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35-402: Dümmer is a popular resort for water sports, but also an important biotope for water birds and located in a zone especially frequented by migratory birds . A large section of its shore is protected by nature reserve areas. The word "diummeri" is first attested in 965. „Dümmer“ ist probably derived from "dummerig", meaning moist or shaded, and "Meer“, meaning sea. In northwestern Germany, "Meer"

70-411: A biotope (though a rather small one) since it enhances the experience of daily life. An area that has many functions, such as human living space, and is home to other living things, whether plant or animal, can be considered a biosphere reserve. When artificial items are introduced to a biotope setting, their design and arrangement is of great importance for biotope regeneration. Tree-planting areas where

105-461: A breeding and resting place for birds, has a variety of flora and fauna , which is why the western and the southern shore of the lake are largely protected. Although the lake is only about a metre deep on average, very rich water sources and the Hunte itself ensure that its water level is relatively constant. Previously these headstreams combined with regular heavy rainfall to cause flooding, so that in

140-526: A certain region. It mainly describes medicinal plants growing in Denmark. The Flora Sinensis by the Polish Jesuit Michał Boym is another early example of a book titled "Flora". However, despite its title it covered not only plants but also some animals of the region, that is China and India. A published flora often contains diagnostic keys. Often these are dichotomous keys , which require

175-456: A green belt along the river, small town parks, gardens, or even roadside trees, biotopes can exist in a network. In other words, a biotope is an open, not a closed, system and is a practicable strategy. The term "biotope" does not apply to biosphere reserves , which are completely separate from humans and become the object of human admiration. Instead, it is an active part of human daily life. For example, an ornamental flower bed may be considered

210-413: A part in these activities, including architecture, civil engineering, urban planning, traffic, agriculture, river engineering, limnology , biology , education, landscape gardening , and domestic gardening. In all fields, all sorts of people are seeking a viable way for humans to respect other living things. The term "biotope" would include a complete environmental approach. The following four points are

245-419: A particular real-world biotope. An example of one South American biotope type might be "Forest creek tributary of Rio Negro near Barcelos, Brazil" with many branches, twigs, roots, dead leaves, light sandy substrate, tannin-stained water and subdued lighting with floating plants, along with Nannostomus eques , Paracheirodon axelrodi , Hemigrammus bleheri , and Dicrossus filamentosus . "South American"

280-444: A place in which diverse organisms live. So one of the most effective strategies for regenerating biotopes is to plan a stretch of biotopes, not just a point where animals and plants come and go. (Such an organic traffic course is called a corridor .) In the stretch method, the centre of the network would be large green tracts of land: a forest, natural park, or cemetery. By connecting parcels of land with smaller biotope areas such as

315-413: A publication also known as a " flora " (often capitalized as "Flora" to distinguish the two meanings when they might be confused). Floras may require specialist botanical knowledge to use with any effectiveness. Traditionally they are books , but some are now published on CD-ROM or websites . Simon Paulli 's Flora Danica of 1648 is probably the first book titled "Flora" to refer to the plant world of

350-420: A specific variety should not be harmed by development. So there is a law that mandates the protection of biotopes. There is also a provincial law corresponding to the federal one. Such developments were uncommon in those times. Many German states are obliged by law to produce a landscape plan ( Landschaftsplan ) as part of their urban planning, though these plans vary somewhat from place to place. The purpose of

385-511: Is fauna , and for fungi , it is funga . Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora as in the terms gut flora or skin flora . The word "flora" comes from the Latin name of Flora , the goddess of plants , flowers , and fertility in Roman mythology . The technical term "flora" is then derived from a metonymy of this goddess at the end of the sixteenth century. It

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420-649: Is almost synonymous with the term "habitat" , which is more commonly used in English-speaking countries. However, in some countries these two terms are distinguished: the subject of a habitat is a population , the subject of a biotope is a biocoenosis or "biological community". It is an English loanword derived from the German Biotop , which in turn came from the Greek bios (meaning 'life') and topos ('place'). (The related word geotope has made its way into

455-411: Is commonly emphasised that biotopes should not be isolated (although there are exceptions, such as manmade closed ecological systems which are specifically designed for no exchange of materials with the outside world). Instead biotopes need to be connected to each other and other surrounding life for without these connections to life-forms such as animals and plants, biotopes would not effectively work as

490-605: Is crossed by the River Hunte , which leaves the lake via several branches, the largest of which is not called the "Hunte" but the Lohne . Other branches are the Grawiede and the artificial Wätering , the Dorflohne, Schoddenlohne and Ompteda Canal. Only 13 km north of the lake and 3 km north of Diepholz all the branches of the Hunte are reunited. The fish-filled lake, which is also

525-573: Is located in the 300-acre (1.2 km) Dümmer depression . One and a half miles to the west, the Damme Hills begin to rise, eventually reaching a height of 145 m. Around the lake are fens ( Niedermoore ) and raised bogs ( Hochmoore ). The lake lies in the Dümmer Nature Park , which is just under 500 km in area, and in which the Damme Hills and Stemweder Berg form the central elements of

560-676: Is not itself a biotope, as South America contains thousands of distinct biotopes in different regions. The term "biotope" can be also used to describe manmade closed ecological systems , occasionally also referred to as CES systems. Examples of these include the Biosphere 2 project and to a lesser degree the Eden Project , which contain areas of uniform environmental conditions and house numerous species of plants, animals and fungi. Therefore these can be considered biotopes. Homemade ecological systems, often incorrectly referred to as ecospheres (due to

595-507: Is shaped by environmental factors (such as water, soil, and geographical features) and interaction among living things; the original idea of a biotope was closely related to evolutional theory. Following this, F. Dahl, a professor at the Berlin Zoological Museum, referred to this ecological system as a "biotope" (biotop) (1908). Although the term "biotope" is considered to be a technical word with respect to ecology, in recent years

630-400: Is the traditional term for still waters surrounded by marshes (see: " Steinhuder Meer " and " Zwischenahner Meer "). Possibly, there is also a connection between Dümmer and the southern dutch word „doom“ ("mist", "broom"). The Dümmersee: Diummeri … westphalian for dumb, moist, damp (regarding land), norwegian dumma, unclear air, misty corner. The second part is meri, the land sea. The Dümmer

665-554: The Landschaftsplan is to protect the region's environment and landscape. These plans use text and figures to describe the present environmental state and proposed remedies. They consider, for example, the regional lie of the land, climate, wind direction, soil, ground water, type of biotope, distribution of animals and plants, inhabitants' welfare and competition with development projects. Biotope preservation in cities also emphasises recreation and relaxation for citizens and improving

700-418: The 1940s work began to build dykes around the lake. In the period 1941-1945 foreign forced labour was used for this on a large scale. The reclamation and subsequent lack of annual flooding resulted in algae growing in large quantities in the lake and hence depriving most other organisms of oxygen. The low water level was caused by heavy silting, also a result of dyking the lake. With the help of several locks it

735-547: The English language by the same route, from the German Geotop .) The concept of a biotope was first advocated by Ernst Haeckel (1834–1919), a German zoologist famous for the recapitulation theory . In his book General Morphology (1866), which defines the term " ecology ", he stresses the importance of the concept of habitat as a prerequisite for an organism's existence. Haeckel also explains that with one ecosystem, its biota

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770-624: The authorities take the initiative in conserving biotopes, maintaining consistency with urban or rural planning and considering the regions' history and landscape. Since 1976, the federal nature protection law, Bundesnaturschutzgesetz (BNUM), requires that wild animals and plants and their community should be protected as part of the ecosystem in the specific diversity that has grown naturally and historically, and their biotope and other living conditions should be protected, preserved, developed, and restored. (Number 9, Clause 1, Article 2). The law also requires that some kinds of biotope that are full of

805-524: The chief characteristics of biotopes. A biotope is generally not considered to be a large-scale phenomenon. For example, a biotope might be a neighbouring park, a back garden, potted plant, a terrarium or a fish tank on a porch. In other words, the biotope is not a macroscopic but a microscopic approach to preserving the ecosystem and biological diversity. So biotopes fit into ordinary people's daily activities and lives, with more people being able to take part in biotope creation and continuing management. It

840-448: The idea of having an entire ecosystem on their windowsill, or by those interested in studying the viability of small scale, closed loop ecological systems for the purpose potentially creating life support systems . Flora (plants) Flora ( pl. : floras or florae ) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring ( indigenous ) native plants. The corresponding term for animals

875-620: The lake. Whilst Diepholz district belonged to the Electorate of Hanover from 1585 ( County of Diepholz ) and 1582 ( County of Hoya ), the territory of the district of Vechta belonged for centuries to the Diocese of Münster and only became part of Oldenburg in 1803 after the German Mediatisation . Hence it counts as part of Oldenburg Münsterland . The Dümmer is, after the Steinhuder Meer ,

910-406: The landscape. The open water of the lake belongs entirely to the district of Diepholz , but on its western shore the district of Vechta extends up to the dyke foreland. Near Dümmerlohausen the district boundary comes within a few metres of the shoreline. To the southwest by the mouth of the River Hunte a tip of the territory of the district of Osnabrück advances to within half a kilometre of

945-428: The landscape. The term "biotope" is also often used by aquarium hobbyists to describe an aquarium setup that tries to simulate the natural habitat of a specific assemblage of fish. The idea is to replicate conditions such as water parameters, natural plants, substrate, water type ( fresh , saline or brackish ), lighting, and to include other native fish which usually live together in nature and as such, represent

980-621: The product, known as the EcoSphere ) or jarrariums also fall under the definition of biotope. These homemade ecosystems (which also include closed terrariums ) are often made by hobbyists in what are often jars (hence the name jarrarium) or sealed glass tanks with the intention of mimicking a larger ecosystem. They are often made by going out and collecting material (including soil, plants, small insects and water if an aquatic ecosystem) from said ecosystem and sealing it in an airtight container. These closed ecosystems are often made by hobbyists who enjoy

1015-467: The second largest lake in Lower Saxony. With its water surface of 13.5 km ² - the area within the ring dyke including siltation zones is 16 km ² - and maximum water depth of just 1.50 m, it is good for swimming and water sports. The shallow lake with its flat beaches on the western and eastern shore is up to 5 km long from north to south and up to 3.4 km wide from west to east. The lake

1050-467: The surface is uneven results in plants that sprout and the nesting of small insects. A mat or net made from natural fibres will gradually biodegrade as it is exposed to the weather. So there is no binomial opposition between the natural and the artificial in a biotope. Rather, such artificial materials are widely used. It is especially characteristic in Germany, which is the birthplace of the term biotope, that

1085-544: The term is more generally used in administrative and civic activities. Since the 1970s the term "biotope" has received great attention as a keyword throughout Europe (mainly Germany) for the preservation, regeneration, and creation of natural environmental settings. Used in this context, the term "biotope" often refers to a smaller and more specific ecology and is very familiar to human life. In Germany especially, activities related to regenerating biotopes are enthusiastically received. These activities include: Various sectors play

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1120-412: The two terms were used interchangeably. Plants are grouped into floras based on region ( floristic regions ), period, special environment, or climate. Regions can be distinct habitats like mountain vs. flatland. Floras can mean plant life of a historic era as in fossil flora . Lastly, floras may be subdivided by special environments: The flora of a particular area or time period can be documented in

1155-501: The urban environment. For example, in the reserve of Karlsruhe in Baden-Württemberg people can cycle on the bike path or walk the dog, although it is forbidden to gather plants and animals there or walk in the exclusion zone. At the core of biotope preservation is the idea that if civic life is surrounded by a rich profusion of nature whose background is in local history and culture, it is improved by protecting nature and preserving

1190-436: Was first used in poetry to denote the natural vegetation of an area, but soon also assumed the meaning of a work cataloguing such vegetation. Moreover, "Flora" was used to refer to the flowers of an artificial garden in the seventeenth century. The distinction between vegetation (the general appearance of a community) and flora (the taxonomic composition of a community) was first made by Jules Thurmann (1849). Prior to this,

1225-500: Was possible to control the high water levels artificially without greatly interfering with nature. Nevertheless, the Dümmer suffers from heavy nutrient pollution caused by intensive agriculture. The remains of New Stone Age settlements have been found on the shores of the Dümmer. Biotope A biotope is an area of uniform environmental conditions providing a living place for a specific assemblage of plants and animals . Biotope

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