If you were to look up in the sky tonight, chances are you may see the planet Jupiter. If you have a low powered telescope it is even possible that you might see the planet’s great red spot, or eye. This jovian “superstorm” has been raging for at least 350 years. The jupiter hurricane is […]
Paleontology is the study of the history of life. Scientists who study paleontology are called paleontologists. Paleontologists use fossils to try to figure out three main things about fossils: Identity and origin of the fossil, the fossil’s environment, and what the fossil can tell us about the history of the earth. Because paleontologists are interested in […]
Coniferous forest ecosystems are found in regions of the Earth that experience somewhat long and cold winters, with summer being much shorter. Thus, it is no surprise that these biomes are more common the closer one travels towards the Earth’s poles. Additionally, this biome is found high atop mountains where temperatures tend to be lower […]
Deciduous forests exist in areas with a moderate amount of precipitation and where temperatures are also generally moderate. These ecosystems typically have long warm summers, and short cool winters. The most noticeable feature is the abundance of deciduous trees. A deciduous tree is a tree that loses all its leaves in autumn.
Tropical rain forests are found in locations that receive significant amounts of precipitation. These locations are easily recognizable by their abundance of lifeforms. These lifeforms include numerous trees, plants such as ferns, and an abundance of insects, spiders, snakes, monkeys, and other plants and animals. Tropical rain forests are very important to the overall health […]
Grassland biomes exist throughout the Earth, and in many cases can be vast, expanding across millions of square miles, or kilometers. These biomes are marked by sparse trees and extensive grasses as well as a variety of small and large animals. Some of the largest land animals on Earth live in grasslands, including American bison, […]
Desert biomes are found throughout the Earth. These dry locations have specialized plants and animals that have become adapted to surviving on little water. Some plants and animals can actually store water within their bodies, such as cactus, camels, and some varieties of frogs found in Australia. Due to there being fewer resources available, there […]
The frozen cold ecosystems found near the northern most parts of the Earth are called tundras by scientists. These locations are known for their long cold winters, and their short cool summers. The Earth’s tundras are home to a variety of specialized plants and animals that have adapted to survival in such brutal environments. Animals […]
The plants and animals that are found in a particular location are referred to as an ecosystem. These plants and animals depend on each other to survive. In a delicate balance, these lifeforms help to sustain one another in regular patterns. Disruptions to an ecosystem can be disastrous to all organisms within the ecosystem. As […]
On the Earth today there are approximately 600,000 different types of plants and over one million different kinds of animals. Remember that one of the goals of geographers is to understand how lifeforms are distributed throughout the Earth. With nearly 2 million different types of lifeforms on Earth, the task of mapping out and understanding […]
