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Chapter 8 Earth System Evolution
Section 8: North American Biomes
Adapted from EarthComm, Second Edition ©2012
What Do You See?
Describe what you see in the image.
Think About It.
Humans have adapted to a wide variety of climates.
Most plants and animals also have a range of climatic
conditions in which they can live.
● Why do the same plants and animals not live all
over the United States?
Answer this question.
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Investigate
In this Investigate, you will look at some of the species that populate biomes in North
America. You will also consider the physical and climatic factors that control the kinds
of organisms that live in biomes.
1. A biome is a major biologic community. It is made up of the plants and
animals that live in a large area on Earth.
Directions: Look carefully at the photographs that follow. They show
the major biomes of North America that have been identified by ecologists.
a) Use the following photographs, along with any other web or print
resources, to write a short description for each biome. Identify the
predominant plants and animals found in each biome.
Description:
Plants:
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Animals:
Description:
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Animals:
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Plants:
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Plants:
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b) Which biome most closely resembles your community?
c) How were you able to recognize your biome?
What characteristic landscape did you use to pick the most
representative photograph?
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2. Look at the map of North American biomes below. Match the photographs of the
biomes (above) with their locations with their locations shown on the map.
a) How do you think that the climate of your community’s biome differs from the
climates of other biomes in North America? Consider the temperature and
precipitation of the area as well as the temperature and precipitation
changes from season to season.
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3. At your table as a group, think of the common plants and animals that occur
naturally in your community.
a) Make a list of the most common naturally occurring plants. Identify at least
5.
b) Make a list of the most common naturally occurring animals. Identify at
least 5
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4. Share your lists of common plants and animals with the rest of your class by having
a class discussion. To make comparisons between groups easier, each group will
write their lists on the piece of chart paper for your class.
a) From the compiled data, develop a single list of the 10 most common plants
and animals in your community. Rank the plants and animals in order from
most common to least common.
Plants
Animals
5. Compare the class list with what scientists have found to be the most common plants
and animals in your community’s biome.
a) How does your class list and ranking compare with the scientific data?
b) Which plants and animals that you thought were common on the basis of your
experiences were the same as those identified by scientists?
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c) What could account for any differences between your observations and the
scientific data?
6. Compare the class list with what scientists have found to be the most common
plants and animals in a North American biome other than the one in
which you live.
a) How do the plants and animals living in these areas differ?
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b) What are the physical and climatic factors that control the kinds of organisms
that live in these 2 different biomes?
c) What might happen to the plants and animal life in your community if the
physical and chemical conditions suddenly changed to those found in the
other biome?
Check the board or with Ms Keefe for
more directions for what comes next
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