BLM 11-1, Climatographs/Reinforcement
Goal: Students practise drawing climatographs.
Answers
What to Do
Alternate title: Climatograph Unknown Location in Alberta
Analyze
1. (a) January (–15.3°C) (b) +10.6°C
(c) October (12.8 mm of precipitation) (d) August (90.6 mm of precipitation) 2. Climate data is for Edmonton, Alberta.
BLM 11-2, Investigating Biome
Climates/Science Inquiry
Goal: Students compare climatographs from three locations that are typical of different biomes.
Answers
What to Do
Since students have to estimate values, accept any reasonable values.
Biome 1 2 3
Warmest average monthly temperature (°C)
+16° +19 +8
Month with warmest average temperature
July July July
Coldest average monthly temperature (°C)
–20 –10 –26
Month with coldest average temperature
January January January or February
Total precipitation (mm) in January, March, August, and October
J: 20 M: 20 A: 65 O: 28
J: 20 M: 25 A: 42 O: 21
J: 20 M: 20 A: 60 O: 40
Driest month and total amount of precipitation for this month (mm)
Month: February Total precipitation: 16
Month: October, November, December, February (all about the same) Total precipitation: 20
Month: December, January, February, March (all about the same) Total precipitation: 20
Wettest month and total amount of precipitation for this month (mm)
Month: July Total precipitation: 75
Month: June Total precipitation: 75
Month: August Total precipitation: 60
Start and end of growing season
(months where temperatures first rise above or fall below 5°C)
Start: May End: September
Start: April End: October
Analyze
1. Biome 2 (Lethbridge, 49.63°N) is closest to the equator. Accept any of the following explanations: longest growing season, warmest temperatures, little precipitation/snow.
2. Biome 3 (Iqaluit, 63.75°N) has the most northerly latitude. Accept any of the following explantations: shortest growing season, coldest temperatures (many months with temperatures below zero), very dry. 3. The total annual precipitation of the three biomes is
close (biome 1, 445 mm; biome 2, 415 mm; biome 3, 410 mm). Biome 1 (Fort McMurray, 56.73ºN) receives the most, however.
4. Biome 3 receives the least annual precipitation (410 mm).
5. Biome 2 has the longest growing season (seven months).
6. Biome 3 has the shortest growing season (about two months).
7. Animals would have to have structural and behavioural adaptations to long, cold winters to survive in biome 3, which is in the tundra.
Conclude
8. Accept any two explanations for each of the following:
(a) Taiga: Summer temperatures allow ground to thaw. Winters are long and cold, but not as long as in the tundra. Precipitation is sufficient to support coniferous forests.
(b) Grassland: Precipitation is insufficient to support large forests. Growing season is long, with dry periods (drought) during the summer. Grassland supports grasses that are adapted to survive drought, as well as grazing animals.
(c) Tundra: Winters are long and cold. Precipitation is mostly in the form of snow. Growing season is short. Soil would not be able to thaw completely in summer. Summer is short and cool.
9. (a) coniferous trees (b) grasses
(c) some grasses or sedges
BLM 11-3, World Biomes/Overhead
Master
Answers
not applicable
BLM 11-4, Biomes of Canada and the
United States/Overhead Master
Answers
not applicable
BLM 11-5, Terrestrial Biomes — Data
Table/Reinforcement
Goal: Students collect and record data on major terrestrial biomes.
Answers
Biome tundra taiga temperate
deciduous forest
grassland desert tropical rain forest General
description
- long, cold winters; permafrost; very dry; circumpolar in Northern Hemisphere
- long, cold winters, but ground thaws in summer; most
precipitation is snow;
stretches across Canada, northern Europe, and Asia
- four distinct seasons; below 50ºN and 50ºS
- prolonged dry season; rich, fertile soil; includes prairies, steppes, veldts, savannas, and pampas
- temperatures that fluctuate greatly between day and night; driest biome on Earth; between 15º and 35º latitude in both hemispheres
Biome tundra taiga temperate deciduous forest
grassland desert tropical rain forest Temperature
range
- –40ºC (winter) to around +8ºC (summer)
- around –25ºC (mid-winter) to around 16ºC (mid-summer)
- below freezing (mid-winter) to over 30ºC (summer)
- depends on region; range can be from well below freezing to about 20ºC in North America
- depends on region; e.g. in Mongolia can range from – 40ºC (winter) to +40ºC
(summer)
- fairly constant; above 25ºC
Precipitation range
- less than 25 cm/year; total monthly precipitation 19 mm (winter) to 64 mm (summer)
- 35 to 100 cm/year
- 75 to 150 cm/year, evenly distributed throughout year
- 25 to 75 cm/year
- 0 to 25 cm/year - generally 150 mm or more to 400 mm/year; rains nearly every day
Dominant plants
- grasses and sedges
- coniferous forests
- deciduous trees that form a canopy; understorey of shade-tolerant plants
- grasses with a few stands of trees
- none or cacti, succulents
- rich in biodiversity; thousands of flowering plant species; trees create canopy; epiphytes grow on trees Dominant
animals
- lemmings, caribou, arctic hares, arctic foxes, wolves, black flies, mosquitoes
- fur-bearing mammals such as beavers, rabbits, muskrats, black bears, lynx, squirrels, wolves, and moose
- deer, foxes, squirrels, mice, snakes, birds, and insects
- depends on region; in Alberta, animals include pronghorns, ground squirrels, pheasants, and burrowing owls
- snakes, vultures, desert tortoises, coyotes, gila monsters, lizards, and beetles
- rich in biodiversity; monkeys, birds, snakes, rodents, frogs, lizards, and numerous species of insects
BLM 11-6, Mountain Zonation Patterns/
Information Handout
Goal: Students learn how elevation affects plant growth.
Answers
not applicableBLM 11-7, Climatic Feedback Loops/
Overhead Master
Answers
not applicableBLM 11-8, Ecological Succession/
Information Handout
Goal: Students learn about the two main forms of natural succession.
BLM 11-9, Tracing Succession/
Enrichment
Goal: Students interpret and compare the two main forms of natural succession.
Answers
1.Type of succession
primary succession secondary succession What does it
start with?
- bare rock - soil and some organic matter What are the
stages and the causes of each stage? (Include types of organisms.)
- Lichens are the pioneer species, which start process of soil formation. - Moss and other
small plants form ecological communities. - Ferns and shrubs
die, decompose, and add to soil structure. - Pines move in as
soil is able to hold more water and nutrients. - Deciduous forest,
for example, forms the stable plant community for the climate.
- Forest fire or other disturbance removes living trees but does not destroy the soil or the organic matter in the soil. - Grasses and
plants such as fireweed can become established. - New plants and
animals crowd out original species and alter the environment, making it suitable for other species. - Deciduous forest,
for example, forms the stable plant community for the climate. How fast does it
occur?
- relatively slowly - relatively fast
What does it end with?
- same as secondary succession (for example, deciduous forest)
- same as primary succession (for example, deciduous forest)
2. The development of a biome’s climax community depends to a great extent on the climate of the area. The populations of nearby communities will also have an impact, since they will be the most likely source of organisms during succession.
3. Accept answers such as the following:
• Region must be temperate, with four distinct seasons each year.
• Precipitation ranges from 75 to150 cm and is evenly distributed throughout the year. • Temperatures range from below freezing in
winter to +30°C in summer. • Droughts are uncommon. 4. Accept answers such as these:
• natural climate change
• catastrophic events (such as volcanoes, floods, and ice storms)
• human activities (such as clearcutting forests, farming, ranching, and raising grazing animals)
BLM 11-10, Chapter 11 Test/Assessment
Goal: Students demonstrate their understanding of the information presented in Chapter 11.
Answers
1. T2. F: The taiga biome is found in North America, Asia, and Europe.
3. F: In the desert biome, the rate of evaporation exceeds the rate of precipitation.
4. F: The taiga and a plant cell are both examples of open systems.
5. T 6. (f) 7. (e) 8. (d) 9. (c) 10. (a) 11. tilt
12. mass extinctions 13. canopy
31.
Students should include the following points in their flowchart and explanation:
• This example of climatic feedback is the related to the amount of ice and snow on Earth’s surface.
• Earth’s temperature and the subsequent formation of sea ice are controlled by a positive feedback loop. • A drop in Earth’s temperature results in the formation
of sea ice.
• An increase in sea ice would result in more solar radiation being reflected back into space.
