Snow Day Lesson
Instruction Sheet
Both lessons should be completed when you return to school.
You may use any resources you have available including the internet.
North American Biomes:
You may use map colors, crayons, or pens to color your map.
Remember you are going to turn these in, make them neat and use a proper heading.
This activity adapted from an activity at biologycorner.com/worksheets/biome_map.html.
The Lesson of the Kaibob:
The choice of graph type is yours. Some choices are line, bar, etc.
Answers to the questions can be found in the reading.
Some questions are critical thinking. Look at your data and think it through.
Be concise, fluff does not improve the answer.
North American Biomes
Color the map according to the directions listed below. You may need to look at a map of North America if you
get stuck. There are biome maps on the web, use them. Try to get the borders of each biome as close as
possible to where they are in nature. Place a check mark in the box once you have completed that step.
1. Solid lines denote the border between the U.S. and Mexico and Canada. Color the U.S. borders
(dotted line) red.
2. Northern Canada and Alaska are tundra – color the tundra light blue
3. Most of Canada is boreal forest. Color the boreal forest dark green.
4. The west coast of the U.S. is mainly Temperate forest where California is. The east coast, all the way to the
center of the country is also Temperate forest. Color the Temperate forest light green.
5. The Midwest (middle of the country) is temperate grassland. Color the grassland yellow.
6. The eastern edge of Mexico and Central America, Hawaii, and the Caribbean Islands are all tropical rain
forests. Color those purple.
7. There is a northwest coniferous forest located in the far corner of the U.S (northwest). Color the
northwest coniferous forest brown.
7. The great lakes and the lakes in Canada are freshwater. Find each freshwater lake and color it pink.
8. The bodies of water surrounding the continent are salt water. Color the coastal areas dark blue.
9. The western region of the U.S. as well as Northern Mexico is desert. Color the desert orange.
10. The western edge of Mexico is temperate forest. Color it the same color as you did the other temperate
forests.
11. Color code the squares at the bottom to match your biome colors.
12. Label the countries: U.S.A., Canada, Mexico
Questions
1. Name the 3 main biomes of the United States (land only).____________________________
2. What two biomes are closest to where you live? __________________________________
Place an X on the map to show your approximate location.
3. What U.S. state could a person visit a tropical rain forest in? _________________
How about a temperate rain forest? ______________________
5. Point out Alaska by drawing an arrow to it. What biome is found in Alaska? ____________
6. If you traveled due north of your current location, what biomes would you pass through (just going
to the north pole) ______________________________
7. A person is driving from Los Angeles, California to Washington D.C. Name the biomes the person
will pass through, in the correct order. ___________________________________
8. A person is driving from Alaska to Mexico, staying close to the west coastline. Name the biomes
the person will pass through, in the correct order. ___________________________
Tundra
Desert
Fresh Water
Temperate Forest
Tropical Rain Forest
Temperate Grassland
Salt Water
Northwestern Coniferous
Forest
Boreal Forest (Taiga)
Adapted from an activity at http://www.biologycorner.com/index.php
M. Poarch – 2005
http://science-class.net
Name__________________________
The Lesson of the Kaibab
Purpose: 1) To Graph data on the Kaibab deer population of Arizona from
1905 to 1939. 2) Determine factors responsible for the changing populations.
3) Determine the carrying capacity of the Kaibab Plateau
Background Information: The environment may be altered by forces
within the biotic community, as well as by relationships between organisms
and the physical environment. The carrying capacity of an ecosystem is
the maximum number of organisms that an area can support on a sustained
basis. The density of a population may produce such profound changes in
the environment that the environment becomes unsuitable for the survival of
that species. For instance, overgrazing of land may make the land unable to
support the grazing of animals that lived there.
Before 1905, the deer on the Kaibab Plateau were estimated to number
about 4000. The average carrying capacity of the range was then estimated
to be about 30,000 deer. On November 28th, 1906, President Theodore
Roosevelt created the Grand Canyon National Game Preserve to protect the
"finest deer herd in America."
Unfortunately, by this time the Kaibab forest area had already been
overgrazed by sheep, cattle, and horses. Most of the tall grasses had been
eliminated. The first step to protect the deer was to ban all hunting. In
addition, in 1907, The Forest Service tried to exterminate the predators of
the deer. Between 1907 and 1939, 816 mountain lions, 20 wolves, 7388
coyotes and more than 500 bobcats were killed.
Signs that the deer population was out of control began to appear as early
as 1920 - the range was beginning to deteriorate rapidly. The Forest Service
reduced the number of livestock grazing permits. By 1923, the deer were
reported to be on the verge of starvation and the range conditions were
described as "deplorable."
The Kaibab Deer Investigating Committee recommended that all livestock
not owned by local residents be removed immediately from the range and
that the number of deer be cut in half as quickly as possible. Hunting was
reopened, and during the fall of 1924, 675 deer were killed by hunters.
However, these deer represented only one-tenth the numbers of deer that
had been born that spring. Over the next two winters, it is estimated that
60,000 deer starved to death.
Adapted from an activity at http://www.biologycorner.com/index.php
M. Poarch – 2005
http://science-class.net
Today, the Arizona Game Commission carefully manages the Kaibab area
with regulations geared to specific local needs. Hunting permits are issued to
keep the deer in balance with their range. Predators are protected to help
keep herds in balance with food supplies. Tragic winter losses can be
checked by keeping the number of deer near the carrying capacity of the
range.
Procedure:
1. Graph the deer population data. Place time on the X axis and "number
of deer" on the Y axis
DATA TABLE
Year Deer Population Year Deer Population
1905 4,000 1926 40,000
1910 9,000 1927 37,000
1915 25,000 1928 35,000
1920 65,000 1929 30,000
1924 100,000 1930 25,000
1925 60,000
Adapted from an activity at http://www.biologycorner.com/index.php
M. Poarch – 2005
http://science-class.net
Data Analysis:
Describe the relationship between the variables:
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Questions & Conclusions:
1. During 1906 and 1907, what two methods did the Forest Service use to
protect the Kaibab deer?
2. Were these methods successful? Use the data from your graph to support
your answer.
3. Why do you suppose the population of deer declined in 1925, although
the eliminated of predators occurred?
4. Why do you think the deer population size in 1900 was 4,000 when it is
estimated that the plateau has a carrying capacity of 30,000?
5. Why did the deer population decline after 1924?