Activity 3-C: Comparing Ecoregions
in Canada
1. Look at the map of Canada’s ecozones on page 287. Identify
and record the ecozones that are found in Ontario.
• The ecozones found in Ontario are Hudson’s Plains, Boreal
Shield, and Mixedwoods Plains.
2. Identify the ecozone in which you live.
• We live in the Mixedwoods Plains ecozone.
3. How many ecoregions are located in Ontario? Describe the
breakdown of ecoregions by ecozone.
• There are 10 ecoregions of Boreal Shield in Ontario, as well as
Hudson’s Plains and Mixedwoods Plains ecozones. Therefore
there are a total of 12.
4. Use the map on page 287 to identify the ecoregion in which you live.
• We live in the Mixedwoods Plains. (The map does not break the
Mixedwoods Plains ecozone down into ecoregions.)
5. The table on the next page summarizes the characteristics of each of
Ontario’s ecozones. Use the table to compare the boreal forest ecozone
with the Hudson plains ecozone. Summarize how they are different and
how they are the same.
• The Hudson Plains and the Boreal Shield are both flat ecozones with clay
plains drained by rivers. Winters in both ecozones are very cold. The
summer high in the Hudson Plains is +15oC or below. The summer high in
the Boreal Shield is below +20oC. The Hudson Plains ecozone has scrub
above the tree line and bushes, flowers, and aquatic vegetation below the
tree line, whereas Boreal Shield is primarily forest, with mostly coniferous
trees. The Hudson Plains ecozone has mostly swamps and bogs, with
some rocks. The Boreal Shield is hilly with many lakes and rivers. While
the Hudson Plains region is only very lightly settled by humans, the Boreal
Shield has settlements along highways, on rivers, or at mines.
6. Use a Venn diagram and the information in the table to
summarize how the mixed-wood ecozone differs from the
boreal forest ecozone.
- coniferous trees
Boreal forest
Mixed-wood forest
- colder temperatures
- warmer temperatures
- mostly coniferous
trees and shrubs and
grasses
- deciduous trees
- settlements near
highways, on rivers, or
mines
- thin soils
- people not restricted
to settlements along
highways
- clay soils
7. Why have some of the ecozones not attracted much human
habitation?
• Conditions in some of the ecozones are not suitable for agriculture,
easy transportation, or building structures. All these factors are
important for human habitation.
8. All of these ecozones are expected to become warmer and drier as
climate changes. Compare how this change will affect life in the
ecozones in Ontario.
• All of the ecozone boundaries may move north, so more land area
will become suitable for human habitation or industry (forestry,
agriculture, etc.). More settlements will be possible, allowing a
larger population to live in the (current) extreme environments.
9. Why is understanding the different ecoregions and ecozones of the
world important? How do humans use this information?
• Understanding ecozones and ecoregions allows strategic decision
making, such as conservation plans, development plans, and
decisions about how humans can use the features of the areas in
which they live (resource management).