Biomes

1. If you visited a savanna, you would likely see

• large herds of grazing animals, such as rhinos, gazelles, and giraffes.

• a dense forest

• snow and ice

• a coastal ecosystem

Grasslands, such as the prairies of North America

• are suitable for corn and wheat, but not suitable for soybeans

• are threatened by soil erosion because native grasses have been damaged or destroyed by plowing and overgrazing

• support almost no animal life now that the millions of buffalo that once roamed there are gone

• support a rich layer of dense grasses because they receive at least 250 cm (100 in.) of rain per year

Which of the following best describes a tropical rain forest?

• dense, thick soil that supports a dense layer of plants on the forest floor

• Thin soil, high humidity, and high rainfall

• very few species of trees, due to poor soil quality

• plants and animals that are very similar due to year-round warmth and moisture

Animals that live in the desert

• hibernate in winter

• are usually nocturnal

• usually have thin skin to absorb water

• include camels, moose, and various reptiles

The tundra

• has a layer of soil that is permanently frozen beneath the top soil

• is too cold to support insect life

• is resistant to environmental damage because it is usually frozen

• All of the above

Taiga is

• a cold, treeless, desert-like biome found near the North and South Poles

• found mostly in Africa

• a forest biome dominated by coniferous trees, such as pine, fir, and spruce

• a dry, rocky biome found in the central part of South America

as you travel from the North Pole toward the equator, you would expect to see

• tropical rain forests, then deserts, then taiga

• temperate deciduous forests, then taiga, then tropical rain forests

• tundra, then grasslands, then tropical rain forests

• taiga, then desert, then tundra

Which of the following would you expect to see in the emergent layer of a tropical rain forest?

• grasses, insects, and small succulents

• eagles, bats, and snakes

• lichens, mosses, and dwarf woody plants

• epiphytes, small burrowing mammals, and burrowing toads

the distance north or south of the equator, as measured in degrees, is called

• altitude

• longitude.

• latitude

• magnitude

The main factor that determines what type of plants grow in a biome is

• temperature

• precipitation

• altitude

• Both (a) and (b)