Biosphere Basics
The biosphere is the living skin of the planet. Trace the great biomes from the equator to the poles, see how local factors reshape them, and learn how the biosphere keeps every one of us alive.
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The living skin of the planet 🌍
The **biosphere** is the thin layer of Earth where living things exist. Across it, climate divides the world into great **biomes**, from steamy rainforests to frozen tundra. This module maps the biomes from the equator to the poles, and shows how the biosphere acts as a **life-support system** for every living thing, including us.
The language of the biosphere 🔑
Four ideas run through this module:
From the equator to the poles 🪜
An interactive activity.
Match each biome to its climate 🌴
- Tropical rainforest
- Hot desert
- Boreal forest
- Tundra
- Hot and wet all year round
- Hot and very dry
- Cold, with coniferous trees
- Freezing, with low-growing plants
Life at the equator 🌡️
Which biome is found near the equator, where it is hot and wet all year?
- Tropical rainforest
- Hot desert
- Tundra
- Boreal forest
Local factors change the pattern ⛰️
Latitude sets the broad pattern of biomes, but **local factors** change what grows in one place. **Altitude** makes higher land colder; the **rock and soil** decide what can root; **drainage** sets whether the ground is wet or dry; and **aspect**, the direction a slope faces, controls how much sunlight it gets.
Spot the local factors ✅
Select the TWO LOCAL factors that affect where a biome is found.
- Altitude
- Drainage of the soil
- Distance from the equator
- The price of timber
A life-support system ♻️
The biosphere keeps us alive in two big ways: by giving us resources and by regulating the environment.
Match each biosphere service 🔗
- Regulating the atmosphere
- Regulating the soil
- Regulating water
- Providing resources
- Plants absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen
- Roots hold the soil and recycle nutrients
- Storing and slowly releasing water
- Giving people food, wood and medicine
The biosphere in words 🧩
The _____ is the living layer of Earth, divided into large ecosystems called _____. Their global pattern is set mainly by _____, though local factors like altitude change it too. The biosphere gives people _____ such as food and timber, and it regulates the gases in the _____.
Living with the land 🌾
How do INDIGENOUS local people usually use the resources of a biome such as a rainforest?
- On a small scale, taking only what they need
- On a huge industrial scale for export
- By clearing all the forest at once
- Not at all, they never use it
Spot the true statements 🖍️
An interactive activity.
Two ways to use a forest 🧭
An interactive activity.
A life-support system ✍️
An interactive activity.