Idea for Use in the Classroom
Share the infographic with students and ask: What is the relationship between a biome, an ecosystem, and a habitat? Have students rank each according to their relative size. Ask students: Which habitat was used in the infographic? How many other habitats do you think are within that ecosystem? Have students name all the habitats they can see within the ecosystem depicted in the infographic. Then have them name any other ecosystems they can see in the biome featured in the infographic. Ask students: What do you notice about the taiga/boreal forest biome of the world? Students should note that although it spans different countries and continents, it is spread over the same latitudes.
Pair students and ask each group to select an organism to research. Explain that they will need to find out about the organism’s habitat, ecosystem, and biome. Remind them to use the infographic to guide their research and to verify the biome they find aligns with the definition of a biome. Then have them create a similar infographic using their organism and its ecosystem.
abiotic
Adjective
characterized by the absence of life or living organisms
biotic
Adjective
having to do with living or once-living organisms.
boreal forest
Noun
land covered by evergreen trees in cool, northern latitudes. Also called taiga.
deciduous
Adjective
type of plant that sheds its leaves once a year.
Noun
area of land that receives no more than 25 centimeters (10 inches) of precipitation a year.
evergreen
Noun
tree that does not lose its leaves.
freshwater
Noun
water that is not salty.
Noun
environment where an organism lives throughout the year or for shorter periods of time.
migratory
Adjective
organisms that travel from one place to another at predictable times of the year.
organism
Noun
living or once-living thing.
savanna
Noun
type of tropical grassland with scattered trees.
spawn
Verb
to give birth to.
taiga
Noun
(continental climate) region that experiences long, cold winters with very little precipitation. Also called a boreal or subarctic climate.