North American Biotic Communities

EPA map highlighting North America’s diverse biological communities.

This colorful map of North America showcases the continent’s rich biodiversity by highlighting the various biotic communities in a rainbow of vibrant colors. Each community consists of a different group of species that interact with one another and the physical landscape, which itself comprises an ecosystem. Dozens of different biotic communities are shown throughout the image, which is presented on a Lambert Equal-Area Azimuthal Projection.

Designed by Frank Reichenbacher, Susan Franson, and David E. Brown, with cartography by Robert Puterski of the Lockheed Martin Corporation. Published in Salt Lake City in 1998 by the University of Utah Press. The EPA defines the map as follows:

“This digital 1:10,000,000 map of coded polygons depicts the major upland biotic communities of North America using an ecological color scheme that illustrates gradients in available plant moisture, heat, and cold. Biotic communities are regional plant formations characterized by particular species of plants and animals. Using previous works and modifying the existing terminology of biologists, ecologists, and biogeographers, these biotic communities have been incorporated in an hierarchical classification system. This classification system is formulated on the limiting effects of moisture and temperature minima on the structure and composition of vegetation as well as specific plant and animal adaptations to regional environments. The biotic communities shown depict regional formations within recognized biotic and floristic provinces.

The map covers all of North America, with the exception of southern Panama. Because of the limitations of scale, upland biotic communities such as Relict Conifer Forests and Central American Thornscrub, occupying individual areas less than ca. 100 km2 in size, are omitted from the map. Their enormous diversity, dynamic nature, and generally limited area also precluded illustration of all but the largest wetlands. Neither the biotic community designations, nor their delineations are final; it is expected that further research and peer review will result in improvements in the nomenclature and delineation of the biotic communities depicted.”

Source (EPA).