Download Biomes of the World Unit Assessment

Biomes of the World
Unit Assessment
Third Eight Weeks
Life Science
1. What is an estuary?
• Extremely fertile area where a
river meets an ocean; mixture of
saltwater and freshwater; serves
as a nursery for many species of
fish
2. What are examples of
freshwater biomes?
• Lakes, ponds, rivers,
streams
3. What biome is
characterized by cold, dry
conditions?
• Tundra
4. What are examples of a
desert biome’s biotic
factors?
• Cacti. lizards, owls, desert rat,
spiders, mesquite, white thorn
5. What type of biome is a
river?
• Moving freshwater
6. What is a wetland biome?
• A land region that is wet or
moist most all of the year
7. What are biotic factors in
a deciduous forest biome?
• Bears, rabbits, variety of birds and
insects, foxes, mice, deciduous
trees, squirrels
8. What land biome has the
largest diversity of living
organisms?
• Tropical rain forest
9. How is soil fertility in a
deciduous forest dependent
on the trees?
• Fallen leaves decay and make the
soil rich with organic matter
10. Why are caribou and
Arctic hares suited for the
tundra climate?
• The climate is cold and dry –
fur, extra layers of fat
11. What is a marine biome?
• A saltwater ecosystem –
oceans, seas, coastal inlets
and estuaries – Great Salt
Lake, Dead Sea
12. What is the benefit of
estuaries to organisms in
this aquatic biome?
• Serves as a nursery for many
species of fish
13. How is a kangaroo rat
able to survive in a desert
biome?
• A kangaroo rat is able to get all
the water it needs through its
food.
14. What is the taiga biome?
• The world’s largest biome located
south of the tundra; has long cold
winters, characterized by conebearing trees and dense forests
15. What biome covers most
of the land mass near the
Earth’s equator?
• Tropical rain forest
16. What biome dominates
the eastern portions of the
United States?
• Temperate deciduous forest
17. What is meant by the
climate of a biome?
• Average weather conditions of
an area over time; includes
wind, precipitation, and
temperature
18. What is the intertidal
zone?
• Part of the shoreline that is
underwater at high tide and
exposed to the air at low tide
19. What is the cold, treeless
biome that covers about one
fifth of the Earth’s land
surface?
• Tundra
20. What are examples of
abiotic factors in a desert
biome?
• Sand, rock, little water, sun, hot
and sometimes cold
temperatures at night
21. What determines the
types and number of species
in a given area?
• Precipitation and
temperature
22. What is the purpose of
setting aside large areas of
desert to be national parks?
• To protect desert wildlife and
prevent desertification
23. What are the
characteristics of a savanna
biome?
• Tall grasses, few trees, grazing
animals, birds, predators of
grazing animals, dry season,
hot temperatures
24. What are the
characteristics of a biome
with the shortest vegetation
(height of plants)?
• Cold and dry; permafrost,
treeless area
25. What are examples of
biotic and abiotic factors of
the taiga biome?
• Spruces, elks, snowshoe
hares, mosses, severe winters,
dense forests, cold winters,
mild summers
26. What biome is typically
found in harbors, lagoons,
and inlets?
• Estuaries
27. What are the
characteristics of a
temperate rainforest biome?
• Above average rainfall; cool
temperatures, forests
dominated by trees with
needle-like leaves
28. What are biotic factors of
a coral reef?
• Diverse ecosystem formed form
the calcium carbonate shells,
secreted by corals; algae, tropical
fish, sharks, sponges,
echinoderms, mollusks, jellyfish,
bacteria, protists
29. What are examples of
biotic and abiotic factors of
grassland biomes?
• Grass, few trees, grazing animals,
small amount of rainfall, sun,
rivers, lakes, predators of the
grazing animals, birds, insects, dry
season
30. What are examples of
standing freshwater biomes?
• Lakes, ponds
31. What is the difference
between a tundra biome and
a desert biome?
• Tundra is cold and dry; desert
is hot in daytime and dry; it can
be cold at night
32. What is precipitation?
• Condensation of water vapor in
the form of rain, snow, sleet,
hail or freezing rain
33. What are examples of
biotic factors of a tropical
rainforest?
• Vines, primates, tall trees,
orchids, sloths, and birds
34. What are examples of
terrestrial biomes?
• Taiga, tundra, tropical rain
forest, deciduous forest,
temperate rain forest,
grassland, desert
35. What is the difference
between a deciduous forest
biome and the taiga biome?
• Dominated by climax communities of
deciduous trees which lose their
leaves in the fall – Eastern United
States; a cold forest region dominated
by cone-bearing evergreen trees –
largest biome lies just below the
tundra biome