Climate Shapes Ecosystems

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Date (DD/MM/YYYY):

📚 Part 1: Multiple Choice

1. Which climate zone is warm year‑round with high rainfall and dense vegetation?

Tropical

Temperate

Polar

Desert

2. Which two climate factors most influence the types of plants in an ecosystem?

Temperature and precipitation

Soil colour and wind speed

Human population and roads

3. In a polar climate you would expect:

Few trees and animals adapted to cold

Dense rainforest species

Many desert cacti

4. Check all that apply: Climate helps shape which features of an ecosystem?

Types of plants present

Animal adaptations (e.g. fur, behaviour)

Soil formation and moisture

School start times

✏️ Part 2: Short Answers & Diagram

5. Explain in one or two sentences how temperature and precipitation together determine whether an area becomes forest, grassland or desert.

6. Give one New Zealand example: name a plant and an animal from an alpine ecosystem and describe one adaptation each (one sentence each).

7. Draw a simple climate–ecosystem diagram: show a box with typical temperature (°C) and rainfall, then draw a plant and an animal found there. Label the climate values and one adaptation for each organism.

8. Extension: In one sentence, how might climate change alter an ecosystem you know (e.g., NZ native bush, beaches, alpine zones)? Suggest one way people could help protect that ecosystem.