WETLAND, FOREST & OTHER BIOMES

BIOMES: "A major community of living or-
ganisms; a complex of climax communities
of plants and animals in a major region."
"A major life zone, biotic formation."
"A major ecological community type."

TUNDRA BIOMES: ALPINE & ARCTIC
Ecosystems unique for their long, cold winters, deep snows, absence of trees and specially adapted plant and animal life. 2 programs. 40 slides and guides.
EP #118X SLIDES
$72.50

*****************************************************************************************************************
SAVE OVER $12.00 ON 2 SLIDE SET BUNDLE ORDER EP #118X.............$72.50
*****************************************************************************************************************

ECOLOGY OF THE ARCTIC TUNDRA Order #118..........$42.50

The arctic tundra is that biome sandwiched between the icecap and the densely
forested taiga: a treeless undulating plain of water, insects and permafrost. This set
describes the geology and representative plants and animals of the region, as well as
some of the threats to its future. Photographs: landscape, rivers and lakes, lichen,
fireweed, cloudberry, pintail, jaeger, snowy owl, musk ox, caribou, polar bear, salmon
fishery and tundra village. 20 slides and guide.

CONTENT SAMPLE: 20215 The other major herbivore of the tundra is the caribou
(Rangifer tarandus). Very closely related to the European reindeer, caribou are the only American
deer in which both sexes have antlers. Antlers are shed annually, males in the late fall, females
in the spring. They start to grow again immediately.

Some caribou herds spend the year on the tundra, but most are migratory, spending
winter in the margin of the taiga and migrating northwards in spring. These migrations of
thousands of animals follow the same routes used for many hundreds of years. The calves are
born on the summer feeding grounds, and in a few days are up and able to move with the herd.
They are ready to migrate back with the herd in the fall.

Caribou are constantly harassed by wolves and provide a major part of their diet. Human
predators, too, have depleted their numbers so that the remaining caribou today are only one-fifth
the number at the turn of the century. Like the bison, the caribou herds must have appeared
endless, advancing along a 50 mile front and taking days to pass!

Although the caribou does not appear well-suited for cold weather survival with its long
legs, angular body and short hair, like all arctic organisms, it has special adaptations that
enable it to cope with its environment. The short guard hairs are hollow and are underlain by a
dense, woolly underfur. These hollow guard hairs not only provide insulation against cold, but
also buoyancy when swimming. Caribou’s hoofs are huge and shaped to provide traction on ice,
giving it support on boggy ground and crusted snow. Food habits are adaptive with browse being
the main food source in spring and summer, and lichens in the winter.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ECOLOGY OF THE ALPINE TUNDRA Order #120...........$42.50

The plant and animal community found between the continuous forests of the
slopes and the barren peaks of the Rocky Mountains is presented. This is the chill
region of timberline, subalpine meadows, glaciers and permanent snowfields where
summer is little more than a month long, winds over 50 m.p.h. are frequent and snow
depth of over 80 ft. are not uncommon. Presentation includes glaciers, moraines, lakes,
snowfields, various plant species, marmot, ground squirrel, mountain goat, bighorn
sheep and ptarmigan. 20 slides and guide

CONTENT SAMPLE: 20398 Permanent snowfields form an important part of the alpine
ecosystem. The melting snow not only provides a more than adequate amount of moisture, but
distributes this moisture over the whole warm period, having an impact that extends far below the
alpine zone. It is the melt from the alpine snowfields that maintains the water level in prairie
creeks, streams and underground rivers which surface as springs.

Snowfields appear to be biological deserts, but in actuality there are organisms that
depend on snow to live. Watermelon algae (Chlamydomonas spp.) grows in the snow of polar
and high mountain regions. It is actually a green alga, but appears as a reddish tint in the snow
because of a red pigment (haematochrome) which masks the chlorophyll.

Snow fleas, or springtails (Order Collembola), are tiny, primitive, wingless insects, less
than 0.5 m (0.20 in.) in length, that can occasionally be found in large numbers on the surface of
snow. They usually feed on decaying vegetable matter or fungi and are active at near freezing
temperatures. They move by the use of appendages under the abdomen that can be flipped
down and back, causing the insect to spring into the air.

Temperatures immediately around snowfields are cool and several species of birds use
this to their advantage when feeding. The various rosy finches and the white-tailed ptarmigan can
often be seen walking along the edges of snowfields, searching for insects chilled by the cool
breezes coming off the snow.

REVIEWS: "Excellent color slides of key ecological relationships...an excellent
package for individual study." A.C.P., Jefferson County Public Schools, Lakewood, Co.

***************************************************************************************************************
RELATED PROGRAMS WORTH NOTING
***************************************************************************************************************

THE MONTANE FOREST BIOME Order #121............$42.50

Below the alpine tundra is our last wilderness, a cool, moist region dominated
by the large evergreens which provide the bulk of our timber. Detailed information on
plant utilization and succession, Douglas fir, western larch, quaking aspen, plant decay,
puffball mushrooms, yellow skunk cabbage, fairy slippers, wakerobin, Indian pipe, flying
squirrel, darkeyed junco, Stellar's jay, blue grouse, great gray owl, black bear, and
moose. 20 slides and detailed guide.

CONTENT SAMPLE: 20516 The montane forest, or any forest, is a fantastically intri-
cate community. A natural catastrophe like a forest fire, will seriously disrupt all life in a forest,
but nature in time mends itself. What cannot be as easily overcome is man’s continuous assault
on this complex but delicate ecosystem. From the days when the first settlers came to this
continent, the forest became “an endangered species.” Today, under greater economic pressures
than ever, we look to our remaining rich forests with envy and greed.

Indiscriminate logging is potentially more destructive than fire, however. Roads and
heavy machinery, which are necessary to logging, disturb and compact soil, further increasing
the chances of serious erosion and interfering with regeneration. The most profitable logging
removes for use as much of the tree as possible. The nutrients tied up in the useable wood are
therefore not recycled to the next stand of vegetation. Whereas in the old days loggers took only
what could be used for lumber, today’s advanced, sophisticated technology can make use of the
whole tree, from the ground to the topmost twig. Today, not only is lumber harvested, but wood
pulp, mulch material and fuel as well, leaving little to return to the soil. But the danger is now
apparent even to the logging industry.

REVIEWS: "Accompanying notes are wonderfully detailed.....Recommended." Previews.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CONIFER COLLECTION Order #255X........$72.50

Conifers are among the world's most commercially significant trees, and
include some of the largest trees as well. They cover the northern part of North
America, northern Europe and northern Asia. These programs differentiate conifers
from broadleafed, evergreen from deciduous trees. Pictured are white, pitch, Scotch,
ponderosa, whitebark, lodgepole, pinyon and Caribbean pines; redwood and bald
cypress; white, black, Colorado blue, Englemann and red spruce; spruce gall; tamarack;
hemlock; Douglas fir; balsam fir; Rocky Mountain juniper; common juniper; eastern red
cedar, and white cedar. 4O slides, 2 guides.

CONTENT SAMPLE: Introduction: The coniferous forest of the taiga zone was huge,
dark and lush long before man ever knew of it. This is the northern forest shown on many plant
distribution maps. It has a short growing season surrounded by low temperatures that last well
into the summer and return early in fall. In its northernmost areas the conifers are joined by birch
and willows. Further south, where climate is less harsh, many beautiful hardwood trees mingle
with the dark conifers.

This huge expanse of pines, spruces, firs, hemlocks, and larch, growing often in nearly
pure stands, was irresistible to the loggers and lumber industry. As early as the 1600’s extensive
logging began in the white pine forests of the East and moved gradually westward, leaving
desolate havoc behind. Gradually the forest has come back where the land is not used for
farming, but it has yet to recover its virgin magnificence.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

POPULATION ECOLOGY TUTORIAL Order #C-3075P..........$99.95

A set of interactive computer tutorials for high school through introductory college
level Ecology or Population Biology. Handles materials that often presents difficulties,
especially mathematical models of population growth processes. Includes graphics and
interactive simulations, statistical analyses.

Four lessons may be called up separately: Population Numbers, Exponential
Model, Logistic Model, and other models. A 5th unit contains problems and questions to
test the student's comprehension of the material. User can enter or leave tutorial at any
point, marking departure place for later return, review previous page, "jump" around and
return to original screen. IBM only, 2 backups, guide. (Order #C-3075M for 5.25 disks.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


~1874-106~ Caribou (Rangifer tarandus). photo by Redwood Edugraphics.

Copyright (c) MCMXCVII Educational Images Ltd., Elmira, NY,USA. All rights reserved.

EDUCATIONAL IMAGES LTD.

P.O.Box 3456 Westside Station

Elmira, N.Y., USA, 14905-0456

Telephone: 800-527-4264; 607-732-1090

Fax: 607-732-1183

E-Mail: edimages@edimages.com