People and the Biosphere

Question 1

Define a biome

Answer 1

a large scale ecosystem

Question 2

What are the 7 biomes

Answer 2

tropical rainforest, tundra, hot desert, temperate forest, tropical grassland, temperate grassland, and boreal forest

Question 3

Describe the Tropical Rainforest biome

Answer 3

• close to the equator; between tropics
• hot all year (30)
• wet all year (3000mm)

Question 4

describe the tundra biome

Answer 4

• close to the north pole
• temp 0, up to 10 in summer
• low rainfall ( <250mm)

Question 5

describe the temperate forest biome

Answer 5

• 40-60 degrees north and south of the equator
• warm summer and cool winter
• rain all year (1000mm)

Question 6

describe the tropical grassland biome

Answer 6

• close to the equator; between tropics
• hot all year round
• 1000mm rain but w dry season

Question 7

describe the temperate grassland biome

Answer 7

• north and south of tropics
• hot in summer and very cold in winter
• 500-900 mostly occurs in late spring/summer

Question 8

Describe the boreal forest biome

Answer 8

• continuous band across NA and Russia
• warm summer (16-30) and below 0 winter
• low rainfall (>500) and mainly in summer

Question 9

How do climate graphs represent rainfall and temperature

Answer 9

Rainfall (mm) as a bar chart

Temperature as a line graph

Question 10

What factors affect the distribution of biomes

Answer 10

• precipitation
• annual temperature range
• wind`

Question 11

How have tropical rainforests adapted

Answer 11

• Found where there are high temperatures and rainfall all year round
• Occurs near the equator with low pressure to cause precipitation

Question 12

How have tropical grasslands adapted

Answer 12

• Occurs further from the equator where temperatures are still at a high temp.
• dry season and tall grass grows rapidly in summer

Question 13

How have temperate forests adapted

Answer 13

• occur at higher latitudes
  low-pressure systems create rainfall all year
• trees lose leaves in autumn

Question 14

How are tundra adapted

Answer 14

• Occurs closest to poles; plant growth is limited by v. low temp. and short sunlight hours
• air is sinking here and thus precipitation is low
• plants have tough leaves and grow close to the ground

Question 15

How are deserts adapted

Answer 15

• occurs around cancer and Capricorn as air is sinking
• means high daytime temp but cooler nighttime temp.
• flowers have extensive roots

Question 16

How are boreal forests adapted

Answer 16

• cold temp. with sinking air which leads to low precipitation

Question 17

What are local factors that affect biome distribution

Answer 17

altitude, rock type, soils and drainage

Question 18

How does altitude affect biome distribution

Answer 18

• higher altitude means cooler temp. so tundras can form

- not much vegetation can survive so forest biomes decrease

Question 19

How does drainage affect biome distribution

Answer 19

• no drainage leads to flooding of land so lack of vegetation and could lead to rainforest biome

Question 20

What are the different soil types

Answer 20

• sandy soil means water drains through so is dry
• clay soil has few air gaps so puddles collect and holds nutrients well
• chalky soil means water drains through it quickly