in Europe, but their location varies according to their latitude and altitude. Climate and Soil The most important factor determining the […]

The primary characteristics of African tropical forests are their extremely lush growth, high species diversity, and complex structure. The diversity is often so great that a single tree species cannot be identified as dominant in an area. Relatively large trees, such as ironwood, iroko, and sapele, predominate. Forest trees grow so close together that their […]

Botanists view the region ranging from central China to the Himalayas to the northern part of South Asia as a key area for research into the origin of flowering plants. Native plant species in Asia are numerous; botanists also study Asian plants that are relics of ancient times, from millions of years ago, as well […]

Asian plants, which include ferns, gymnosperms, and flowering vascular plants, make up 40 percent of the earth’s plant species. The endemic plant species come from more than forty plant families and fifteen hundred genera. Asia is divided into five major vegetation regions based on the richness and types of each region’s flora: tropical rain forests […]

In all three types of forest a complex system of interrelationships governs the ecological well-being of the forest and its inhabitants. Trees and animals have evolved to fit into particular environmental niches. Some wildlife may need one resource provided by one species of tree in the forest during one season and a resource provided by […]

The boreal forest, which lies in a band across the northern United States, Canada, northern Europe, and northern Asia, is primarily a coniferous forest. The dominant species are trees such as white spruce, hemlock, and white pine. Mixed stands of northern hardwoods, such as birch, sugar maple, and red oak, may be found along the […]

Rice is the main food for humans in Asia, especially in the tropics. In temperate Asia, wheat one of the world’s main food sources joins rice as a primary food source. Various beans and peas provide plant protein in the human diet and are eaten with vegetables and grains. Asia has many tropical fruit plants, […]

The temperate forest lies between the tropical forest and the boreal, or northern, forest. The forests of the Mediterranean region of Europe as well as the forests of the southern United States are temperate forests. Trees in temperate forests can be either deciduous or coniferous. Although coniferous trees are generally thought of as evergreen, the […]

In the Atacama Desert, one of the world’s driest, some moisture is available, but it is limited to certain zones. Coastal regions below 3,280 feet (1,000 meters) receive regular fog (called camanchacas). Rainfall is so low in the Atacama Desert that even cacti (which normally store water) can hardly acquire enough water from rainfall alone, […]

The central plains of North America, a wide swath from the Texas coast north to Saskatchewan, Canada, were once vast grassland, the prairie. The climate there is too dry to support trees, except along rivers. From west to east, there is a transition from the more desert like short-grass prairie (the Great Plains), through the […]

The vast region of the Pacific Ocean collectively called Oceania holds thousands of islands. Oceania spreads across the Pacific from 20 degrees north latitude to 50 degrees south latitude and from longitude 125 degrees east to 130 degrees west. The major groupings of islands are Melanesia, Micronesia, Polynesia, and New Zealand. Melanesia (“black islands”) is […]

Herbs or wildflowers have spread across the continents much as shrubs have. Many of the most common North American wildflowers, such as the dandelion, are immigrants. So is the wild strawberry as well as the plantain that infests lawns. Many wildflowers are both European and American in origin, although in most cases the species differ. […]

South America’s floristic diversity is increased by its high mountains, especially the Andes Mountains, which extend from north to south along the western part of the continent for much of its length. South America has such diverse biomes as tropical rain forests, tropical savannas, extremely dry deserts, temperate forests, and alpine tundra. The largest of […]