Environmental Science

Student Name:________________________________
Date: _______________ Final Mark______/___25

1) Explain why the Taiga has the least biodiversity. (2 points)

The Taiga has a low diversity because the soil is poor, or because the temperatures are
very cold, the amount of sunlight is low and therefore not many plants can survive in
this climate. The amount of rain is also low.

(As long as they explain the poor soil or the temperature well, you can give them full
mark)

2) Why is the floor of the Tropical Rainforest poor in nutrients? (2 Point)

The tropical rainforest is poor in nutrients because of 2 reasons, the water washes
away and the plants are constantly taking the nutrients so that there are few left on the
soil.

(If any of the 2 is missing then award 1.5 as long as it’s fully explained.)

3) Explain the difference between Deciduous and Evergreen plants. (2 Points)

Deciduous plants are those that change their leaves, this is done during the hard
seasons. Evergreen plants, instead, maintain their leaves green during the full year.

4) Explain the climate of the Tropical Rainforest. (2 Points)

The Tropical rainforest has a climate characterized by a stable temperature all year
round, as well as a high amount of rain all the time throughout the year.
5) Name and explain a threat to the Temperate Rainforest. Why is it a threat? (2
Points)

Logging or Farming. Any of the two are a threat to the temperate rainforest. They are
a threat because they are removing the trees and this causes a habitat loss.

6) Explain why there are no deciduous plants in the Taiga? (2 Points)

There are no deciduous plants in the taiga because it is always a bad climate situation,
so if plants were deciduous then they would never have leaves.
7) Answer the following short questions: (1 Point each)

a) Which Biome gets the lowest amount of sunlight yearly?

_______Taiga______
b) In this Biome, the temperature changes drastically (a lot)?
________Temperate Deciduous______
c) This Biome is the furthest away from the Equator.
_____Taiga__________
d) Which Biome has the lowest diversity of animals?
_______Taiga__________
e) Plants that live on other plants.
______Epiphites___________________
f) This biome has the richest soil.
______Temperate Deciduous_____________
g) Name one adaptation of animals in Taiga.
______Hibernation, Migration, no Cold-Blood or Camouflage_
h) What layers to all Forest biome share in common?
_____Understory and Canopy___
8) Look at the following climate chart. What Forest Biome would you expect to
find? Explain why. (5 Points)

The biome of the graph above

represents a place with
small variations of
temperatures, winters do
not get cold at all, most of
the year is a moderate
temperature. The rains
are also clearly seasonal,
where there is a season
that has more rain than
others, therefore this is a
temperate rainforest area.

IF they write tropical rainforest because they think that the temperature changes very
little and think that the rain is always a lot, you can award them 2-3 points instead of
taking the full mark, depending on how well they explained.