COLD: Climate Influences Nature

Question 1

What three things are low in cold climatic conditions?

Answer 1

• Growth
• Net productivity
• Biodiversity

Question 2

How are lichen adapated to the cold?

Answer 2

• Compete with plants for sunlight, but due to their size and slow growth, allows them to thrive in other places where other plants have difficulty.
• Don’t need soil to grow.
• Help break down rock into soil, then mosses and ferns are able to grow.
• Can still grow under thin layer of snow. Take in moisture from melting.

Question 3

What are three things than plants in cold conditions generally have to adapt?

Answer 3

• Dormant
• Hairy leaves
• Leaves come in close at night

Question 4

Example of dormant plants and what dormancy helps with?

Answer 4

Snowbells.
Helps with:
- Short summers in long sun light hours
- Cover of snow for months

Question 5

Example of hairy leaved plants and what this protects from?

Answer 5

Labelia.
Protects from:
- High winds
- Extreme cold

Question 6

Example of a plant where the leaves come in at night and what this protects them from?

Answer 6

Cabbage grounsel.
Protects from:
- Freezing night temps
- High winds
- Snow coverage

Question 7

How do animals survive in cold environments?

Answer 7

• Temperatures are higher in summer and this enables migratory birds to hatch eggs and rear young.
• Summer temperatures warm above 6 degrees, allowing growth of green plant matter.
• This biomass provides essential food for herbivores and enables a food chain to be established.

Question 8

How do caribou adapt?

Answer 8

• Noses are covered in THICK HAIR to INSULATE when rooting around in snow for food.
• ANTLERS used to DEFEND themselves and their young against predators. Used to DIG UP FOOD.
• Feet SPREAD OUT when they put WEIGHT on them, so they don’t SINK into snow.
• Fantastic sense of SMELL, even under 5ft of snow can smell out lichen.

Question 9

How do polar bears adapt?

Answer 9

• LONG, STIFF HAIR between pads of feet to protect feet from cold and helps them swim and stops from slipping on ice.
• LIGHT FUR provides CAMOUFLAGE against snow, so when hunting covers nose with paws so is white ALL OVER.
• SMALL, ROUNDED ears prevent water going in them and FREEZING their eardrum.
• THICK SKIN, layer of FAT underneath to INSULATE. Skin underneath is BLACK to improve heat retention rate.