Chapter 5
Climate and Terrestrial Biodiversity
Core Case Study: Blowing in the Wind
1. Wind is to the planet earth as _______________ is to the human body.
2. Name 2 benefits of wind.
3. Name 2 harmful effects of wind.
4. The familiar lesson: “there is no __________ because everything is _______________ .
5-1 CLIMATE: A BRIEF INTRODUCTION
5. Using page S38, compare differences in weather associated with a warm front and a cold front.
6. Using page S38, explain how an upwelling benefits an aquatic ecosystem.
7. Name earth’s 8 major climate zones.
8. Name the 4 major factors that determine global air circulation.
9. Describe the 3 giant convection cells that are in the northern hemisphere.
10. How do oceans distribute heat?
11. Name 4 greenhouse gases. Indicate which of the 4 is in the largest concentration in our
atmosphere.
12. Heat is absorbed and released more __________ by water than by land, resulting in __________
and __________ breezes.
13. How do winds play a key role in forming some of the earth’s deserts?
14. How does a city create a microclimate?
5-2 BIOMES: CLIMATE AND LIFE ON LAND
15. Name the 10 major biomes of the earth.
16. 5,000 years ago much of the Sahara desert was…
17. 15,000 years ago much of the western United States was…
18. If climate change is a natural event, why should we be concerned with climate changes today?
19. Biomes are not __________, instead they consist of a __________ of patches.
20. What role does elevation play in the climate of a location?
5-3 DESERT BIOMES
21. Deserts cover _____ % of the earth’s land surface, and are found mostly in _______________
and _______________ regions.
22. Name the 3 types of deserts.
23. Name the 2 themes for survival in a desert biome.
24. Name the 3 adaptations of a succulent plant.
25. Most desert animals are __________ in anatomy and exhibit _______________ behavior when
foraging and hunting.
26. Why are desert ecosystems so fragile?
5-4 GRASSLANDS AND CHAPARRAL BIOMES
27. Name the combination of factors that allow grassland to persist.
28. Which biome is the birthplace of humankind?
29. What adaptations do animals have that live in savannas?
30. How have large herbivores evolved specialized niches on the savanna?
31. Where is the most rapidly growing human population?
32. Which animals are better at converting grass into meat compared to cattle?
33. Why do temperate grasslands have such fertile soil?
34. Name the 2 types of prairies.
35. Why don’t trees or tall plants survive in the arctic tundra?
36. Why are mosquitoes and black flies found in great numbers in the arctic tundra?
37. What harmful affect does global warming have on tundra?
38. Why is the tundra biome fragile?
39. Where is chaparral found?
40. Why is chaparral susceptible to devastating wildfires?
41. Chaparral: nice __________, but a __________ place to live.
5-5 FOREST BIOMES
42. Name the 3 types of forests.
43. Why don’t tropical rainforests have a single dominant tree species?
44. What is the buttress of a tree?
45. Describe the ground level vegetation in a rainforest.
46. Give an example of stratification in the tropical rainforest.
47. Tropical rainforests cover only _____ % of the earth’s land surface, but may contain
__________ of the earth’s terrestrial species.
48. Why are the soils of tropical forests poor in nutrients?
49. Why are rainforests being cleared then for farmland?
50. How does the ground beneath a temperate deciduous forest compare with the ground beneath a
tropical rainforest?
51. Why is decomposition of leaf litter slow in a taiga biome?
5-6 MOUNTAIN BIOMES
52. How can mountains be compared to islands?
53. Why does a mountain serve as a sanctuary?
54. What geological cycles do mountains play a part in?
5-7 HUMAN IMPACTS ON TERRESTRIAL BIOMES
55. Ecologists estimate that we use, waste, or destroy about __________ % of the net productivity of
the earth’s terrestrial ecosystems.
CRITICAL THINKING
56. List a limiting factor for each of the following ecosystems:
a. Desert
b. Arctic tundra
c. Alpine tundra
d. The floor of a tropical rain forest
e. Temperate deciduous forest.
57. Some biologists have suggested restoring large herds of bison on the North American plans to
restore large tracts of tall-grass prairie. Cattle and sheep ranchers oppose the idea, explain your
side of the issue.
58. Why do most animals in a tropical rain forest live in the trees?
59. Why do most species living at high latitudes and high altitudes tend to be ecological generalists
while those living in the tropics tend to be ecological specialists?
60. What biomes are best suited for growing crops? For grazing livestock?