Ecology 6-3 Grasslands, Savanna, Desert, and Tundra

Migration of animals in the savanna is mostly a response to

• rainfall

• predation

• altitude

• temperature

The tundra is most suitable to an animal that

         

• requires nesting sites in tall trees

• is coldblooded

• has a green outer skin for camouflage

• can migrate hundreds of kilometers each summer

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-4

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

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

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS3-4

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

Animals that live in the desert

• hibernate in winter

• usually have thin skin to absorb water

• are usually nocturnal

• include camels, moose, and various reptiles.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

Deserts are

• covered with sand and contain no plant life

• often formed on the dry side of mountain ranges

• found only in North America

• never located in cooler climates

The tundra

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

• is too cold to support any insect life

• is resistant to all environmental damage because it is usually frozen

• All of the above

As you travel from the North Pole down 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

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

Which of the following is located primarily in coastal areas that have Mediterranean-style climates with warm, dry summers and mild, wet winters?

• tall grass prairie

• tundra

• savanna

• chaparral

Adaptations of desert animals that help them survive in the hot, dry desert often include

• searching for water at midday

• large, bulky size to retain body heat on cold nights

• thin skin that readily absorbs water

• searching for food at night

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-1