NOTE: This is PART 2 of this unit.
PART 1 covers the Introduction and rainforests. These are lessons 1 - 9. |
We're going to continue learning about more climates and ecosystems! How can we explain the ending scene of the Lion King? Why do plants in the Mediterranean have small leaves? Why is the Sahara desert growing? and why does it rain so much in summer in India? Let's learn!
The lessons covered in PART 2 of this unit are: 10. Tropical savanna climate 11. Tropical savanna vegetation 12. Mediterranean climate 13. Mediterranean vegetation 14. Mediterranean degradation 15. Tropical desert climate 16. Tropical desert vegetation 17. Case study: Desertification in the Sahel 18. Monsoon climate |
10. TROPICAL SAVANNA CLIMATE
🡺 On a world map locate the five major areas of the tropical continental climate (savanna) namely the Mexico, Venezuela, Brazil (Mato Grosso), Sahel region and east Africa, and parts of northern Australia.
🡺 Describe the main characteristics of the tropical continental type of climate (savanna). 🡺 Know the seasonal pattern of the weather experienced in such areas. 🡺 Interpret a climate graph of this type of climate. LOCATION
TEMPERATURE AND RAINFALL The Savannah has two seasons every year:
Wet season
Dry season
NOTE ABOUT THE SOUTH HEMISPHERE In the South Hemisphere, this pattern is reversed – the dry season occurs in June and the wet season occurs in December. |
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11. TROPICAL SAVANNA VEGETATION
🡺 Understand how the natural vegetation of the savanna has adapted to the hot temperatures and drought during the dry season.
WHAT DO PLANTS AND ANIMALS HAVE TO ADAPT TO? Parts of the savanna that are close to the rainforest have to adapt to the wet, warm conditions there. Parts of the savanna that are closer to the desert have to adapt to the hot, dry conditions there. PLANTS IN THE DRY SEASON
PLANTS IN THE WET SEASON
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Geo-check!
1. Fill in the crossword for the adaptations of plants during the dry season in a savanna climate.
Across 2. Plants have thick _______________ to store water, like the Baobob tree 3. _______________ plants are to resist drought 5. _______________ becomes dusty and reddish brown 7. _______________ trees lose their leaves Down 1. Grasses grow in tufts, separated by _______________ of bare soil 4. Some trees produce thin, waxy thorn like leaves to try and keep _______________ to a minimum 5. _______________ turn yellow and dry up 6. Plants have very long _______________ to tap underground water supply 2. Label the adaptations of the plants you see in the Lion King, in the Savanna. 3. Look at this video of the Lion King. a. Why is there a fire? b. Why is it raining? c. Which season/s is the video showing? |
12. MEDITERRANEAN CLIMATE
🡺 On a world map locate the six areas of the Mediterranean type of climate namely the Mediterranean region, California, Central Chile, South Africa, South-west Australia and South Australia.
🡺 Identifying the general position of such areas that is between 30º and 40º latitude on the western margins of continents. 🡺 Describe the main characteristics of the Mediterranean type of climate. 🡺 Know the seasonal pattern of the weather experienced in such areas. 🡺 Interpret a climate graph of this type of climate. LOCATION
TEMPERATURE AND RAINFALL Summers
Winters
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13. MEDITERRANEAN VEGETATION
🡺 Describe the two main types of Mediterranean natural vegetation namely woodland and scrub (maquis and garigue).
🡺 Name examples of trees typical of Mediterranean woodland and garigue. 🡺 Recognise the difference between maquis and garigue environments using illustrations. 🡺 Explain how these plants adapt to the summer drought including small waxy glossy leaves, thorns, protective barks, long tap roots, short life cycle during winters and lying dormant during the summer drought. WHAT DO PLANTS AND ANIMALS HAVE TO ADAPT TO? Mediterranean plants have to adapt to the hot, dry summers and the mild wet winters. Many Mediterranean plants also must adapt to the sea being close to their location. TYPES OF VEGETATION Woodland
Scrub
Maquis
Garigue
PLANT ADAPTATIONS
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14. MEDITERRANEAN DEGRADATION
🡺 Aware of man’s intervention in this ecosystem by means of massive deforestation, grazing of animals and fire.
Due to various human activities, little Mediterranean vegetation remains. Some of these activities can be seen below. Deforestation
Grazing animals
Forest fires
Farming
Urbanisation
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Geo-check!
1. Watch the video and answer these questions
a. Another two places, the Mediterranean climate is found apart from the Mediterranean basin are: b. Some crops that are farmed in Mediterranean climates are c. What do the lands have in common? On western_______________ Near large ________________ d. Even though Mediterranean regions cover 2.2% of the world’s land, they have ________% of its plant species. e. Why is the climate stressful to plants? 1. 2. f. Some plant adaptations: For the heat: From forest fires: g. Why are invasive species a problem? h. How have people had an influence on the Mediterranean? i. ______% of the worlds Mediterranean ecosystems have been devoured by cities or converted to farmland. j. How much of this ecosystem has been preserved from development? Rainforest ________ Mediterranean _______ k. ___________ is the most precious resource in Mediterranean areas. l. __________________ is expected to make Mediterranean systems hotter and drier in the future, increasing drought, heatwaves and forest fires. m. How are people protecting Mediterranean ecosystems? Setting aside ______________________ Battling __________________________ Conserving ________________________ Controlling _______________________ |
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15. TROPICAL DESERT CLIMATE
🡺 On a world map locate the seven areas of the hot desert climate namely the Sahara, Arabian, Kalahari/Namib, Californian, Arizona, Atacama, and Australian.
🡺 Identifying the general position of such areas that is between 10º and 30º latitude north or south of the equator and in regions of high pressure. 🡺 Describe the main characteristics of the desert type of climate namely that summers are very hot; winters are cool; very little rain (less than 250mm per year); and daily range of temperatures. 🡺 Interpret a climate graph of this type of climate. LOCATION
TEMPERATURE
RAINFALL
WHY ARE SUMMERS HOT? 1. Latitude
2. Prevailing winds
3. Distance from the sea
WHY ARE WINTERS COOLER? 1. Latitude
2. Prevailing winds
3. Distance from the sea
WHY IS THE DESERT SO DRY? 1. Prevailing winds
2. Descending air
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Geo-check!
1. Finish the following sentences about tropical desert climate.
2. Finish the following sentences about the desert during the day and night. a. In the desert, the difference between the temperature during the day and night is ________________________. We say that the diurnal rage is ___________. b. During the day, it is hot because ____________ c. At night, it is much cooler because___________ |
16. TROPICAL DESERT VEGETATION
🡺 Name examples of plants and wildlife surviving in the desert areas such as the prickly pear cactus, saguaro cactus, camels, antelope, lizards, kangaroos, rattlesnakes, rats, scorpions and other insects.
🡺 Explain how plants adapt to the summer drought including thin, spiky or glossy leaves, long tap roots, store moisture in bulbs, seeds can lie dormant for several years, and thorns instead of leaves to stop animals from eating them. 🡺 Explain how wildlife have adapted to the desert climate by nocturnal activity, burrowing into the sand to avoid the high day temperatures, storing water eg. camel, obtaining water from plants. Some creatures are cold blooded. WHAT DO PLANTS AND ANIMALS HAVE TO ADAPT TO? Very high temperatures, long periods without rainfall and saline ground. PLANT ADAPTATIONS
ANIMAL ADAPTATIONS
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17. CASE STUDY: DESERTIFICATION IN THE SAHEL
🡺 Define the term desertification.
🡺 Locate the countries within the Sahel Region on a map of Africa including Ethiopia, Sudan, Chad, Niger and Somalia. 🡺 Classify the natural and human causes leading to desertification including decrease in rainfall, effects of global warming, overgrazing, overcultivation and population growth. 🡺 Analyse how the growth of population in the Sahel results in overgrazing, overcultivation and deforestation which lead to desertification. 🡺 Aware of the possible solutions to stop the desert from advancing. Desertification – a process of land degradation, mainly in arid and semi arid lands where the rainfall is unreliable. THE SAHEL
CAUSES OF DESERTIFICATION - HUMAN CAUSES Overgrazing
Overcultivation
Population growth
CAUSES OF DESERTIFICATION - PHYSICAL CAUSES Drought
Global warming
EFFECTS OF DESERTIFICATION
SOLUTIONS TO DESERTIFICATION
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Geo-check!
1. Label the following countries around the Sahel.
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2. Look at the population distribution map of Africa.
a. Label the area of the Sahara desert. b. Highlight the area of the Sahel. c. What do you notice about the population density in this area? d. What problems do you think this type of density can cause? |
3. Draw a flow chart to show how population causes desertification.
4. Draw a flow chart to show how overgrazing causes desertification. 5. Draw a flow chart to show how overcultivation causes desertification. 6. Draw a flow chart to show how drought causes desertification. 7. Draw a flow chart to show how climate change causes desertification |
18. MONSOON CLIMATE
🡺 On a world map locate areas of Monsoon Climate including the Indian Sub-continent and South East Asia.
🡺 Know the seasonal pattern of the weather experienced in such areas. 🡺 Explain the causes of the dry and wet monsoon. 🡺 Interpret a climate graph of this type of climate. LOCATION The word monsoon means ‘a season’. In South-east Asia, there are two seasons:
TEMPERATURE AND RAINFALL South-west monsoon (Wet season)
North-east monsoon (Dry season)
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