Unit 2: Natural
Environment
Oct. 31 – Dec. 16
Assignments/tasks
Week 1 Oct.31 – Nov. 4 Nov. 7-11 Nov. 14-18
• Statement of Inquiry 3. ATL: Presentation 4. How does climate affer the
1. Terms Technique make-up of a biome?
2. What is a biome? 5. How is climate represented on
3. ATL: Presentation Techinque a graph?
6. Constructing a climate graph
Nov. 21-25 Nov. 28-Dec.2 Dec. 5-9
7. How do environment work as 8. How does human activities 9. How can sustainablity help
a system? impact the natural different environment?
environment? - Summative Assesmemts
- Case study - SEE-I Method
Statement of Inquiry Content
(SOI) Find out the different environments and how they
can be seen as a system.
The relationship between living things in
Explore example of human impact on the
different environments can be viewed as a environment with case studies of Grassland and
Rainforest biomes.
system and sustainability can help these
environments to last in the future. Sustainable management of natural
environments, characteristics and human impact
on deserts, forest, grassland and artic/tundra
The relationship between living things in
different environments can be viewed as a Take action to promote Sustainable Development
in local and global context.
system and sustainability can help these
environments to last in the future.
What are biomes and where can
they be found?
What is an ecosystem?
Each individual plant and animal could not exist by itself on planet
Earth. All living organisms need millions of other living organisms
to survive (relationship). How these organisms interact with the sun,
soil, water, air and each other in a specific area is called an 1.
____________
An ecosystem describes a specific area where the organisms work 2.
____________ as a unit. It could be any size from a tiny pool of water
to hundreds of square miles of desert. Each ecosystem is different and
each has established a balance over time that is important to every
form of life within the ecosystem.
What is a biome?
A biome is way to describe a large group of similar 3. ec___________.
Biomes have similar 4. w_______, r________, a________, and
=> Define each biome in ”terms” tasks p________ There are a number of biomes on planet Earth. See the
map of the world biomes on the left.
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Ecosystem and Biomes
What is an ecosystem? What is a biome?
An ecosystem is a community of living things Biomes are very large ecological areas on the
that interact with each other and their non- earth’s surface, with fauna and flora (animals
living environment, and may be as large as a and plants) adapting to their environment.
desert or as small as a puddle. All ecosystems
Biomes are often defined by abiotic factors such
require energy from an external source – this is
as climate, relief, geology, soils and vegetation. A
usually the sun.
biome is NOT an ecosystem, although in a way it
can look like a massive ecosystem.
1. Read the definitions and copy them into your book using your own words where possible.
2. Research and define any new words, such as abiotic and relief.
Definition: Ecosystem and Biomes
• The difference between biome and ecosystem has to do with their root
definitions and what they describe.
• A biome is a large region of the world that has similar plants, animals
and other organisms that are adapted to the terrain and weather of
that region.
• An ecosystem is the interaction of plants and animals with nonliving
things and each other. Each organism has a role to play within the
ecosystem.
• According to National Geographic, the biome definition is an area on the
planet that is classified by the animals and plants in that area.
• An ecosystem, on the other hand, is defined as a biological community of
interactions between all living (biotic) and nonliving (abiotic) things in a
particular area.
Definition: Ecosystem and Biomes
• The difference between biome and ecosystem lies with their definitions. A biome
is simply a classification of an area based on the things within it. The species
that live there are determined by temperature, geographic location, climate and
more. An ecosystem, on the other hand, refers to the actual interactions,
relationships, communities and populations of organisms and nonliving
things within biomes.
• You can think of a biome as a broad classification of an area while an
ecosystem refers to interactions and specifics within that general
classification.
• You can actually have multiple ecosystems within a single biome. For example,
one type of biome is a marine biome. Within that biome you can have many
Khan Academy
ecosystems like a coral reef, the intertidal zone, a kelp forest and the open ocean.
Resources
• http://kids.nceas.ucsb.edu/biom • https://www.youtube.com/watc
es/index.html h?v=A495e31cDdE
• https://www.youtube.com/watc
h?v=gT5pGA2H-x8
Individual => population => community =>
ecosystem => biome => biosphere
• Ecosystems can be large or small in terms of the
amount of geographic area they cover. Biomes are, by
definition, large areas with a similar climate that are
often named for the dominant vegetation type found in
the area (tropical rainforest vs grassland).
• The first image below is one rendering of different
ecosystems across the planet. As you can see, there are
a lot of different ecosystems of varying size. *Note that
this is just one person's interpretation of ecosystems
across the world.
• In the second image below, we have one widely
accepted classification of the world's biomes. We see
far fewer biomes than ecosystems. While scientists still
disagree over the number of biomes in the world,
regardless of the exact number, multiple ecosystems fit
within any biome.
Biome and Ecosystem
Biomes Versus Ecosystem
CHARACTERISTICS BIOME ECOSYSTEMS
Definition Region of vegation and animals Interaction among organism
determined by climate and latitude.
Climate Strongly influenced by climate factors No strongly influenced by climate factors
(precipitation, rainfall, & temperature. (precipitation, rainfall, & temperature.
Latittude Specifically influenced by latitude. Not specifically influenced by latitude.
Geogphrapical size Very large covering vast distances.
Small not covering vast distances.
Animal life Do not all necessarily interact with
Always interact with each other in
each other.
trophic levels and food webs
Examples Tropical rainforest, savanna, tundra,
Coral reef,
taiga, coniferous forest
3. Using the information on the diagram
opposite, explain why tropical rain forests
have the highest density of vegetation
and deserts the least.
- One theme per slide
ATL: Communication
ATL: Communication - Make data visual
- Always avoid, er, bullet points
Presentation techniques
- Practice beforehand
4. In groups of 2 or 3, create a presentation or info-graphic that describes and explains the processes of,
and human impacts upon, a biome or ecosystem of your choice. This can be something as large as the
marine environment of whole oceans or the specific ecosystem of an Alpine valley such as Lauterbrunnen.
Focus on the following sections:
Describe and explain the distribution of your chosen biome or ecosystem using an annotated (added
information) map or maps.
1. Describe the characteristics of your chosen biome or ecosystem (temperature, soil, flora and fauna, etc.).
2. Explain the relationship of natural vegetation, wildlife and climate in your biome or ecosystem.
3. Describe the impact of human activity on your biome or ecosystem.
• An example using the Tundra biome shows you some ideas that you can include.
1.Describe the characteristics of your chosen biome or ecosystem (temperature, soil, flora and fauna, etc.).
TUNDRA
Barren tundra lands are home to hardy flora and
fauna and are one of the Earth's coldest, harshest
biomes. Tundras are among Earth's coldest,
harshest biomes. Tundra ecosystems are treeless
regions found in the Arctic and on the tops of
mountains, where the climate is cold and windy
and rainfall is scant. Tundra lands are snow-
Tundra distribution globally. covered for much of the year, until summer brings
a burst of wildflowers.
2. Explain the relationship of natural vegetation, wildlife and climate in your biome or ecosystem.
PLANTS AND ANIMALS IN TUNDRAS
Mountain goats, sheep, marmots, and birds
live in mountain–or alpine–tundra and feed on
the low-lying plants and insects. Hardy flora
like cushion plants survive on these mountain
plains by growing in rock depressions, where
it is warmer and they are sheltered from the
wind.
3. Describe the impact of human activity on your biome or ecosystem.
IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON TUNDRAS
The Arctic tundra is changing dramatically due to global warming. Animals that
are typically found further south, like the red fox, are moving onto the tundra.
The red fox is now competing with the Arctic fox for food and territory, and the
long-term impact on the sensitive Arctic fox is unknown.
HABITAT AND BIODIVERSITY LOSS
Resources
https://www.s-
cool.co.uk/gcse/geography/ecosystems/revise-
it/what-is-an-ecosystem
How does climate affect the make-up of a biome?
ATL: Information literacy
• Use pages 30 to 33 of your textbook. It is important that nobody reads the text until told to do so, so keep
your book closed for now. => The task involves accurately reading information and passing that
information on orally, a little like Chinese whispers.
What to do
In groups of 4 or 5, one person is to read a factor for 1 minute. They then explain what they have read
quietly to the person next to them so that nobody else can hear. That person then does the same, and so
on, until the last person is reached. They then write down what they think the correct explanation and
information is. The factors are:
• Climate / Latitude / Distance from the sea / Altitude / Ocean currents
In turn, each member of the group is to be the reader and starter of the chain so that all members of the
group have a written explanation in front of them.
As a class, all factors are to be read out so that we can reflect upon the quality of the explanations by
comparing each answer with the passage in the book. How well was the information understood? What was
missed?
Complete the task by summarising the the five factors in your exercise book using the correct explanations
and language. Don't forget to use a title and clear sub-headings.
How does climate affect the make-up
of a biome?
• The make-up of biomes is determined by a range of factors,
but perhaps the most important is climate.
• Climate is the term used to describe the average or typical
weather of a particular location. Climate gives us an idea
of what the weather is usually like at a particular time of the
year. Climate determines what a biome looks like as the
amount of precipitation and temperature affect what can
grow in a particular location to support animal life.
• Climate is determined by a number of factors.
LATITUDE
An important factor is the latitude of a particular
location. Locations at latitude 0o, the equator,
experience hot weather all year round, as well as
plentiful rain in areas of rainforest. Locations at
latitudes that are in the far north or south of the
planet experience more inhospitable climates given
their lack of exposure to the sun for large parts of
the year.
DISTANCE FROM THE SEA
Another factor is the distance from the sea. The sea has
a significant effect on the climate of a particular location
as it can have a cooling effect during times of hot
weather and a warming effect in times of cold weather.
This is called the maritime effect and explains some of
the differences in climate between locations on the same
line of latitude that are close to the sea and those that
are not.
ALTITUDE
Altitude is also an important
consideration. This refers to
the height above sea level.
High locations in tropical
climates can experience
more temperate climates
due to their higher altitude.
Ocean Currents
Another factor that can warm a
particular location is ocean
currents. For example, the
Gulf Stream warms certain
areas of Western Europe,
meaning that they have more
temperate climates than other
areas of the same latitude.
How is climate represented on a graph?
=> Read pages 34 and 35 in your textbook and answer the
following questions to check your understanding.
1. What is the hottest month of the year in Buenos Aires?
2. What is the driest month of the year in Buenos Aires?
3. What is the wettest month of the year in Medan?
4. What is the driest month of the year in Medan?
5. Why is it colder in July than it is in February in Buenos Aires?
6. Medan is in a rainforest biome. Using the climate
data, explain why rainforests would be able to grow where Medan
is located.
=> Buenos Aires, Argentina Page 34-35
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Medan, Indonesia
Page 34-35
Constructing a climate graph
7. Practice makes perfect. Try these sets of climate data from two other different parts
of the world.
Mildura, Australia weather data by month for 2017
7. Practice makes perfect. Try these sets of climate data from two other different parts
of the world.
Seattle, USA weather data by month for 2017
8. Finally, as you did for Medan, a rainforest biome, use the climate data to explain why
Mildura and Seattle have the data and types of climate that they do.
Use google maps to see where each is located. Check this against expected biome
regions.
Reflection. Check your thinking by investigating the two locations using the two links
below.
MILDURA SEATTLE
