You are here: Home : Education : Educator Resources : Biodiversity : Bountiful Biomes
Grade Level: 4-8th grade (adaptable to any grade level)
Subjects: Science
Setting: N.C. Zoo, Classroom
Vocabulary: Ecosystem, Biome, Ecoregion
Purpose: To help students understand the concepts of biomes and ecoregions
Theme: Ecosystem diversity is one level of biodiversity found at the North Carolina Zoo.
Examining biomes is one approach to investigating ecosystem diversity. Biomes are the world’s major communities, classified according to the predominant vegetation and characterized by adaptations of organisms to that particular environment. Within biomes are geographically distinct areas called ecoregions. Ecoregions are characterized by climate (rainfall and temperature), topography, soils, and the types of plants and animals that live there.
Most plants and animals at the Zoo are exhibited by their respective ecoregions. The Sonoran Desert is one example of a specific ecoregion that is represented at the Zoo. Below you will find five general categories of biomes and their descriptions. Please note that while the exhibits have been classified into one biome, there may be portions of an exhibit that may fit into another biome.
Biome |
General Description |
Ecoregions/Exhibit Areas |
Aquatic |
Aquatic biomes can be freshwater (ponds, rivers, and bogs) or marine (oceans and estuaries). |
|
Desert |
Deserts cover 1/5 of the Earth. The main characteristic is an average rainfall of less that 50 cm per year. Deserts may be hot and dry, semiarid, coastal, or cold. |
|
Forest |
Trees and other woody vegetation dominate Forest biomes. There are 3 types of forests identified by their latitude: tropical, temperate and boreal (taiga). |
|
Grassland |
Grassland biomes are dominated by grasses. Two types of grasslands are savannas and temperate grasslands. Savannas have scattered trees whereas temperate grasslands have few or no trees. |
|
Tundra |
The coldest of the biomes. Characterized by poor drainage and dwarf trees. Found at the North Pole and at high altitudes. |
|
Before beginning, students should have some basic background in ecosystem diversity, biomes and ecoregions. Prior to visiting any of the exhibits or while still in the classroom, explain to the students that the plants and animals at the Zoo are exhibited by their respective ecoregions (you may also want to show a map of Zoo), and that their mission is to categorize the exhibits by biome.
Students should be aware that each exhibited ecoregion has a unique set of environmental conditions (such as temperature, humidity, soils and rainfall). They need to note these environmental conditions in order to identify adaptations of the plants and animals for the ecoregion that they live in. These adaptations can be physical, behavioral or related to diet. Encourage the students to read the signs to learn about adaptations of a particular animal or plant. Pass out the Student Page for them to record their observations.
Discuss students’ findings from the Zoo. Have students report on how the adaptations they listed helped the plants and animals in their respective ecoregion.
As a homework assignment, have students find real-world examples of ecoregions.
For example, they might locate other deserts, like the Chihuahuan or the Mohave, or other aquatic systems, like the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. They should give a description of the ecoregion that includes information about:
This exercise can be approached as either a group or individual assignment. To narrow down the search, assign specific biomes and/or regions of the world to particular students.
Following are some great resources to learn more about biomes and ecoregions:
www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/glossary/gloss5/biome/
www.fs.fed.us/land/ecosysmgmt/ecoreg1_/home.html
Classify each of the twelve exhibit areas below by first noting its biome (Aquatic, Desert, Forest, Grassland or Tundra). Then, note specific environmental conditions in each exhibit and describe how plants and animals have adapted to that environment.
e-mail this page
print this page
N.C. Zoo is a member institution of AZA and an agency of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, William G. Ross Jr. Secretary; Michael F. Easley, Governor. A part of the North Carolina Government portal.
The Zoo is closed Christmas day and during severe weather. Call our information line at: 1-800-488-0444.
