Biomes & Biosphere Worksheet
Name_____________________
Section A: Biomes
1. Use the additional links, notes and the ‘Biome’ link on the “Websites-Ecology” page to fill in
the information on the chart.
Additional Links:
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biomes/index.php
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/world_biomes.htm
http://kids.nceas.ucsb.edu/biomes/
What are the
Where is the
What are some
What are some
climate
biome located
examples of animals
examples of plants
conditions in
in the world?
and how have they
and how have they
BIOME
the biome?
adapted to their
adapted to their
environment?
environment?
Tropical Rain
Forest
Temperate
Deciduous Forest
Taiga
Savanna
Temperate
Grassland
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Chaparral
Desert
Tundra
Freshwater –
lakes/ponds,
wetlands, rivers
Saltwater –
wetlands,
marshes/swamps,
shores, reefs,
oceans
2. What are some of the major threats to terrestrial biomes?
3. What are some of the major threats to aquatic biomes?
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Section B: One Fish, Two Fish, NO Fish
(Adapted from “Where River Meets Sea” Prentice Hall, Simon and Schuster Education Group (1996)
Many estuary animals are well adapted to the normal changes of water temperature. Estuaries
are areas where mixing between fresh water and sea water occur and some temperature
fluctuations are normal. For example, the Chesapeake blue crab spends the winter months buried
in the soft silt at the bottom of the deepest part of the bay. As summer approaches, crabs climb
out of the mud and do about their important business of spawning and mating. On the west coast,
the Dungeness crab buries itself in the sand to be protected from storms waves, but does not do
well in warmer waters. If temperatures rise abnormally in a given summer, however, a certain
number of less well-protected fish may suffocate.
Temperature and Oxygen Levels
When temperatures rise, the concentrations or levels
of oxygen in the water fall because warmer water
cannot hold as much dissolved oxygen. And when the
level of oxygen falls below a certain point some fish are
literally and figuratively “in hot water”. It is not the
heat that threatens them directly, but the lack of
oxygen, which they need to breathe.
Scientists have been able to compare water
temperatures and oxygen levels over time in order to
determine their relationship. The table on this page
shows reading taken in the Chesapeake Bay over a
period of a year. Oxygen levels have been measured in
parts per million, usually abbreviated as ppm. An
oxygen reading of 10 ppm means that if a drop of water
were divided into one million parts, 10 of those parts
would consist of oxygen. By carefully watching how
animals react to temperature and oxygen changes,
biologists can determine when oxygen levels become
uncomfortable – and when levels before so low that
fish may die. Oxygen levels are best for fish when
they measure above 6 parts per million (6 ppm or 6
mg/L). Levels from 3 to 5 ppm are uncomfortable, and
levels below 3 ppm can cause death.
Oxygen Levels in Chesapeake Bay
Date
Temperature
(ºC)
Oxygen
Conc.
(ppm)
Jan 5
1
Jan 17
1
Feb 3
3
Feb 17
5
Mar 7
8
Mar 19
13
Apr 6
14
Apr 15
10
May 4
15
May
21
24
Jun 5
24
Jun 20
27
Jul 20
28
Aug 17
28
Sep 8
25
Sep 19
20
Oct 3
19
Oct 19
13
Nov 4
10
Nov
10
20
Dec 5
8
Analysis:
Dec
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1. What would happen if heated water suddenly enters the bay from an outside source?
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could this happen?
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12
13
11
11
9
11
9
7
8
7
6
6
4
6
7
7
10
5
10
12
12
How
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2. Label the x axis and y axis. Plot the points and use a ruler to show the trend line. Use the data
to answer the questions below.
3. Discuss how you think oxygen levels in an estuary might be likely to rise or fall during a cold
spell.
4. How would climate change affect oxygen levels and organism in aquatic biomes?
5. What do you notice about the change in temperature and oxygen concentration?
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Section C: Environmental Issues – Land Resources
1. What’s the difference between renewable and nonrenewable resources? List examples of
each.
As you watch the video clip, answer the questions below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNBFcD0GQYY (deforestation/climate change)
2. What are some of the negative effects of deforestation?
3. How does deforestation impact the water and carbon cycles?
As you watch the video clip, answer the questions below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K23D3wbUt3k (desertification)
4. What processes lead to desertification?
5. What are the negative effects of desertification?
Section D: Environmental Issues – Water & Air Resources
1. List 2 human activities that affect water resources, and explain the changes that can result.
2. List 2 human activities that affect air resources, and explain the changes that can result.
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As you watch the video clip, answer the questions below.
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/videos/acid-rain-invisible-menace/ (acid rain)
3. What are the negative effects of acid rain in the Appalachians?
Section E: Biodiversity
1. Define biodiversity.
2. Why are keystone species important for ecosystems?
3. What is habitat fragmentation? Provide an example.
4. Canadian Geese have long been a migratory champion of the eastern part of the North
American continent. Each year they would migrate from the summer home in Canada to their
winter grounds in the Deep South. This pattern has been disrupted over the last decade
however. It is not uncommon for the geese to remain in one location, feeding off the land,
year round. They are particularly plentiful in residential developments and on golf courses.
The numbers of non-migratory geese have grown to the point of their becoming a nuisance in
many suburban areas.
a. What new environmental conditions exist now that allows the geese not to migrate?
b. How might other organisms here be affected by the geese not migrating?
On the ‘Websites-Ecology’ page, click on ‘Conservation Issues’…..answer the questions.
5. There are several threats in the U.S. that have reduced wildlife. List the 7 ‘Threats to
Wildlife’.
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6. Click on ‘Invasive Species’ and answer these questions.
A. What are invasive species?
B. How do invasive species spread?
C. Why do invasive species pose such a
threat?
D. List 4 examples of invasive species in
the U.S.
E. How can global warming influence
invasive species activity?
7. What is biological magnification?
8. Explain how biological magnification occurs.
9. In a food chain, which organism has the greatest concentration of chemicals?
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Section F: Ozone & Greenhouse Effect
1. What is the function of the ozone gas?
2. Describe the process by which chlorofluorocarbons deplete the ozone layer.
 Need more help understanding the Ozone….go to the ‘Websites-Ecology’ page and click on
‘Ozone’.
3. What is the greenhouse effect and why is it important to life on Earth?
4. What are the main contributors of greenhouse gases?
5. What impact has global warming had on Earth?
 Need more help understanding Global Warming and the Greenhouse Effect….go to ‘Websites-
Ecology’ page and click on ‘Global Warming’.
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