APES- Terrestrial Biomes Review
Vocabulary:
Understand and be able to apply each of these terms.
1. Biome: Climatically and geographically defined as similar climatic conditions on the Earth, such as communities of plants, animals, and soil organisms, and are ofter referred to as ecosystems.
2. Climate: A location is affected by its latitude, terrain, and altitude, as well as nearby water bodies and their currents.
3. Rain shadow: A dry area on the leeward (back side) of a mountainous area.
4. Windward: The direction upwind from the point of reference.
5. Leeward: The direction downwind from the point of reference.
6. Latitude: A geographic coordinate that specifies the north-south position of a point on the Earth's surface.
7. Altitude: height is defined based on the context in which it is used (aviation, geometry, geographical
survey, sport, and more).
8. Primary Succession: one of two types of biological and ecological succession of plant life, occurring in an environment in which new substrate devoid of vegetation and usually lacking soil, such as a lava flow or area left from retreated glacier, is deposited.
9. Secondary Succession: A process started by an event (e.g. forest fire, harvesting, hurricane) that reduces an already established ecosystem to a smaller population of species.
10. Tropical: Sometimes used in a general sense for a tropical climate to mean warm to hot and moist year round often with the sense of lush vegetation.
11. Temperate: Temperate latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar regions.
12. Desert:An area that features this climate usually experiences less than 250 mm (10 inches) per year of precipitation and in some years may experience no precipitation at all.
13. Polar: Polar region receive less intensive solar radiation because the sun's energy arrives at an oblique angle, spreading over a larger area, and also travels a longer distance through the Earth's atmosphere in which it may be absorbed, scattered or reflected, which is the same thing that causes winters to be colder than the rest of the year in temperate areas.
Critical Thinking:
Read, analyze, and give complete answers to these questions.
1. Describe the rainshadow effect and explain how it can alter the climate of the windward and leeward
sides of a mountain range.
A rain shadow is a dry area on the lee side of a mountainous area (away from the wind). The mountains block the passage of rain-producing weather systems and cast a "shadow" of dryness behind them.When air approaches a mountain, it is forced upward because the mountain acts as a barrier. As the air is forced to rise, the air cools adiabatically, 1 degree for every 100 meters. This side where the air rises is the windward side. As this cooling occurs on the windward side, the moisture in the air will condense and produce clouds. The air reaches the top of the mountain, it will begin to slide down the other side of the mountain and warm by the same rate of 1 degree for every 100 meters. So now the air is becoming warmer and drier which creates a desert on the opposite side of the mountain.
2. What effect does living near a large ocean or lake have on average air temperatures? Why?- Explain.
Large bodies of water tend to store heat in warm periods and release it in cold periods. This is because the thermal capacity of water is high, meaning it takes a lot of energy to change the temperature of water. So, during the summer, land areas near a large body of water may not heat up as much as areas that are not close to water, because the water itself is adsorbing much of the heat energy. This will cause the climate to be more moderate in summer near the coast, for example. Likewise in winter, the water near the coast will slowly release this energy, causing coastal areas to be less cold, in general, than inland areas.
3. Complete this summary chart of the land-based ecosystems.
Vocabulary:
Understand and be able to apply each of these terms.
1. Biome: Climatically and geographically defined as similar climatic conditions on the Earth, such as communities of plants, animals, and soil organisms, and are ofter referred to as ecosystems.
2. Climate: A location is affected by its latitude, terrain, and altitude, as well as nearby water bodies and their currents.
3. Rain shadow: A dry area on the leeward (back side) of a mountainous area.
4. Windward: The direction upwind from the point of reference.
5. Leeward: The direction downwind from the point of reference.
6. Latitude: A geographic coordinate that specifies the north-south position of a point on the Earth's surface.
7. Altitude: height is defined based on the context in which it is used (aviation, geometry, geographical
survey, sport, and more).
8. Primary Succession: one of two types of biological and ecological succession of plant life, occurring in an environment in which new substrate devoid of vegetation and usually lacking soil, such as a lava flow or area left from retreated glacier, is deposited.
9. Secondary Succession: A process started by an event (e.g. forest fire, harvesting, hurricane) that reduces an already established ecosystem to a smaller population of species.
10. Tropical: Sometimes used in a general sense for a tropical climate to mean warm to hot and moist year round often with the sense of lush vegetation.
11. Temperate: Temperate latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar regions.
12. Desert:An area that features this climate usually experiences less than 250 mm (10 inches) per year of precipitation and in some years may experience no precipitation at all.
13. Polar: Polar region receive less intensive solar radiation because the sun's energy arrives at an oblique angle, spreading over a larger area, and also travels a longer distance through the Earth's atmosphere in which it may be absorbed, scattered or reflected, which is the same thing that causes winters to be colder than the rest of the year in temperate areas.
Critical Thinking:
Read, analyze, and give complete answers to these questions.
1. Describe the rainshadow effect and explain how it can alter the climate of the windward and leeward
sides of a mountain range.
A rain shadow is a dry area on the lee side of a mountainous area (away from the wind). The mountains block the passage of rain-producing weather systems and cast a "shadow" of dryness behind them.When air approaches a mountain, it is forced upward because the mountain acts as a barrier. As the air is forced to rise, the air cools adiabatically, 1 degree for every 100 meters. This side where the air rises is the windward side. As this cooling occurs on the windward side, the moisture in the air will condense and produce clouds. The air reaches the top of the mountain, it will begin to slide down the other side of the mountain and warm by the same rate of 1 degree for every 100 meters. So now the air is becoming warmer and drier which creates a desert on the opposite side of the mountain.
2. What effect does living near a large ocean or lake have on average air temperatures? Why?- Explain.
Large bodies of water tend to store heat in warm periods and release it in cold periods. This is because the thermal capacity of water is high, meaning it takes a lot of energy to change the temperature of water. So, during the summer, land areas near a large body of water may not heat up as much as areas that are not close to water, because the water itself is adsorbing much of the heat energy. This will cause the climate to be more moderate in summer near the coast, for example. Likewise in winter, the water near the coast will slowly release this energy, causing coastal areas to be less cold, in general, than inland areas.
3. Complete this summary chart of the land-based ecosystems.
Equatorial, Precipitation Average Example Animal and Plant
Polar, or (High, Low, Temperature (High, Adaptations
Mid-Latitude? Seasonal) Low, Seasonal)
Tropical Equatorial Low High Coyote
Desert
Temperate Mid-Latitude Low Seasonal African Elephant
Desert
Polar Desert Polar Low Low Polar bear
Tropical Mid-Latitude Seasonal High Owls
Grasslands
Temperate Mid-Latitude Low Seasonal Bison
Grasslands
Polar Poles Low High Artic Hares
Grasslands
Chaparral Mid-Latitude Low High Cacti
Tropical
Rainforest Equilateral High High Mosquitoes
Deciduous
Forest Mid-Latitude High Seasonal Primrose
Coniferous
Forest Mid-Latitude Seasonal High Cedar
(Taiga)
Temperate
Rainforest Mid-Latitude High Seasonal Elk
Mountains Mid-Latitude Seasonal Low Wolf
4. For each category of biomes, give a major human impact and list 2 endangered species:
a. Deserts – Human impact on desert biomes are things that humans do in the deserts that harm them. The fennec fox is one of the most endangered species of the desert biome. The armadillo lizard is another example.
b. Grasslands – Characterized by large areas of land where grasses are the primary form of plant life, are affected by expanding human civilization in particular ways.These include the Asian Elephant, Zanzibar Leopard,
c. Forests – Humans is urbanisation, ie people moving into the countryside, building farms and other buildings, deforestation (chopping trees down), is a result of this as well as land is cleared for farmland. The two endangered species is Golden Lion Tamarind Monkeys and Jaguars.
d. Mountains – Humans effect the mountains hugely. Accidental fires from cigarettes, polution in the city wafts towards the mountains. The two endangered species is Black-Footed Ferret and Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout.
Climatograph
Use the data provided to construct a climatograph. Remember: Temperature should be displayed as a line graph and precipitation as a bar graph.
Month Precipitation (cm) Temperature (C)
January 10 35
February 3 37
March 2 39
April 5 40
May 13 42
June 9 44
July 2 45
August 2 44
September 2 42
October 8 40
November 18 37
December 7 35
Identify the biome in the climatogram above- what evidence supports your answer. Give specific observations from your graph to justify this answer.
Polar, or (High, Low, Temperature (High, Adaptations
Mid-Latitude? Seasonal) Low, Seasonal)
Tropical Equatorial Low High Coyote
Desert
Temperate Mid-Latitude Low Seasonal African Elephant
Desert
Polar Desert Polar Low Low Polar bear
Tropical Mid-Latitude Seasonal High Owls
Grasslands
Temperate Mid-Latitude Low Seasonal Bison
Grasslands
Polar Poles Low High Artic Hares
Grasslands
Chaparral Mid-Latitude Low High Cacti
Tropical
Rainforest Equilateral High High Mosquitoes
Deciduous
Forest Mid-Latitude High Seasonal Primrose
Coniferous
Forest Mid-Latitude Seasonal High Cedar
(Taiga)
Temperate
Rainforest Mid-Latitude High Seasonal Elk
Mountains Mid-Latitude Seasonal Low Wolf
4. For each category of biomes, give a major human impact and list 2 endangered species:
a. Deserts – Human impact on desert biomes are things that humans do in the deserts that harm them. The fennec fox is one of the most endangered species of the desert biome. The armadillo lizard is another example.
b. Grasslands – Characterized by large areas of land where grasses are the primary form of plant life, are affected by expanding human civilization in particular ways.These include the Asian Elephant, Zanzibar Leopard,
c. Forests – Humans is urbanisation, ie people moving into the countryside, building farms and other buildings, deforestation (chopping trees down), is a result of this as well as land is cleared for farmland. The two endangered species is Golden Lion Tamarind Monkeys and Jaguars.
d. Mountains – Humans effect the mountains hugely. Accidental fires from cigarettes, polution in the city wafts towards the mountains. The two endangered species is Black-Footed Ferret and Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout.
Climatograph
Use the data provided to construct a climatograph. Remember: Temperature should be displayed as a line graph and precipitation as a bar graph.
Month Precipitation (cm) Temperature (C)
January 10 35
February 3 37
March 2 39
April 5 40
May 13 42
June 9 44
July 2 45
August 2 44
September 2 42
October 8 40
November 18 37
December 7 35
Identify the biome in the climatogram above- what evidence supports your answer. Give specific observations from your graph to justify this answer.