5/12/10 Ecology

Today we will start the ecology unit. This is the last section of material we will cover this year.
For today we will be working on a data sheet in class. You should use the Internet to fill out the information and bring it into class for a reference. It is important that you find correct answers and do not merely fill in something to make it look like you did something.
The sheet has six categories that you should fill out for each of seven biomes:
Rainfall is the average amount of rain per year and whether the environment is wet/dry or intermediate
Sunlight is the way light fluctuates throughout the year. Everywhere on Earth averages about 12 hours of sun per day, but some locations have about the same, each day, all year long and some vary considerably.
Temperature; again you should note the way temperatures vary throughout the year and if there are daily fluctuations.
Soil conditions refers to whether the soil is rich (good for growing) or poor (bad for growing). You might be surprised be some of these findings.
Fauna means the kinds of animals that are characteristically found in the area.
Flora means the kinds of plants that are characteristically found in the area.