Environmental Science 5
Lesson 11
THE TUNDRA BIOME
It is very cold in the tundra. In fact, some of the ground stays frozen year round. The frozen ground is called permafrost. In the summer, the ground melts only one meter down. It makes lots of mud. Under the mud, the ground is still frozen.
1. What kinds of animals are there in the tundra? Name and describe at least five. Draw at least one.
Caribou: A large moose-like creature that migrates in hge herds every winter. Also known as reindeer
Alaskan Wolf: A white wolf that hunts in packs. It is sometimes used as a sled dog.
Northern Right Whale: A critically endangered creature. Its massive lower jaw supports thousands of baleen plates.
Giant Squid: The largest moullusk in the world. Giant Squids can be found 6,000 feet below the surface, and are mercilessly attacked by toothed Sperm Whales. Squids never win.
Ring Seal: A seal that is favored by the Orca, and has silver rings over a black coat.
King Penguin: A penguin
Polar Bear: An arctic version of the grizzly, with a white coat and a taste for fish and seals.
2. What kinds of plants live in the tundra? Name and describe at least five. Draw at least one.
I can’t think of five!!!
Here’s one though!
Reindeer Lichen: A extremely hardy combination of a moss, fungi, and moneria.
3. Visit your special observation area at least once this week and record your experiences in your journal. What biome do you live in? Have you figured it out yet?
I live in a Mediterranean Scrub sub-biome.
THE OCEAN BIOME
NOTE: You will need to call or write to the following companies today to order their catalogs in time for the assignment in Lesson 24:
Seventh Generation: 1 Mill Street Box A26 Burlington, VT 05401 (800) 456-1177
Real Goods: 360 Interlocken Blvd, Ste 300 Broomfield, CO 80021
1. Go to the library and borrow books about the ocean, or do research online. What is the main plant living in the ocean? Are there different varieties of this plant, or are they all the same? List and describe at least five animals that live in the ocean. Draw a picture of one or more of them.
Kelp is everywhere in the oceans. However, algae and zooplankton are more common. There are thousands of varieties of them. Common Hourglass Dolphins, Spiny Dogfishes, Fish Lice, Cadborosaurus the Sea Monster (It’s real!), and Pygmy Sperm Whales all live in the ocean.
2. What food do we get from this biome?
“I” don’t get any food from the ocean. All the nasty, carnivorous people out there do. All the nasty, carnivorous people out there get tuna, calamari (blech!), sushi, crabs (fainting), and lobsters (dead with disgust) from it.
On a less-disgusting note, kelp is an ingredient in Ice Cream.
3. What would have to happen to the water in this biome in order for us to be able to drink it? I can drink it just fine, but I guess other people don’t like to. It would have to evaporate to get the salt out, rain down, and be filtered by pollutants.
4. Is there any land in your community that is protected by The Nature Conservancy or other private conservation groups? If so, describe the land and what kind of protection it receives. If not, then learn about an area near you where a private conservation group is active. No, unfortunately.
TEST
1. What does it mean when an animal becomes extinct?
The species is gone forever. It also means that a "little" thing called the food web is disrupted...
2. What are the two types of habitat that a yellow spotted salamander must have? Temparate OR Boreal Forest, and Vernal Pool
3. What is wildlife conservation?
Wildlife conservation is protecting animals that are on, about to run over the edge of, or close to, the brink of extinction.
4. What do scientists think is the best way to protect wildlife?
By making big protected areas. This does not stop some hunters, though...
5. What is meant by a "species?"
A species is a unique kind of animal. Sometimes there are two or more varieties of the same animal. These species are grouped into genera.
6. What is a predator?
Something that eats other animals. ('Tis first-grade stuff!)
7. What is meant by prey?
Something that is eaten by another animal. (AUGH!)
8. What is a scavenger?
Do I have to answer this!? A scavenger feeds on carcasses.
9. What was the insect brought in to the United States to control the cotton-cushion so farmers would not need to use pesticides?
Ladybug.
10. What is a biome?
A special kind of environment with specific terrain, plants, et cetera.
11. What are the six biomes studied in these lessons?
Ocean, Grassland, Boreal forest, Temperate forest, TRF (Tropical RainForest), and Tundra. (There are more, though: Alpine, Savannah, Scrub, Taiga, and Pelagic (Open Ocean), Costal, Benthic (Deep Sea), and Reef.)
12. Which biome is the one that has been almost entirely converted into farmland?
Grassland.
13. Which is the largest biome in the world?
The oceans cover 3/4 of our “blue planet’s” surface.
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