Name __________________________
Ch. 6 section 3 Questions
Grassland, Desert, and Tundra Biomes
The following questions can be answered using pages 165 – 173 of your Holt Environmental Science book.
Savannas
1. What types of plants dominate the savanna (p. 165)?
2. How long does the wet season las (p. 165)?
3. Name 2 herbivores of the savanna (p. 165).
4. Name 2 predators of the savanna (p. 165).
5. Why do many plants in the savanna have large, horizontal root systems (p. 165)?
6. What do many of the trees and shrubs have to keep hungry herbivores away (p. 165)?
7. What continent contains the most tropical savanna (bottom of page 165)?
Temperate Grasslands
8. Where on continents are temperate grasslands found (p. 166)?
9. Name one state in the United States that contains temperate grassland (bottom of page 166).
10. Explain why the shortgrass prairie just east of the Rockies looks almost like a desert (p. 166).
11. During what season do lightning strikes often start fires (p. 167)?
12. Where can shrubs and trees be found (p. 167)?
13. What causes slow decomposition of the plants (p. 167)?
14. Why have most grasslands been converted to farmland (p. 167)?
15. Name 2 animals that live in underground burrows (p. 168).
16. Name 2 threats to temperate grasslands (p. 168).
Chaparral
17. Describe the climate of the chaparral (p. 168).
18. What state in the United States contains a chaparral biome (p. 169)?
19. Chaparral plants are well adapted to what natural disaster (p. 169)?
20. Name 3 types of animals in a chaparral (p. 169).
21. What is the main threat to the chaparral (p. 169)?
Deserts
22. Why are deserts often located near mountain ranges (p. 170)?
23. Give an example of a succulent (p. 171).
24. Why do cacti have sharp spines (p. 171)?
25. What is estivating (p. 171)?
26. How does the elf owl avoid predators (Figure 26, page 171)?
27. When are most desert animals active (p. 171)?
Tundra
28. Where is the tundra biome located (p. 172)?
29. The U.S. state that contained a taiga also contains the tundra biome. What state is it (top of page 172)?
30. What are the permanently frozen layers of soil in a tundra called (p. 172)?
31. What is the landscape like in the summertime (p. 172)?
32. Name 2 insects that are attracted to the wet bogs of the tundra (p. 172).
33. What covers vast areas of rocks in the tundra (p. 172)?
34. Millions of migratory birds fly to the tundra to do what (p. 172)?
35. Name 3 animals that wolves prey on (p. 173).
36. What has disrupted the habitats of the plants and animals in many parts of the tundra (p. 173)?