1. ‘How does the rainfall of grasslands like this compare to deserts and forests?’
Grasslands are located between the forests and the deserts the distribution of rain is different in the three zones. Grasslands receive moderate rainfall ranging between 500 to 900 mm annually while forests receive high rainfall and deserts receive low rainfall.
2. ‘How does the behavior of communal (group) calving help the survival of Mongolian gazelles?’
Mongolian gazelles communal calving helps them to move together in groups hence are able to resist predators that locate them from afar considering the grasslands do not offer them cover from the predators.
3. ‘Why is it important for gazelles to be “born to run” in an ecosystem like the Mongolian plains?’
Gazelles have to be “born to run” to be able to escape the many predators since the grasslands cannot provide places to hide from predators and also from natural catastrophes like fire which are prone in dry seasons.
4. ‘How have golden eagles adapted their behavior for living in temperate grasslands?’
Golden eagles live in groups and always mark their territories by flying around them to protect their nests which are mostly on the ground. They also hunt in groups such that if they see a prey they chase it together also they live in pairs to ensure that they are able to breed.
5. How is grass able to recover and grow so quickly after a fire or grazing by a huge herd of Herbivores?’
Grass is able to flourish quickly because it has long root that are able to penetrate deep and take in water so they do not dry up even after the leaves have been destroyed. Grass is able to grow again since the plat itself had not withered.
6. ‘Wildebeest and red-billed quelea engage in resource partitioning, where each uses a different part of the grass. Explain how this works.’
The red-billed quelea do eat seeds of produced toward the higher part of the grass shoots, wildebeest feed on the stem and leaves of the grass hence there is a natural division on what each feeds on and thus no competition.
Arctic Tundra
7. ‘Explain why the arctic tundra during the summer months is such an ideal breeding ground for the Snow geese.’
The summer periods is characterized by quick growing grass thus there is plenty food supply which the snow geese feed on, and also the number of predators is fewer since most of them have migrated .and also the temperature is favorable due to absence of ice
8. ‘The arctic fox can only hunt snow geese eggs and chicks for a short time. How does it extend his food source as long as possible?’
The fox is able to extend the food source for a long time by burying the snow geese eggs that it hunts and retrieve them later for feeding from the ground since they can't hunt for long spells thus hide food in burrows.
9. ‘Describe the hunting technique used by the pack of arctic wolves against the caribou’
The arctic wolves chase a group of caribou scaring them such that they split into smaller groups. The wolves continue the chase until lastly they split and each of them goes its own way and the wolves target on one which becomes the prey.
Temperate Grassland
10. ‘The American bison at one point were reduced to a population of barely 1,000. What two factors were most responsible for this decline?’
The first factor responsible for reduction of the bison was hunting by poachers who did this against the law and the second factor was due to destruction of their natural habitats by human beings.
11. ‘What is the purpose of prairie plants producing such a colorful display of flowers in the spring and summer months?’ The prairie plants bloom in summer and spring months because the conditions are favourable since they require sunlight and conducive air circulation in a open place for them to thrive in a short period of a day and a half.
12. ‘Explain the rain shadow effect. Why is the Tibetan Plateau so dry?’
The rain shadow effect on the Tibetan plateau is because of the Himalayan Mountains that block clouds which carry moisture that rises and later conduces to fall down as rain.This is so because it falls on the lee ward side of the Himalayas.
13. ‘Why would an herbivore like the wild ass (donkeys) be so territorial?’
An herbivore would be very territorial so as to minimize competition for grass with other animals and also to safe guard themselves from predators in the region since the vegetation cover is not tall enough as to cover them.
14. ‘What do the pika do that allows them to be so successful in this ecosystem?’
The pikas inhabit rocks in the ecosystem where they hide mark their territories living in groups so that they can defend themselves from enemies. They also hide food in the rocks to eat during the winter seasons when there is snow.
15. ‘Explain how the Tibetan Fox is uniquely adapted for hunting the pika.’
The Tibetan fox is able to uniquely hunt the pika by the use of chemical communication which is a natural adaptation whereby the fox release a certain scent that attracts the pika and in the process the pika is caught by a fox.
Tropical Grassland
16. ‘How does the Lesser Florican attract mates in spite of being so much shorter than the elephant grass that surrounds it?’
The lesser florican attract mates a method whereby the male jumps or springs to show itself while the female produces sings by whistling to produce a sound that attracts the male partner to it and they get to meet and mate despite the grass.
17. ‘What limiting factors are removed during the wet season in tropical grasslands that allows the grass to grow so tall?’
The limiting factors that are removed during the wet season is that the number of animals is made fewer since they migrate back to the temperate grassland since grass has grown there. The second factor is risks of natural disasters like fire since it is wet throughout.
18. ‘How do large animals like elephants survive during the dry season?’
Elephants survive in the by migrating in search for water in other places, but the most crucial point is that they remain dormant during the dry season since they have accumulated too much fat during the wet season and spring to keep them going by feeding little
19. ‘Why do lions have an advantage over elephants at night?’
The lions have advantage over the elephants at night since they posses good eye sight at night than the elephant whose eyesight is poor at night hence they are able to prey on them during the night.
20. ‘Grass is considered one of the hardiest, most well-adapted forms of plants in the world.’ Compare the seasonal changes it endures in temperate grasslands, tundra, and tropical grasslands.
Grass is adapted by having deep roots that run vertically in the ground hence it can endure a long time without dying. In tundra after the cold season is over snow thaws in summer and grass is able to flourish and grow again. While in the tropical due to the high altitude grass is always green all the time during the year.
