Provides information on the Earth's major biomes, their characteristics, and operations; examining the environmental factors, plant and animal ecology, human influences and uses, and reserves of the planet's temperate rainforests. Includes illustrations, and photographs.

The Encyclopedia of the Biosphere features comprehensive coverage of the earth's greatest ecosystems, their characteristics and their operations. The Encyclopedia explains how these ecosystems have been transformed by human activity, while presenting the main species inhabiting each region. The text in each volume is clearly organized into four distinct sections covering the ecosystem's environmental factors, plants and animal ecology, human influences and biosphere reserves. Eleven fully-illustrated, 4-color volumes present in a contemporary, dynamic manner, the earth's principal ecosystems and the better known species of flora and fauna.