This lifeform is found east of the Continental Divide in North America.

Northern Illinois prairie pond. Although most of the natural ponds and swamps of the state of Illinois were drained in the early 1900's to permit farming, some of these ponds and swamps still remain in forest preserves. This winter photograph was taken in Shag Bark Nature Preserve in Round Lake, Illinois.

This particular pond served as a nesting site for a pair of Canadian geese during 1991 and is a home for the rare Blandings Turtle that once roamed the prairies of Illinois. Purple Loosestrife, an invasive European weed, is taking over many of the few remaining wetlands in the mid-western United States.

Midwestern United States as a biological area generally includes the area from Pennsylvania and Ohio to Iowa including Indiana and Illinois and southern Michigan and southern Wisconsin.

Generally, this area was wooded before the arrival of the white man. Dense Oak and hickory forests inhabited by woodland species of animals and birds covered most of the area.

North America (Nearctic Region) usually includes most of the United States, Alaska, and Canada. The northern portion of this range is the Arctic Tundra which supports only a limited number of species. It is considered north of the tree line beyond which no trees grow. The southern portion of this range includes the dry and hot areas of Arizona and the humid and hot areas of Florida. Most of the area lies between these two extremes and is either woodland or else the Great Plains of the central United States and Canada.

Biologists generally separate the world into five different main biological areas:

    AREA                DESCRIPTION

    Nearctic            North America including Canada and USA
    Neotropical         Central and South America
    African             Africa and Madagascar
    Palearctic          Europe to China and Japan
    Indo-Australian     India through Malaysia to Australia

Biologists have found that very few species are found in more than one biological area. There are a few northern North American species that are also found in northern Eurasia, and a few Oriental species that are also found in the Indo-Australian region. Generally, however, most species are limited to a single biological area or a portion of a single biological area. Different species need different environments to survive. Some plants are found only on prairies, while others are found only in woodlands. Additional species are found only in bogs, while others are found only on seashores, mountain tops, in valleys, rain forests, or deserts.

Furthermore, certain plant communities support selected groups of different animals. For example, there are prairie animals, mountain animals, and seashore animals. The earth was originally blessed with numerous different environments each with its own interesting and valuable species.

Lately, however, man has begun using many of these different environments for his own pleasure. Prairies have been turned into farmlands, many lakes make ideal places for water sports, and seashores have been turned into recreational destinations or prime homesites. The result is a worldwide loss of habitat diversity. With this loss of habitat diversity, there has been a corresponding loss of various species.  

Furthermore, man has intentionally and accidentally introduced many non-native species into different environments. Many of these introductions are able to push out native species. The English sparrow and European starling are two such bird examples. Purple loosestrife and deadly nightshade are two well-known invasive plant species. The net result of this loss of habitat and introduction of non-native species can be called environmental or biological meltdown.  

Many scientists believe biological meltdown is more serious than the well-known nuclear meltdown.