BIOMES AND ECOSYSTEMS OF WESTERN CANADA SOCIAL STUDIES 10 BIOMES AND ECOSYSTEMS OF WESTERN CANADA

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BIOMES What is a biome? Ecological community of plant & animals over a large area A biome contains a number of smaller ecosystems Ecosystems are dependent on each other

Deforestation example of balance of ecosystem For an ecosystem to run smoothly, it must be balanced. If one part is changed, the enitre system is altered Ex..deforestation of an area Deforestation = reduces ability of soil to hold water. A lot of rain will causes flooding and it increases soil erosion

WESTERN BIOMES Biomes are usually named for the dominant vegetation type of a region. Western Canada has five biomes: 1) Boreal Forest 2) Parkland 3) Prairie 4) Interior Mountain Range 5) Coastal Forest

1) Boreal Forest It is a land dominated by conifers, especially spruces and firs. It is dotted with lakes, bogs, and marshes. Before the long, snowy winter sets in, many of the mammals hibernate, and many of the birds migrate south. Although the long days of summer permit plants to grow, soil is not very fertile.

2) Parkland one of Alberta's richest agricultural regions comprises about 12 percent of Alberta. offers rich and varied scenery. Natural vegetation is long grass with isolated stands of trees Trees- aspen, willow, and pine Ideal region for wheat

3) Prairie or Grasslands comprises 14 percent of Alberta Located in Southeastern Alberta, grasslands are the most threatened of Alberta's six natural regions( endangered species)are prairie species ex..swift fox The same long, hot summers ideal for field crops. there is enough spring meltwater and summer rain to met the needs of wheat, barley and other grain crops.

4) Interior Mountain Range Consists variety of landforms—meadows, mountains Vegetation varied- pine forests, dwarf shrubs, grasses Many types of soil increases variety of vegetation Animals- bears, deer, mountain goats, sheep

5) Coastal Forest Vegetation: Giant tree species' coastal redwood, big-leaf maple, giant hemlock, Douglas fir, sitka spruce (very tall trees) Forests of Pacific Northwest can be called rainforests—only difference is that they are coniferous Receive most of their rain from November to March (and mild temperatures) provide excellent condition for growth of trees Lumber industry---very interested in this region

Ecosystems An Ecosystem is a community of living organisms (plants, animals and microbes) in conjunction with the nonliving components of their environment (things like air, water and mineral soil), interacting as a system.

Your Turn On a piece of paper I want you to write a short three paragraph essay Ecosystems and Biomes The topic for your essay will be how we can reduce our impact on our environment and ecosystem here in Canada Think about what you could do personally, what we could do as a class, what your family could do, etc. Scoring will be based on the rubric on the following page: Your essay will be out of 16

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