Name Period
Ecology C Worksheet-Succession & Biomes
Define the following terms
1. Biome
2. Tundra
3. Taiga
4. Savannah
5. Canopy
Place the correct letter in the space provided.
6. The biome that is characterized by the presence of permafrost is called
a. savannah b. desert c. tiaga d. tundra
7. Plants living in the taiga are adapted for
a. long, cold winters c. nutrient rich soil
b. long summers d. very small amounts of precipitation
8. Prairie, steppe, and veldt are different names for the biome known as
a. savannah c. temperate deciduous forest
b. temperate grassland d. taiga
9. Which of the following is not an adaptation that limits water loss in desert plants?
a. protective spines c. broad, thin leaves
b. a waxy coating d. opening stomata only at night
10. The amount of sunlight that reaches the floor of a tropical forest is limited by the
a. short growing season in the tropics c. dense growth of short vegetation that covers most of the floor
b. forest canopy d. dense fog that exists within the forest
11. One reason trees are unusual in the tundra is that
a. large herbivores eat them
b. there is not enough rainfall to support them
c. permafrost prevents root growth
d. grass and shrubs crowd them
12. Which of the following is not true of tropical rain forests?
a. they are found near the equator
b. they have the highest species richness of any biome
c. they show wide seasonal changes in temperature
d. they are rapidly disappearing
Use each of the terms below just once to complete the passage.
climax primary decades succeed
pioneer succession species slows down
The natural changes and (13) replacements that take place in the communities of ecosystems are known as (14) . It can take (15) or even centuries for one community to (16) , or replace, another. When new sites of land are formed, as in a lava flow, the first organisms to colonize the new area are (17) species. This colonization is called (18) succession. The species inhabiting the area gradually change. Eventually, succession (19) and the community becomes more stable. Finally, a mature community that undergoes little or no change, called a (20) community, develops.
For each item in Column A, write the letter of the matching item in Column B
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Column A
21. Sequence of community changes where soil is formed, allowing small, weedy plants to inhabit the area.
22. Sequence of community changes occurring as a result of a natural disaster, such as a forest fire.
23. A stable, mature community with little or no succession occurring.
24. An example of a biotic limiting factor affecting a community of organisms.
25. An example of an abiotic limiting factor affecting a community of organisms.
Column B
A. A severe drought
B. Primary succession
C. Amount of plant growth
D. Secondary succession
E. Climax community
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The statements below describe the secondary succession that occurred within an area of Yellowstone National Park. Number the events in the order in which they occurred.
26. Grasses, ferns, and pine seedlings inhabit the area.
27. Annual wildflowers grew from the bare soil.
28. A fire burned thousands of acres of land.
29. A climax community of lodgepole pines developed.
30. Bare soil covered the area.
Answer the questions in the space provided.
31. Name two factors that limit tree growth in the tundra.
32. What characteristic of grasses enables these plants to survive occasional fires and continuous grazing by animals?
33. How are the plants of savannas adapted to the rainfall patterns of this biome?
34. Describe three adaptations of desert organisms that conserve water.
35. Why aren’t the forests of the taiga cut down and converted into farmland as often as temperate deciduous forests?
The bar graphs below summarize the typical temperature range, annual precipitation, and soil-nutrient level of four biomes. Label each graph according to the biome it represents.
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