Anthropogenic Ecosystems (main)
From The Encyclopedia of Earth
Anthropogenic Ecosystems
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Anthropogenic biomes (Anthropogenic Ecosystems) Last Updated on 2013-09-03 12:25:31 Anthropogenic biomes describe globally-significant ecological patterns within the terrestrial biosphere caused by sustained direct human interaction with ecosystems, including agriculture, urbanization, forestry and other land uses. Conventional biomes, such as tropical rainforests or grasslands, are based on global vegetation patterns related to climate. Now that humans have fundamentally altered global patterns of ecosystem form, process, and biodiversity, anthropogenic biomes provide a contemporary view of the terrestrial biosphere in its human-altered form. Anthropogenic biomes may also be termed "anthromes" to distinguish them from conventional biome systems, or "human biomes" (a simpler but less precise term). Humans are the ultimate ecosystem engineers, routinely reshaping ecosystem form and process using tools and technologies, such as fire, that are... More » Anthropogenic biome maps Last Updated on 2008-01-03 15:12:16 Online Map Viewers for Anthropogenic Biomes (read article) Click on the one of the following to see anthropogenic biomes world overlay. View in Google Earth Note: To use Google Earth, it must first be installed on your computer. DOWNLOAD GOOGLE EARTH View in Google Maps View in Microsoft Virtual Earth Or view the Printable Wall Map Large download! (~80MB). 30" x 50" Adobe Acrobat file for large format printers (30 inch) If you... More » 
