EPOW - Ecology Picture of the Week

Interior Boreal

Interior Boreal Ecosystem
Alaska, USA

Explanation:  This is the interior boreal ecosystem of central Alaska, USA.  Comprised of tussock grasslands, seasonal wetlands, riparian fens, ice, and rock, the region hosts a surprising array of plant and animal species, such as  caribou, wolves, fox, seasonal shorebirds and waterfowl, swans, and much more ... including wood frogs that hibernate during winter, letting their bodies freeze solid.

The boreal region is far less studied than other ecosystems to the temperate south, although it is more apt to be vulnerable to greater impacts from regional climate change and other disturbances.
  

  
I have been most fortunate to have
traveled widely throughout this region
on multiple scientific studies of wildlife
habitats and impacts from climate
change.