Whether, Climate and Habitats

Question 1

What is the difference between weather and climate?

Answer 1

Weather is what the air temperature, rainfall, and wind is like at a particular time of day, for e.g., now, or yesterday.
Climate is what the weather is usually over a long period of time for e.g., the seasons (summer, winter, spring, autumn).

Question 2

Discuss different aspects of a Rain forest, Hot desert and Coniferous forest.

Answer 2

Tropical rainforests occur on either side of the equator.

They are located between the Tropic of Cancer in the north and the Tropic of Capricorn in the south.

A hot desert can be seen as a natural region with extreme high temperatures and very low rainfall.

A coniferous forest can be found in areas where there are long winters and evergreen trees, due to the moderate to high annual precipitation.

Question 3

Explain what deforestation and climate change is.

Answer 3

Deforestation is when people burn or clear forests for farming of living space
Climate change is a shift in the average weather patterns that takes place over the years.
Deforestation and green house gasses contribute to climate change

Question 4

Locate the different climate regions around the world.

Answer 4

Polar (cold) climate regions near south and north pole
Tropical (hot) climate region around equator, between tropics of Cancer and Capricorn
Temperate (mild) climate regions in the other regions

Question 5

Habitats in the Coniferous Forest (Trees)

Answer 5

1. Conifers are evergreen cone-bearing trees with scale-like and needle-like leaves. The seeds are not enclosed in a fruit but are found on woody cones.
2. They can survive in any condition, either hot or dry (fire adapted) or snow (branches slope down, snow falls off easily).
3. The needles can survive in dry conditions as they are coated with a cuticle to keep moisture in.
4. The leaves have a tough outer layer that protects them from the cold.
5. The roots dig 12 meters into the ground to tap into the water table.

Question 6

Animal Adaptations to Coniferous Forests

Answer 6

There is not much wildlife in the Coniferous Forests because of its harsh winters.
In cold winter times most, animals are in hibernation.
Some animals would also migrate to warmer areas to find shelter and food.
Some animals, like the Snowshoe Hare, can change the color of their coats in the wintertime, from brown to white for camouflage reasons.
A thick coat or layer of fur helps them against the long cold winters.

Question 7

Habitats in Tropical Rainforests

Answer 7

The warm, wet climate of rainforests allows for a variety of vegetation - low to the ground and tall trees.
Vegetation in rainforests grows in four layers:
Growers / Emergent Layer - the tallest trees.
Roof / Canopy - trees that repel a lot of sunlight.
Under growers / Understory - smaller trees and shrubs.
Forest floor - the lowest layer.

Question 8

Wildlife in the Tropical Rain-forests

Answer 8

The vegetation and climate can provide food, water, and shelter for many species of animals and other plants.

Scientists believe that tropical rainforests have half of all the plants and animals found on earth.