Biomes at MoBot KEY
Original Document: Biomes at MoBot
Objective: Understand the plants,
animals and climate that characterize each biome of the world.
Site: http://mbgnet.mobot.org/ - Missouri Botanical Gardens
Browse each biome and fill out the chart below.
| Biome | Type of Plants | Types of Animals | Details & Climate (weather) |
| Rainforest | For this table, students can answer with a variety of different plants and animal species. Accept all reasonable answers, look for at least two examples in each category. | ||
| Tundra | |||
| Taiga | |||
| Desert | |||
| Temperate Forest | |||
| Grasslands | |||
*Browse the site to find the answers to the following questions.
1. The trees that live in the taiga are all very similar. Collectively, these trees are called: conifers or evergreens
2. How do trees in the taiga protect themselves from fire (check under "taiga facts")? thick bark
3. Go to the temperate deciduous forest link and locate the graph that compares its rainfall to that of other biomes. What two biomes receive the most rainfall and how many inches per year do they receive?
Rainforest, 90 inches ; Temperate deciduous forest, 60 inches
4. Go to the link that asks "what causes season?" Describe in your own words what causes the seasons.
tilt of the earth, direction of the sun's rays
5. Go to the leaf identification section. Identify the leaves below.
silver maple
red maple
black walnut, butternut white walnut
6. Go to the link for the desert biome, why does a desert get so cold at night? lack of water vapor to trap heat
7. Name the four major deserts of North America. (Look under the "deserts of the world" link). Great Basin, Mojave, Sonoran, Chihuahuan
8. What is the world's largest desert and where is it located? Sahara, North Africa
9. In order to be classified as a "tropical rain forest" a forest must be located between what two Tropics. Cancer and Capricorn
10. Where can you find a rain forest in the United States? Washington
11. Where is the tundra located and what is its most distinctive feature? north pole, permafrost
12. What is a lichen and where do they grow? (look under tundra plants) algae and fungus, grows on rocks
13. What are the three types of grasslands found in the United States? tall grass, mixed grass, short grass
14. Look under "Grasslands of the World". What are grasslands called in Africa? What are they called in the U.S.? savanna, prairie
15. There are three freshwater ecosystem links at the top menu. What are the three categories? rivers & streams, ponds & lakes, wetlands
16. What is the longest river in the world? What is the longest river in the United States? Nile, Mississippi
17. Name a fish, a bird, and a reptile that you would find near a lake.
fish: bitterling, carp, trout, bass
bird:
great white pelican, great crested grebe
reptile: caiman, zambesi soft shell turtle
18. Go to the rivers link and answer the question "What is a watershed?" where rivers and streams drain into a larger body
19. The top menu has three categories for marine ecosystems. What are they? shorelines, temperate oceans, tropical oceans
20. Within the shoreline ecosytem link are several subtopics that describe different types of shorelines. Pick one of the types of shorelines and write a short description.
Topics: esturary, tidal zone, salt marshes, rocky shore, sandy shore, barrier islands, mud flats, mangrove forests