* Biome: a grouping of terrestrial ecosystems on a given continent that are similar in vegetation structure, physiognomy, features of the environment and characteristics of their animal communities

Biomes are larger units of organization that categorize regions of the Earth's ecosystems, mainly according to the structure and composition of vegetation.

Later popes initiated various stabilization and restoration projects, removing the extensive vegetation which had overgrown the structure and threatened to damage it further.

The biota of a wetland system includes its vegetation zones and structure as well as animal populations.

Research on this fire indicated that the most important factor was the proximity of heavy ground vegetation to the structure.

A tropical moist broadleaf forest in Central America, for example, may be similar to one in New Guinea in its vegetation type and structure, climate, soils, etc., but these forests are inhabited by plants and animals with very different evolutionary histories.

A traditional explanation of qi as it relates to feng shui would include the orientation of a structure, its age, and its interaction with the surrounding environment including the local microclimates, the slope of the land, vegetation, and soil quality.

These introductions have the potential to significantly alter the structure and composition of savannas worldwide, and have already done so in many areas through a number of processes including altering the fire regime, increasing grazing pressure, competing with native vegetation and occupying previously vacant ecological niches.

Gradient analysis is another way to determine the vegetation structure across a landscape or to help delineate critical wetland habitat for conservation or mitigation purposes ( Choesin and Boerner 2002 ).

Land reclamation for agriculture has resulted in many changes such as shifts in vegetation structure, sedimentation, salinity, water flow, biodiversity loss and high nutrient inputs.

Terrestrial soils of this nature need to adjust from fresh to saline interstitial water by a change in the chemistry and the structure of the soil, accompanied with fresh deposition of estuarine sediment, before salt marsh vegetation can establish.

Nitrogen loading through human-use indirectly affects salt marshes causing shifts in vegetation structure and the invasion of non-native species.

For example, the New England salt marsh is experiencing a shift in vegetation structure where S. alterniflora is spreading from the lower marsh where it predominately resides up into the upper marsh zone.

These types of restoration projects are often unsuccessful as vegetation tends to struggle to revert back to its original structure and the natural tidal cycles are shifted due to land changes.

The Western Capercaillie is adapted to its original habitats-old coniferous forests with a rich interior structure and dense ground vegetation of Vaccinium species under a light canopy.

However, eastern towhees are most common in early successional stands, habitat edges, and areas with similar vegetation structure throughout eastern forests.

Jungle in this context is particularly associated with tropical rainforest, but may extend to cloud forest, temperate rainforest and mangroves with no reference to the vegetation structure or the ease of travel.

This is seen in the shape and structure of the neural networks in the brain, of the alveoli in the lung, the size and distribution of vegetation in the forest and of human settlements on the map.

Cover or structure is important to trout, and they are more likely to be found near submerged rocks, undercut banks, and overhanging vegetation.

Overall, this species is a very flexible, opportunistic feeder that can easily adapt to varying habitat, season, insect community, vegetation structure, and time of day.

The nest, referred to as the " oven " ( which gives the bird its name ), is a domed structure placed on the ground, woven from vegetation, and containing a side entrance.

Their nest is usually at the base of a tree, next to a down log or other structure, and is well concealed by sedge, grasses, blueberries and other ground vegetation.

Breeding occurs from spring through to late summer ; the nest is a round or domed structure made of loosely woven grasses and spider webs, with an entrance in one side generally close to the ground, under 1 m ( 3 ft ), and in thick vegetation.

MISR is specifically designed to monitor the monthly, seasonal, and long-term trends of atmospheric aerosol particle concentrations including those formed by natural sources and by human activities, upper air winds and cloud cover, type, height, as well as the characterization of land surface properties, including the structure of vegetation canopies, the distribution of land cover types, or the properties of snow and ice fields, amongst many other biogeophysical variables.

Once this islands were covered with savanna on the plains and arid shrubland on the mountainsides, but over 500 years of human habtitation, since colonisation by the Portuguese in the 15th century, nearly all the original vegetation has been cleared by widespread agriculture including the grazing of goats, sheep and cattle and the planting of imported crop species.

One interesting feature observed about Clipperton Island's flora is that the vegetation is arranged in parallel rows of species ; dense rows of taller species alternate with lower, more open vegetation.

In 1997, the US Navy contracted a vegetation survey that identified about 280 species of terrestrial vascular plants on Diego Garcia.

Spiny forest at Ifaty, Madagascar, featuring various Adansonia ( baobab ) species, Alluaudia procera ( Madagascar ocotillo ) and other vegetation.

Forests are often home to many animal and plant species, and biomass per unit area is high compared to other vegetation communities.

Spiny forest at Ifaty, Madagascar, featuring various Adansonia ( baobab ) species, Alluaudia procera ( Madagascar ocotillo ) and other vegetation

A number of Acacia species are found here, as well as grasses and other shrubby vegetation.

Native vegetation is largely intact as the desert is uninhabitable so habitats are not threatened by agriculture but are damaged by introduced species, particularly rabbits and feral camels.

Grand Canyon National Park contains 129 vegetation communities, and the composition and distribution of plant species is influenced by climate, geomorphology and geology.

This method has shown to reduce their impact within 24 hours and greatly increase the native vegetation and desirable fish species.

In Australia, enormous anecdotal and mounting scientific evidence indicates introduced carp are the cause of permanent turbidity and loss of submergent vegetation in the Murray-Darling river system, with severe consequences for river ecosystems, water quality and native fish species.

Palynology is used by geologists to help date rocks for petroleum, mining and water exploration and to help unravel the history of plants on Earth ; by geographers to investigate climatic and environmental change: by botanists for plant taxonomy and phylogeny ; by immunologist to investigate allergenic pollen ; by archaeologists to study the customs, rituals and agricultural practices of ancient peoples ; by zoologists and environmental scientists to understand foraging habits of insects, birds and mammals and to investigate past native vegetation and habitats in order to preserve the present and protect endangered species.

Over 550 native species occur ; the most significant vegetation communities are the alpine and sub-alpine communities.

Each rock-dwelling pika stores its own " haypile " of dried vegetation, while burrowing species often share food stores with their burrow mates.

If the forest is replaced with only one species of tree and all other vegetation is prevented from growing back, a monoculture forest similar to agricultural crops would be the result.

Beneficially, the open spots and edges provide places for species that thrive where there is more light and vegetation that is close to the ground.

Here different species will be more suited to the edges or central sections of the vegetation, resulting in a varied distribution.

There are four herbaceous vegetation types, named for the dominant plant species in them: Scirpus, Eleocharis, Sparganium and Typha.

As with many Mediterranean regions, Abruzzo's vegetation is characterized by the presence of different Mediterranean ecosystems ; the coast and the surrounding areas are remarkable for the presence of typical Mediterranean plants such as myrtle, heather and mastic, but in hilly areas other typical Mediterranean species will also grow, including olive, pine, willow, oak, poplar, alder, arbutus, broom, acacia, capers, rosemary, hawthorn, licorice and almond trees, interspersed with oak trees.

The Laguna is a wetland area that is home to many species of wildlife and vegetation, and divides the town from the neighboring Santa Rosa.

This National Park has over 40 different vegetation communities, 28 threatened plant species, 24 threatened fauna species and significant areas of old growth forest protected within the park.