Vegetation zones
Vegetation means all the plants that grow in a place. What grows depends on temperature and rainfall. These change with height and with distance from the sea, so plants grow in belts called vegetation zones.
Grassland (steppe)
Warm, dry summers and little rain. Trees cannot get enough water, so grass and small herbs win.
Broadleaf forest
Mild weather and good rain. Oak, beech and similar trees have wide, flat leaves. Many drop their leaves in autumn to save water in winter. We call them deciduous.
Conifer forest
Colder, wetter, with snowy winters. Spruce and fir have thin needles and a cone shape, so snow slides off. They stay green all year, so they are evergreen.
Alpine meadow
High up it is too cold and windy for trees. Only low grass, moss and small shrubs grow, and the summer is short.
Fauna: animals of each zone
Fauna means all the animals of a place. Animals follow the plants, because plants give food and hiding places.
- Grassland: hares, small burrowing animals, ground-nesting birds, birds of prey that hunt them.
- Broadleaf forest: deer, wild boar, foxes, squirrels, many songbirds. Lots of fruit, nuts and leaves to eat.
- Conifer forest: bears, lynx, wolves, birds that eat seeds from cones.
- Alpine meadow: mountain goats, marmots, eagles. They have thick fur or strong feet for rocks.
Rivers, lakes and wetlands add fish, frogs and water birds. When a zone is cut down or burnt, its animals lose their home.
Soils
Soil is the thin top layer of Earth made of broken rock, dead plant and animal matter (humus), water and air. Soil forms slowly: a few centimetres can take hundreds of years.
Climate and plants decide the soil type:
- Black soil under grassland: thick and full of humus. Very fertile, used for wheat and sunflower.
- Brown forest soil under broadleaf forest: fallen leaves rot fast and feed the soil. Fertile.
- Pale acidic soil under conifers: needles rot slowly and make the soil acidic and washed out. Less fertile.
- Thin stony soil on mountain tops: cold and steep, so little soil builds up.
Along river plains, floods leave fresh silt that makes river-valley soil, also very good for farming.
Safety rules for weather, water and nature hazards
A hazard is something that can hurt us. Three kinds matter here.
Weather hazards (storm, lightning, heat, frost)
- Go indoors or into a car. Do not shelter under a lone tree or stand on a ridge.
- In heat drink water and stay in shade. In frost wear layers.
Water hazards (flood, fast river)
- Stay away from rivers after heavy rain. Move to higher ground.
- Never walk or drive through moving flood water.
Nature hazards (forest fire, wild animals, ticks)
- Put camp fires out fully with water. Never throw a lit match or glass.
- Keep distance from wild animals, never feed them, and keep food closed.
- Stay on marked paths and tell an adult where you go.
Try it
In the 3D: go to the last step and tap each band. Before you read, guess the soil colour, then check.
At home: take a small spoon of soil from a garden and from a park. Stir each in a glass of water. Watch what floats (humus) and what sinks (sand and stones). Dark soil with more floating bits is usually richer.
Key formulas and definitions
- Key term - Vegetation: all the plants of a place
- Key term - Fauna: all the animals of a place
- Key term - Humus: dead plant and animal matter in soil; more humus = more fertile
- Key term - Deciduous: trees that drop leaves; Evergreen: trees that keep leaves all year
- Going up: temperature falls about 6 degrees C for every 1000 m
- Order up a mountain: grassland - broadleaf forest - conifer forest - alpine meadow
Worked examples
1. A traveller climbs from a warm plain to a high peak. List the plant belts in order.
Grassland, then broadleaf forest, then conifer forest, then alpine meadow. Each belt is colder than the one below.
2. Why is soil under grassland so dark and fertile?
Grass roots die every year and rot inside the soil, adding a lot of humus. Dry weather makes the rotting slow, so the humus stays. Humus is dark and holds nutrients.
3. The plain is 20 degrees C. About what is the temperature at 2000 m?
It drops about 6 degrees per 1000 m. For 2000 m: 2 x 6 = 12 degrees. So 20 - 12 = 8 degrees C.
4. Why do conifers have a cone shape and thin needles?
Snow slides off the sloping branches so they do not break, and thin needles lose little water in cold, dry winter air.
5. Heavy rain has fallen and you are camping near a river. What should you do?
Move to higher ground at once, away from the river. Do not wait to see if water rises. Tell an adult and never cross moving water.
Common mistakes
- Thinking all forests are the same. Broadleaf trees drop leaves; conifers keep needles and live in colder places.
- Saying all soil is the same. Colour, humus and fertility change with climate and plants.
- Sheltering under a lone tree in a storm. Tall single objects attract lightning.
- Putting out a camp fire by kicking soil over it only. Pour water, stir and check it is cold.