This habitat is a hybrid of tundra and Boreal Conifer Forest, with low spongy ground and a few small conifers. Continental Habitat Affinities: None. Global Habitat Affinities: EUROPEAN SUBANTARCTIC WOODLAND  Species Overlap: nearctic boreal conifer forest; nearctic rocky tundra.

The endless forests of conifers that people imagine when they think of boreal Canada and interior Alaska. Global Habitat Affinities: Eurasian spruce-fir taiga. Continental Habitat Affinities: Nearctic Montane Spruce-Fir Taiga; Subarctic Tundra Woodland Species Overlap: Nearctic montane spruce-fir forest; Nearctic temperate mixed forest; aspen forest and parkland, Subarctic Tundra Woodland.

A dense uniform forest of spruce and fir trees that grows at high elevations.

A mid-elevation temperate conifer forest with many co-dominant tree species
Habitat Affinities: Eurasian montane conifer forest; Indo-Malayan pine forest. Species Overlap: Nearctic montane spruce-fir forest; pinyon-juniper woodland; Lodgepole Pine forest; aspen forest and parkland.

An open, grassy woodland dominated by Ponderosa Pine found at lower elevations in the mountain west. GLOBAL HABITAT AFFINITIES: Caledonian Pine Forests, Middle Eastern Dry Conifer Forests CONTINENTAL HABITAT AFFINITIES: Nearctic Montane Mixed Conifer Forest, Madrean Pine-Oak Woodland, Pinyon-Juniper Woodland. SPECIES OVERLAP: Nearctic Montane Mixed Conifer Forest, Madrean Pine-Oak Woodland, Lodgepole Pine Forest.

An open, grassy pine woodland or savanna with poorly drained soils occurring on flat coastal plains and south central mountain ranges. GLOBAL HABITAT AFFINITY: None CONTINENTAL HABITAT AFFINITY: Ponderosa Pine Forest SPECIES OVERLAP: Tallgrass Prairie, Nearctic temperate deciduous forest, Nearctic Temperate Mixed Forest (especially Appalachian Pine-Oak Forest), Florida oak scrub.

Open high-elevation coniferous forests growing on dry, rocky soils in the w. Nearctic. GLOBAL HABITAT AFFINITY: European Subalpine Timberline Woodland. CONTINENTAL HABITAT AFFINITY: Nearctic Montane Spruce-Fir Forest. SPECIES OVERLAP: Nearctic Montane Spruce-Fir Forest; Lodgepole Pine Forest, Nearctic Alpine Tundra, Glacier and Scree.

A woodland found on sandy soils in the upper great lakes states and Canada, dominated by Jack Pine and shaped by frequent fire. GLOBAL HABITAT AFFINITIES: CONTINENTAL HABITAT AFFINITIES: Eastern Pine Savanna, Lodgepole Pine Forest SPECIES OVERLAP: Nearctic Boreal Forest, Nearctic Temperate Mixed Forest, Tallgrass Prairie.

A successional forest composed of uniformly aged Lodgepole Pines found at middle elevations in the mountainous West. GLOBAL HABITAT AFFINITIES: Nonet Continental Habitat Affinities:MONTANE MIXED-CONIFER FOREST; NEARCTIC MONTANE SPRUCE-FIR FOREST SPECIES OVERLAP: ASPEN FOREST AND PARKLAND; MONTANE MIXED-CONIFER FOREST; NEARCTIC MONTANE SPRUCE-FIR FOREST; HIGH ELEVATION PINE WOODLAND.

An extremely wet and mossy Pacific coastal coniferous forest with towering trees. Global Habitat Affinities: Neotropical Magellanic rainforest; Australasian Gondwanan conifer rainforest; Neotropical Valdivian rainforest. Species Overlap: Nearctic Montane mixed-conifer forest; Nearctic montane spruce-fir forest.

An open woodland of pinyons (pines) and junipers found in arid habitats; includes elements of grassland and xeric shrub communities. Global Habitat Affinities: Maghreb Juniper Open Woodland, Middle Eastern Juniper Forests  Continental Habitat Affinities: Ponderosa Pine Forest Species Overlap: Sagebrush shrubland; Ponderosa Pine forest; Chihuahuan desert grassland; Chihuahuan Desert shrubland.

A montane pine and oak-dominated woodland with a variable canopy found from the far sw. United States through Mexico and Guatemala. Global Habitat Affinities: Neotropical pine-oak woodland; Neotropical mixed conifer forest; Indo-Malayan pine forest. Continental Habitat Affinities: Montane mixed-conifer forest, Ponderosa Pine Forest Species Overlap: Montane mixed-conifer forest; Ponderosa Pine Forest; Neotropical cloud forest; Neotropical dry deciduous forest.

A Creosote- and mesquite-dominated desert shrubland with summer monsoon rains and cold, dry winters. Global Habitat Affinities: Palearctic semidesert thornscrub; Palearctic hot shrub desert; Australasian Mulga woodland and acacia shrubland. Continental Habitat Affinities: Chihuahuan Desert Grassland, Sonoran Desert, Eastern Mesquite Species Overlap: Chihuahuan desert grassland; Sonoran Desert; Nearctic Desolate Desert, shortgrass prairie.

A warm semidesert shrubland characterized by giant columnar cacti and late summer monsoon rains. Global Habitat Affinities: Dragon’s Blood Tree Semi-desert, Galapagos Lowland Desert, Peruvian Coastal Desert. Continental Habitat Affinities: Chihuahuan Desert, Mojave Desert Species Overlap: Chihuahuan Desert; Mojave Desert; Nearctic Desolate Desert; Pacific chaparral; Chihuahuan desert grassland.

A small and very arid transitional desert with cold winters found at high altitudes between the Sonoran Desert and Great Basin. GLOBAL HABITAT AFFINITIES: Palaearctic Hot Shrub Desert, Afrotropical Hot Shrub Desert  CONTINENTAL HABITAT AFFINITIES: Sonoran Desert, Sagebrush Shrubland (Great Basin Shrubland) SPECIES OVERLAP: Sonoran Desert, Nearctic Desolate Desert, Pinyon-Juniper Woodland, Sagebrush Shrubland (Great Basin Shrubland).

Desert environments completely or mostly lacking in vegetation and dominated by sand flats, dunes, scree and desert pavements. GLOBAL HABITAT AFFINITIES: Namib Rock Desert, Saharan Erg Desert, Atacama Desolate Desert, West Asian Reg.  CONTINENTAL HABITAT AFFINITIES: Sonoran Desert, Chihuahuan Desert, Mojave Desert, Rocky Canyon. SPECIES OVERLAP: Sonoran Desert, Chihuahuan Desert, Mojave Desert, Rocky Canyon.

A short arid steppe or shrubland dominated by sagebrush. Global Habitat Affinities: Temperate Desert Steppe, Saxual Desert, Bluebush and Saltbush Continental Habitat Affinities: Mojave Desert Species Overlap: Pinyon-juniper woodland, Ponderosa Pine Forest, Shortgrass prairie, Mojave Desert.

A low, scrubby habitat made up of thorny bushes with small leaves, small spiny trees, and abundant cacti. Global Habitat Affinities: West Asian semi desert thornscrub, Inter-Andean Thornscrub, Tumbesian Thornscrub, Northern Dry Thorn Savanna, Southern Dry Thorn Savanna Continental Habitat Affinities: Eastern Mesquite, Caribbean Thornscrub  Species Overlap: Caribbean thornscrub, Eastern Mesquite, Pacific dry deciduous forest, Western Riparian Woodland (Lower Rio Grande Riparian Woodland), Chihuahuan Desert.

A low, scrubby habitat dominated by mesquite with a significant grassland component. Global Habitat Affinities: None Continental Habitat Affinities: Tamaulipan Mezquital, Chihuahuan Desert Species Overlap: Chihuahuan Desert Grassland, Mixed Grass Prairie, Shortgrass Prairie, Tamaulipan Mezquital, Oak-Juniper Woodland.

A largely abiotic habitat of sheer rock faces widely distributed in mountainous areas and arid zones. Global Habitat Affinities: Inselbergs and Koppies Continental Habitat Affinities: Glacier and Scree, Nearctic Sea Cliffs. Species Overlap: Overlaps broadly with adjacent habitats.

A subtropical semi-arid thorn scrub in central and southern Mexico with an abundance of prominent columnar cactus and other succulents. GLOBAL HABITAT AFFINITIES: Palearctic Hot Shrub Desert, Interandean Thornscrub,  CONTINENTAL HABITAT AFFINITIES: Chihuahuan Desert, Sonoran Desert, Tamaulipan Mezquital. SPECIES OVERLAP: Tamaulipan Mezquital, Pacific Dry Deciduous Forest, Chihuahuan Desert, Madrean Encinal.

A low, scrubby habitat made up of thorny bushes with small leaves and abundant cacti, found throughout much of the Caribbean Coastline and extends into Central and South America. Continental Habitat  Affinities: Tamaulipan Mezquital,Eastern Mesquite; Global Habitat  Affinities North Andean thornscrub, Indo-Malayan thornscrub; Afrotropical dry thorn savanna. Species Overlap:  Tamaulipan Mezquital, Yucatan Dry Deciduous Forest.

Tall, flooded riverine forests of Bald Cypress and several species of broadleaf trees. Global Habitat Affinities: None Continental Habitat Affinities: Nearctic Western Riparian Woodland  Species Overlap: Nearctic temperate deciduous forest; Eastern Pine Savanna; Nearctic Slow Rivers.

A diverse, closed-canopy deciduous forest of the e. Nearctic dominated by beech, maple, oak, and hickory.  Global Habitat Affinities: Hycarian Temperate Deciduous Forest, Beech Forest, Himalayan Subtropical Broadleaf Forest, Maghreb Broadleaf Woodland  Continental Habitat Affinities: Nearctic Temperate Mixed Forest  Species Overlap: Nearctic temperate mixed forest; Bald Cypress–tupelo forest, Eastern Pine Savanna, Bottomland Hardwood Forest.

A closed-canopy forest dominated by deciduous maples, beeches, and birches, along with coniferous Eastern Hemlock and Eastern White Pine. Global Habitat Affinities: European submontane / subboreal mixed conifer-broadleaf, East Asian Temperate Mixed Forest, Japanese Temperate Mixed Forest, Manchurnian Temperate Mixed Forest. Continental Habitat Affinities: Nearctic Temperate Deciduous Forest, Nearctic Boreal Forest. Species Overlap: Nearctic temperate deciduous forest; Nearctic Boreal Forest

Disjunct areas of taller trees, particularly cottonwoods and willows, growing along permanent and semipermanent waterways and usually surrounded by more arid habitat types. Global Habitat Affinities: European Riparian Forest Continental Habitat Affinities: Nearctic Temperate Deciduous Forest Species Overlap:Nearctic temperate deciduous forest, Subarctic Riparian Woodlands, Bottomland Hardwood Forest, Cypress-tupelo Gum Swamp, Nearctic Slow Rivers.

Stands of Quaking Aspen, often interspersed with meadows, typically occurring within patches of coniferous forest or at the transition between grassland and coniferous forest. Global Habitat Affinities: European Birch-Aspen Forest, Eurasian Subarctic Riparian Woodland Continental Habitat Affinities: Subarctic Riparian Woodland Species Overlap: Nearctic Boreal Forest; Nearctic montane spruce-fir forest; Subarctic Riparian Woodland, Lodgepole Pine forest; Nearctic temperate mixed forest.

Patchy, Live Oak dominated woodlands found on raised sections of coastal plain along the Gulf of Mexico and in the Caribbean.  Global Habitat Affinities: Continental Habitat Affinities: Nearctic Temperate Deciduous Forest Species Overlaps: Nearctic Temperate Deciduous Forest (Early Successional), Mesoamerican Semi-evergreen Forest.

Deciduous shrubs and trees that grow along rivers and protected areas of tundra  Global Habitat Affinities: European Boreal Shrubland  Continental Habitat Affinities: Nearctic Temperate Deciduous Forest Species Overlaps: Nearctic Temperate Deciduous Forest (Early Successional), Mesoamerican Semi-evergreen Forest.

Cloud forests, with large trees laden with mosses and bromeliads, and constant water dripping off the leaves, are the quintessential forests of the mountains through southern Mexico and Central America. Continental Habitat Affinities: None. Global Habitat Affinities: North Andean Cloud Forest; Afrotropical montane forest. Species Overlap: Neotropical semi-evergreen forest; Neotropical lowland rainforest.

A slightly drier version of Mesoamerican lowland rainforest (and often mistakenly referred to as lowland rainforest in Central America), which differs in that some trees lose their leaves in drier periods of the year. Continental Habitat Affinities: none Global Habitat Affinities: Neotropical semi-evergreen forest; malabar semi-evergreen forest. Species Overlap: Mesoamwerican lowland rainforest.

The limestone or marble towers (Mogotes) and the “sink holes” (Cenotes) of Mesoamerica and the Caribbean Continental Habitat Affinities: none Global Habitat Affinities: Cerrado Karst Semi-evergreen forest; Southeast Asian Limestone Forest. Species Overlap: Peten Swamp Forest; Yucatan Dry Deciduous Forest; Caribbean Thornscrub.

One of the hottest, wettest, tallest, and thickest-canopied habitats in the world. Continental Habitat Affinities: None. Continental Habitat Affinities: Amazonian Tropical lowland rainforest; Afrotropical  Tropical lowland rainforest; Australasian tropical lowland rainforest; asian tropical lowland rainforest. Species Overlap: Mesoamerican semi-evergreen forest; Mesoamerican cloud forest.

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A moist subtropical broadleaf forest found on the Hawaiian Islands and dominated by ‘Ohi’a-lehua and Koa trees. Global Habitat Affinities: Temperate Andean Cloudforest, Stunted Cloudforest, Sunda Montane Rainforests, Island Arc Montane Rainforests. Continental Habitat Affinities: Mesoamerican Cloud Forest. Species Overlap: Mamane-Naio Dry Forest

Dry tropical forest that appears lush in the wet season but stark in the dry season, when the canopy loses many of its leaves. Global Habitat Affinities: Southeast Asian Dry Deciduous Forest, Indian Dry Deciduous Forests, Malagasy Deciduous Forests, Neotropical Pacific Dry Deciduous Forests, Caatinga. Continental Habitat Affinities: Yucatan Dry Deciduous Forest, Mesoamerican Semi-evergreen Forest. Species Overlap: Yucatan Dry Deciduous Forest, Sonoran Desert, Madrean Encinal, Tamaulipan Meztizal.

Dry tropical forest that loses its leaves in the dry season occurs as an ecotone between semi evergreen forest and thornscrub  Continental Habitat  Affinities:  mesoamerican pacific dry deciduous forest;    Global Habitat  Affinities:  Pacific dry deciduous forest; Malagasy dry deciduous forest  Species Overlap: Mesoamerican semi-evergreen forest; caribbean thornscrub.

A dry high elevation woodland found on the leeward side of the Hawaiian Islands. Global Habitat Affinities: Malagasy Dry Deciduous Forest Continental Habitat Affinities: Caribbean Thornscub Species Overlap: Wet Ohi’a Lehua Koa Forest.

n open, dry savanna of small oaks and Ashe Juniper. Global Habitat Affinities: DAHESA OAK FOREST; Australasian Brigalow and Callitris woodlands; Maghreb oak forest. Continental Habitat Affinities: Madrean Encinal, Pinyon-Juniper Woodland Species Overlap: Madrean Encinal, California oak savanna; Chihuahuan Desert; shortgrass prairie; Eastern Mesquite.

A habitat found along the western edge of the United States and Baja California where widely spaced oaks grow with an understory of grasses and forbs. Global Habitat Affinities: deheas oak forest. Continental Habitat Affinities: Madrean Encinal, Eastern Oak Savanna, Nearctic Oak-Juniper Woodland  Species Overlap: Pacific chaparral; Ponderosa Pine Forest.

An Oak dominated habitat located below the Madrean and Pine Oak Forests and varying from open savanna to dense woodland. Global Habitat Affinities: Dehesa Oak Woodlands Species Overlap: Chihuahuan desert grassland; Chihuahuan Desert, Sonoran Desert, Madrean pine-oak woodland, Mesoamerican Pacific Dry Forest

A dry, open shrubland found on sandy soils in peninsular Florida. Global Habitat Affinities: None. Continental Habitat Affinities: None. Species Overlap: Eastern Pine savanna; Nearctic temperate deciduous forest.

A dense foothill shrubland in the Rocky Mountains, dominated by Gambel Oak. Global Habitat Affinities: Dehesa Oak Woodland. Continental Habitat Affinities: Madrean Encinal. Species Overlap: Ponderosa Pine Forest, Nearctic Western Riparian Woodland, Sagebrush Shrubland.

A mosaic of thick grasses, groves of thorny scrub and scattered trees  Continental Habitat  Affinities:  Tamalulipan Mezquital; Madrean Encinal.   Global Habitat  Affinities:  Open Treed Cerrado; Mopane. Species Overlap: Mesoamerican semi-evergreen forest; Caribbean thornscrub, Tamalulipan Mezquital.

A dry, open grassland with grasses rarely more than 6 in. (15cm) tall. Global Habitat Affinities: Salt Steppe Continental Habitat Affinities: Mixed Grass Prairie, Tallgrass prairie; Chihuahuan desert grassland; sagebrush shrubland, Eastern Mesquite. Species Overlap: Mixed Grass Prairie, Chihuahuan Desert Grassland, Sagebrush Shrubland.

A tall, dense grassland with abundant flowering forbs. Global Habitat Affinities: European Grass Steppe, Western flower steppe. Continental Habitat Affinities: Eastern Glades and Barrens, Mixed Grass Prairie Species Overlap: Mixed Grass Prairie; Eastern Pine savanna Nearctic Sedge and Grassland Marshes, Tamaulipan Mezquital, Florida Scrub.

A diverse transitional grassland occurring in the central Great Plains between the Tallgrass Prairie and Shortgrass Prairie. GLOBAL HABITAT AFFINITIES: Eastern Grass Steppe, European Grass Steppe,  CONTINENTAL HABITAT AFFINITIES: Tallgrass Prairie, Shortgrass Prairie, Eastern Glades and Barrens SPECIES OVERLAP: Tallgrass Prairie, Shortgrass Prairie, Sagebrush Shrubland.

Isolated grasslands associated with the Appalachian, Ozark and Ouachita Mountains and poor soils. Global Habitat Affinities: Continental Habitat Affinities: Tallgrass Prairie. Species Overlap: Tallgrass Prairie, Mixed Grass Prairie, Nearctic Temperate Deciduous Forests.

A sparse and open grassland dominated by bunchgrasses and dotted with yuccas and cacti. Global Habitat Affinities: European Desert Steppe Continental Habitat Affinities: Shortgrass Prairie, Mixed Grass Prairie, Chihuahuan Desert Species Overlap: Chihuahuan Desert; shortgrass prairie, Eastern Mesquite, Mexican Bunchgrass and Zacatonal.

A high montane grassland of the Volcanic belt in Mexico, often occurring as small park-like meadows. Global Habitat Affinities: Afrotropical Montane Grasslands, Shola Grasslands. Continental Habitat Affinities: Hawaiian Grasslands, Alpine Tundra Species Overlap: Madrean Pine-Oak Woodland, Chihuahuan Desert Grassland.

A pair of highly endangered grassy shrublands found either in the subalpine zone or the dry lowlands of the Hawaiian Islands. Global Habitat Affinities: Afrotropical Montane Grasslands. Continental Habitat Affinities: Mexican Bunchgrass and Zacatonal, Chihuahuan Desert Grassland Species Overlap: None.

A diverse and highly fire-dependent shrubland with a Mediterranean climate and largely sclerophyllous vegetation. Global Habitat Affinities: Palearctic maquis; Palearctic garrigue, Afrotropical Maquis, Afrotropical Garrigue, Asian Maquis, Asian Garrigue Continental Habitat Affinities: Sagebrush Shrubland  Species Overlap: California Oak Savanna; Mojave Desert, Sagebrush Shrubland.

This is the habitat at the very edge of where life is possible on earth. There is almost no vegetation of any kind. Continental Habitat Affinities: None. Global Habitat Affinities: This habitat extends through Europe and Asia; ANTARCTIC POLAR DESERT. Species Overlap: NEARCTIC CRYPTIC TUNDRA; NEARCTIC ROCKY TUNDRA.

The low dry or spongy heathlands in the arctic parts of North America that spend six months of the year in frozen and almost complete darkness and six months in daylight. Global Habitat Affinities: The Nearctic expression of the circumpolar Rocky (Or Low) Tundra. Continental habitat Affinities: Cryptic Tundra Species Overlap: Cryptic Tundra, Boggy Tundra, Shrubby Tundra.

The very short moss and almost plantless environment that is circumpolar very high latitudes. Global Habitat Affinities It is the north American expression of the circumpolar high arctic Cryptic Tundra. Continental Habitat Affinities: Nearctic Rocky Tundra Species Overlap: Nearctic Rocky Tundra, Polar Desert and Arctic Pelagic Waters.

A low, marshy and boggy tundra with scattered meltwater pools. Habitat Affinities: Eurasian boggy tundra. Species Overlap: Nearctic rocky tundra.

This low, shrubby and mossy habitat with patches of taller shrubs spends most of the year under snow but has a spectacular burst of insects and birdlife in summer. Habitat Affinities: Eurasian Shrub Tundra. Species Overlap: Nearctic Rocky tundra; Nearctic Subarctic Tundra Woodland.

An open, spongy habitat with low forbs and grasses found above tree line in temperate and subarctic regions. Global Habitat Affinities: Eurasian alpine tundra, Asian Alpine Tundra, Afroparamo, Andean Cushion Paramo. Continental Habitat Affinities: Nearctic Rocky Tundra,  Species Overlap: Nearctic rocky tundra; high-elevation pine woodland.

A largely unvegetated habitat comprised almost entirely of rock and ice found at high elevations and high latitudes with regular snowfall. GLOBAL HABITAT AFFINITIES: Alpine Scree and Rock Face  CONTINENTAL HABITAT AFFINITIES: Nearctic Rocky Tundra, Nearctic Cryptic Tundra, Nearctic Alpine Tundra, Rocky Canyons SPECIES OVERLAP: Nearctic Alpine Tundra, Nearctic Rocky Tundra.

Freshwater marshes dominated by tall, dense emergent vegetation particularly common cat-tail and tule. 
Global Habitiat Affinities: North African Temperate Marshes, Australasian Temperate Freshwater Wetlands, Eurasian Reedbed Marshes Continental Habitat Affinities: Nearctic Sedge and Grassland Marshes Species Overlap: Nearctic Open Water, Nearctic Sedge and Grassland Marshes, Nearctic Lowland Rivers.

A freshwater wetland habitat dominated by short dense stands of grass and sedges, usually seasonally dry. Global Habitat Affinities: Continental Habitat Affinities: None. Species Overlap: Mixed Grass Prairie, Central American Savanna and Grassland, Nearctic Reedbed Marshes, Eastern Glades and Barrens, Tallgrass Prairie, Nearctic Open Water.

Freshwater wetlands with peat accumulation and strongly acidic or alkaline soils.

A freshwater habitat with still water that is too deep for the growth of emergent vegetation.

Seasonal depressional wetlands that appear following winter rains or spring snowmelt. Habitat Affinities: Species Overlap.

Swift flowing bodies of water draining from upland areas, typically with clear water and rocky or gravelly beds.

Slow moving bodies of water typically traversing alluvial plains, often with warm, turbid water and muddy or silty beds.

A subterranean habitat found mostly in karstic environments with both terrestrial and aquatic components.

Tidal, salt and brackish, periodically flooded forests that form in coastal areas where wave action is limited. They often line the edges of beaches, but are much more dominant in estuaries. Continental Habitat Affinities: None Global Habitat Affinities: South American mangrove; Australasian mangrove. Species Overlap: Mesoamerican  lowland rainforest.

Coastal areas of biologically rich soil that are exposed only at low tide or under favorable wind conditions. Global Affinities: Afrotropical tidal mudflat; Afrotropical salt pan; Palearctic tidal flat. Continental Affinities: None Species Overlap: North American Playas, Nearctic salt marsh; Nearctic sandy beach and dune.

Dense grassy marshes found in coastal lowlands, especially in sheltered areas. Global Habitat Affinities: Afrotropical tidal mudflat and salt marsh; Australasian tidal mudflat and salt marsh. Continental Habitat Affinities: None. Species Overlap: Nearctic tidal mudflat; Nearctic mangrove, Nearctic Sedge and Grassland Marshes.

Coastal areas with poor sandy soil, usually lacking vegetation. Habitat Affinities: Palearctic rocky coastline and sandy beach; Afrotropical rocky coastline and sandy beach; Indo-Malayan rocky coastline and sandy beach. Species Overlap: Nearctic tidal mudflat; Nearctic salt marsh; Nearctic Seacliffs and offshore islands; Nearctic pelagic waters.

Coastal areas with poor rocky soil, boulders and outcroppings usually lacking vegetation. Habitat Affinities: Palearctic rocky coastline; Afrotropical rocky; Indo-Malayan rocky Beach. Species Overlap: Nearctic tidal mudflat; Nearctic salt marsh; Nearctic offshore islands; Nearctic pelagic waters.

Deepwater marine environments, generally beyond the continental shelf or along major deepwater canyons. Habitat Affinities: Pelagic waters all over the world.

An underwater ecosystem found in shallow tropical waters and formed by stony corals. Also includes associated small sandy islands. Continental Affinity: None. Global Affinity:  Species Overlap: Nearctic Sandy Beach and Dune, Nearctic Pelagic Waters.

A marine habitat found in temperate and polar waters, dominated by dense “forests” of giant kelp.

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Hard saline or alkaline pans formed in arid or semi-arid basins that periodically contain shallow ephemeral wetlands.

Areas of dense human habitation, often with tall, multi-storied structures and little green space.

Areas devoted to intensive agriculture, often single species row crops.

A monoculture forest planted for wood production.

Areas used primarily for grazing livestock, including open range, managed pasture and croplands dedicated to hay production. Habitat Affinities: Palearctic cropland; Afrotropical cropland; Indo-Malayan paddy fields and other cropland; Neotropical cropland. Species Overlap: Tallgrass prairie; shortgrass prairie; Mixed Grass Prairie.