Habitats - by DK (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Take a journey through Earth's most amazing ecosystems, from icy seas and tropical rainforests to arid deserts and hostile mountains. Dive beneath the sunlit surface of the Coral Sea to find a reef bursting with life, or travel through the African Savanna to see powerful predators roaming the land. And as you go, discover how animals and plants adapt to their environment and each other."--

Book Synopsis

Celebrates and explains the astonishing range of habitats on Earth and the intricate balance of their animal and plant communities

This book is a beautiful visual reference to the world's natural habitats and the plants and animals that live there. It explores global habitat types, including desert, Arctic tundra, and tropical forest - and distinctive regional habitats, such as the windswept puna grasslands of the Andes or the dripping, fern-clad rainforests of New Zealand.

Packed with fascinating illustrations, the book analyzes how each habitat works and examines its unique combination of plants and animals, along with the features that suit them to live there. It then goes deeper, telling stories about how the inhabitants relate to one another and interact. Stories are told using images and graphics, showing what is going on in the natural ecosystem. The stories include survival strategies and life cycles, how pollinators fertilize plants, and how animals distribute the seeds, how similar species divide up food or living space to avoid competition, and how some species cooperate in intimate partnerships.

Earth's pristine wildernesses are dwindling, so the book includes national parks, wildlife reserves, and other protected areas, and the conservation efforts needed to preserve our precious biological diversity.