Summary
Takes students on a virtual hike through different ecosystems, observing how landforms, plants, animals, and resources change with elevation and geography — reinforcing the connection between Earth's systems and living things.
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All ages
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Discussion
- What changes as you hike from the base to the top of a mountain?
- Why do trees disappear above a certain elevation (the treeline)?
- How do altitude changes model the same idea as latitude changes in climate zones?
- What happens to the organisms in a mountain ecosystem if the snowpack decreases due to warming?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: ecosystem, elevation, treeline, altitude, biome, adapt, organism.
Try it: Draw a mountain cross-section. Label four elevation zones (valley, forest, alpine meadow, rocky summit) and list two plants and two animals typical of each zone. What resource changes explain the different communities?