Palimpsest of an Individual - My attempt to find "Where I am on the Map".

   

Understanding Ecosystems: Structure and Function


Make a Legend for this Map.
(one possible legend)
(another possibility)

Mission: You are a member of one such expeditionary group.

• Your group must return with a scheme for categorizing plant life on the planet assigned
• Your group should generate a report of the total number of unique types of plants on the planet assigned.
• Your report should include your thoughts on why the planet contains the particular number of different plants you describe.
• Your findings will be presented at a conference on "Diversity in BioSystems: New Findings From Additional Cases", focused on the question of whether "diversity" is or is not a fundamental characteristic of living systems.
• Your group should also publish a summary of its findings in this forum. Be sure to include in the text of your summary the names of all team members.

Relevant information about plant (and fungal) life on earth:

• Will Franklin's Plant and Fungi Key for Biology Courtyard
  
• Plant Systematics Collection, from the University of Wisconsin
  
• Plantae: Systematics, from the University of California, Berkelely
• Plant Identification and Resoursces, USDA resource home page
• Fungal Photography, Taylor Lockwood's Digital Gallery.
• Fungal Image Gallery, from the University of Califonia, Berkelely
  

• What is an Ecosystem?
• Where does one start and another begin? How does one distinguish between ecosystems?
• What do they do?
• What happens when ecosystems are degraded?  How does one even tell if ecosystem functions are diminished?

• National Ecosystem Mapping
• Biomes Defined
• Interactive Biome Map
• Exploring Biomes
• EPA Student Center
• World Atlas.com