Name:
Period:
From Huge Biomes to Microhabitats
Word Bank
Coniferous Forest/Taiga
Grassland
Deciduous Forest
Tundra
Desert
Tropical Rain Forest
Directions: Complete the table below using the word bank.
Biome
Plants
Grasses, shrubs, mosses
Pine, spruce, fir
Maple, oak, hickory, elm
Ferns, bamboo, vines
Grasses
Cacti, acacia
Animals
Wolves, polar bears, caribou, Arctic
hares, foxes, lemmings, insects
Bears, beavers, deer, moose, foxes,
mountain sheep, squirrels, insects
Deer, rabbits, squirrels, bobcats,
mice, snakes, lizards, insects
Insects, snakes, birds, monkeys,
jaguars
Coyotes, mice, jackrabbits, prairie
dogs, insects
Jackrabbits, kangaroo rats, snakes,
lizards, insects
Microhabitats
Different types of organisms adapt to varieties of habitats. A habitat is a place that provides food, water,
oxygen, shelter, space, sunlight, and appropriate temperature for plants and animals to live. Some habitats
may be vast, such as a desert or forest, while other habitats may be small, such as a backyard or farm pond.
A microhabitat is a small area in which abiotic factors such as temperature, humidity, light, and soil vary from
the surrounding habitat. Multiple microhabitats may be found within an area such as you school yard.
Directions: Circle the microhabitats from the list below.
Tundra
Termite colony
Reservoir
Decaying log
Forest
Burrow
Desert
Goldfish pond
Beaver’s dam
Coral reef
Ocean
Rain forest
From “Warm Up to Science” (Pages 133, 135, & 137)
© 2010 Region 4 Education Service Center. All rights reserved.
Name:
Period:
A seventh-grade science class examines microhabitats found on their schoolyard. Students construct
a data table to summarize their findings. Complete the table below by listing organisms students may
have found in each microhabitat.
Directions: Circle the microhabitats from the list below.
Microhabitat
Description of
Microhabitat
Oak tree
Leaves, branches,
trunk, and acorns of
the oak tree
Soil under azaleas
or other flowering
bushes
Shady, moist, with
dead leaves covering
the ground
Decomposing log
Log or tree branch on
the ground
Organisms Found
From “Warm Up to Science” (Pages 133, 135, & 137)
© 2010 Region 4 Education Service Center. All rights reserved.