Geograafia KT-8.klass (0)

2. Where is prairie , pampas, steppe, and veldt situated? Eurasia–Steppe, North America-Prairie, South America–Pampa, South Africa–Veldt
3. Using the climate diagram describe the climate of the region . Temperate deciduous forest -Well-defined seasons with a distinct winter characterize this forest biome . Moderate climate and a growing season of 140-200 days during 4-6 frost -free months distinguish temperate forests . Temperature varies from -15° C to 25° C. Precipitation (750-1500 mm) is distributed evenly throughout the year . Temperate grassland- Semiarid, continental climates of the middle latitudes typically have between 25 cm and 50 cm of precipitation a year. Much of this falls as snow , serving as reservoir of moisture for the beginning of the growing season . Warm to hot summers are experienced , depending on latitude. In the winter, grassland temperatures can be as low as -40° C, and in the summer it can be as high 20° C. There are two real seasons: a growing season and a dormant season. The growing season is when there is no frost and plants can grow (which lasts from 100 to 175 days). During the dormant (not growing) season nothing can grow because it’s too cold . Taiga -Long, cold winters, and short, mild, wet summers are typical of this region. In the winter, chilly winds from the arctic cause bitterly cold weather in the taiga. The length of day also varies with the seasons in the taiga. Winter days are short, while summer days are long. The average temperature is below freezing for six months out of the year. The winter temperature range is -50 to -1° C The high in summer can be 20° C. The summers are mostly warm, rainy and humid. They are also very short with about 50 to 100 frost free days. The total precipitation in a year is 300 - 850 mm
4. Connect the climate diagram and biome.
Temperate grassland- vähe vihma, temp –20 ; Taiga- 20–-15°C, kesk vihm.
Rainforest : VÄGA PALJU VIHMA, temp 4-12 °C. ; Temperate deciduous forest: temp –20, kesk. vihm
5. Describe the soils of the. Temperate deciduous forest: Brown forest soils develop under the trees . Broadleaf trees tend to be nutrient -demanding and their leaves bind the major nutrient bases . The autumn leaf fall provides for an abundant and rich humus which begins to decay rapidly in spring just as the growing season begins. The humus content gives soil horizons a brown colour . Temperate rainforest: This forest has nutrient-rich soil because there is a lot of dead organic matter on the ground . This dead material is being slowly digested by the fungi, insects, and bacteria that live here. Temperate Grasslands: Calcification is the dominant soil- forming process in semiarid regions. When this process works on a loess that itself is rich in calcium , the world's most fertile soils are created, the chernozems (A Russian term meaning black soil). Taiga: The low temperatures inhibit bacterial and fungal action , so the decomposition rate is low and the leaf litter relatively deep .The soil in the taiga is thin , acidic and not very nutrient rich. It also is rocky .
6. What is permafrost? In geology, permafrost, cryotic soil or permafrost soil is soil at or below the freezing point of water (0 °C or 32 °F) for two or more years . Ice is not always present , as may be in the case of nonporous bedrock, but it frequently occurs and it may be in amounts exceeding the potential hydraulic saturation of the ground material.
7. What is gully? A gully is a landform created by running water, eroding sharply into soil, typically on a hillside. Gullies resemble large ditches or small valleys, but are metres to tens of metres in depth and width . When the gully formation is in process, the water flow ratecan be substantial, which causes the significant deep cutting action into soil.
8. How are plants adapted to life in the biome (temperate deciduous forest, temperate rainforest, temperate grassland, taiga)? Temperate deciduous forest - Wildflowers grow on forest floor early in the spring before trees leaf-out and shade the forest floor ; many trees are deciduous (they drop their leaves in the autumn, and grow new ones in spring). Most deciduous trees have thin, broad , light -weight leaves that can capture a lot of sunlight to make a lot of food for the tree in warm weather; when the weather gets cooler, the broad leaves cause too much water loss and can be weighed down by too much snow, so the tree drops its leaves. New ones will grow in the spring.; trees have thick bark to protect against cold winters. Temperate rainforest- epiphytes such as mosses and ferns grow atop other plants to reach light. Cool temperatures lead to slow decomposition but seedlings grow on " nurse logs" to take advantage of the nutrients from the decomposing fallen logs. Trees can grow very tall due to amount of precipitation. Temperate Grassland (Prairie)- During a fire , while above -ground portions of grasses may perish, the root portions survive to sprout again . Some prairie trees have thick bark to resist fire. Prairie shrubs readily resprout after fire. Roots of prairie grasses extend deep into the ground to absorb as much moisture as they can extensive root systems prevent grazing animals from pulling roots out of the ground. Prairie grasses have narrow leaves which lose less water than broad leaves. Grasses grow from near their base , not from tip, thus are not permanently damaged from grazing animals or fire. Many grasses take advantage of exposed, windy conditions and are wind pollinated. Soft stems enable prairie grasses to bend in the wind. Taiga- Due to the harsh environmental conditions, not many plants can survive in the taiga biome. Hence , there is less diversity in the plants found in this biome. As already mentioned, the common taiga plants are coniferous trees or evergreens with long, thin, and waxy leaves. The needle -shaped leaves reduce water loss and protect from weighing down by snow. These plants grow very close to each other, as an adaptation to protect from the cold snow and harsh wind. Other than these plants, lichens and mosses are also found in the taiga biome. Following is a list of the main plants identified from the taiga biome.
9. Compare tropical rain forest and temperate rainforest. At first , rainfall in temperate rainforest is 1500-3500 mm per year, in tropical rainforest t can reach from 1500 to 6000 mm per year. The temperature in rainforest don’t get higher than 20 C very often and unlike the temperate rainforest, where the temperature can drop to 0 C, the temperature in rainforest don’t drop below 20 C very often. The biggest difference between these two bioms is soil- in temperate rainforest the soil is nutrient-rich(because of the quantity of organic matter on the ground) but in troipcal rainforest, it is infertile, deeply weathered and severly leached. Similar between tropical and temperate rainforest is distributation-both of these bioms are found around the equator. And the other similarity is that their only grow plants that require rain.
10. What is the difference between tallgrass pairie and shortgrass prairie? In shortgrass prairies the rainfall is less frequent and less fertile than in tallgrass prairies.
11. How are animals adapted to life in the biome (temperate deciduous forest, temperate rainforest, temperate grassland, taiga)? Temperate deciduous forest- Animals in temperate deciduous forests have to adapt to changing seasons. They must be able to cope with cold winters and hot summers. Some animals hibernate or migrate during the winter to escape the cold. Animals who do not hibernate or migrate must have special adaptations to deal with higher exposure to predators in the winter. When leaves fall, there is less cover for animals in this biome to hide from predators. Temperate rainforest- The animals use most of the fall to prepare for the merciless winter season. The animals that leave during the winter, including songbirds and some butterflies, migrate south for a warmer and sunnier winter. Some animals that do stay in the temperate forest avoid the winter by hibernating, or sleeping. All of these animals prepare for hibernation by eating large amounts of food during the summer and fall seasons. They gain enough fat so that they can survive hibernating during the winter and not be emaciated when they wake up. Animals, like ground squirrels, marmots, ground hogs, and other small mammals , make underground burrows and hibernate until the spring or warmer weather arrives. When these animals hibernate their body temperatures can drop near freezing. Their hearts also slow so much that they are barely alive. Black bears also avoid the winter by sleeping in their dens. They go into a deep sleep and only wake up several times during the winter to leave their dens. Temperate grassland- Plants are also food for animals. Most temperate grasslands are inhabited by hares, mice , and other small rodents. These animals have sharp teeth that are able to easily gnaw through grass . Some of the familiar rodents found in the North American grasslands are prairie dogs, mice, rats, and ground squirrels. Prairie dogs are cute , burrowing rodents that live in underground communities. A dominant male heads a prairie dog family. They make their home in underground burrows that consist of several chambers and entrances. Taiga - Most animals migrate to warmer climates once the cold weather begins. Some animals have adapted to life in the taiga by hibernating when temperatures drop. Other animals have adapted to the extreme cold temperatures by producing a layer of insulating feathers or fur to protect them from the cold.
13. Which human activities endanger the biome? Temperate forest: one of the most altered biomes on the planet . By looking at a map you will see that our population density very closely corresponds to the distribution of Temperate Forests. We use the wood of these trees for construction , firewood and art. They have been cleared for farming and to build communities. These human activities have led to the decline and loss of these forests in many parts of the world. Temperate rainforest: Farming, mining , hunting, logging and urbanization are some of the human activities that have affected negatively this biome, resulting in biodiversity loss, pollution, deforestation and habitat loss and fragmentation. Temperate grassland: Grasslands in temperate latitudes have been modified by human activity to such a degree that little remains today in a natural state - and substantially less in some form of long-term protection . Only 5.5% of the world's temperate grasslands are currently protected within the global system of protected areas . Taiga: Removing most of the trees in a given area is usually done using large machines which disrupt the soil greatly, and the dramatic diminution of ground cover permits large- scale erosion and avalanches, which further damage the habitat and sometimes endangers infrastructure, roads, and communities. Clear cutting removes most of the biomass from an area, and the various macro and micro-nutrients it contains. This sudden decrease in nutrients in an area contrasts with a forest fire, which returns most of the nutrients to the soil.
15. What domesticated animals people keep in the biomes?
Deciduous forest- the Sonoma Chipmunk, Suisu Shrew, Scrub Jays, Acorn, Woodpeckers and 100 different kinds of birds .
Taiga - mosquito, long-eared owl, bobcat , bald eagle
Temperate grassland- prairie dog, Mongolian gerbil
Temperate deciduous forest-
temperate rainforest-
temperate grassland-
taiga-