Answer Key Texas Communities and Biomes
1. If you traveled an average speed of 60 miles per hour, how long would it take to drive from El Paso to Orange?
Answer: 834 miles divided by 60 miles/hour would be 13.9 hours.
2. What is special about the mileage marker in Orange County?
Answer: No other state in the continental US has a mile marker that numbers this high, number 880.
3. Describe the life of a tree in a deciduous forest, beginning with spring and summer and ending with winter.
Answer: A tree in a deciduous forest has green leaves during the spring that make sugar by photosynthesis. In fall, the shorter days cause the chlorophyll to break down and other colors like red and yellow show up in the leaves. The leaves fall off in the winter and the tree survives on food it stored during spring.
4. Name two ways in which tallgrass, mixed grass and shortgrass parries differ from each other.
Answer: The prairies differ in the length of grass and the amount of rain they get every year.
5. List the two wettest areas in the state.
Answer: The two wettest regions are the Gulf Coast and Central Plains. They receive 30-55 inches of rain and 20-30 inches of rain per year.
6. Explain why the Chihuahuan Desert gets so little rain.
Answer: The Chihuahuan Desert is in the middle of two big mountain ranges. When warm air moves across the mountains it cools off and causes rain. By the time the air gets over the mountains, it is dry again.
7. List two plants, two invertebrates, and two mammals that you might find in Big Bend National Park.
Answer: Two plants would include sotol, lechugilla, Prickly Pear cactus, Blue Grama grass, or cottonwood trees. Invertebrates include tarantulas, scorpions, the Desert Millipede, Giant Centipede, and butterflies and moths. Mammals include bats, Whitetail deer, and Pronghorn antelope.
8. List three pairs of living things that you used to build your shortgrass prairie. For example, the gopher snake eats prairie dogs.
Answer: Buffalo, or bison, eat buffalo grass and forbs. The Ferruginous hawk eats prairie dogs, which feed on grasses and forbs. The Burrowing owl eats insects. Pronghorn antelope feed on forbs. Black-footed ferrets eat prairie dogs. Snakes eat prairie dogs. Butterflies feed on nectar from the flowers. Grasshoppers eat the prairie grasses.
9. Explain how fire helps the prairie.
Answer: Fire gets rid of old plant material and weeds, making room for the good plants to grow.
10. List five living things you can find in the savannas of the Edwards Plateau.
Answer: Mexican Free-tailed bats, Widemouth Blindcat catfish, salamanders, Golden-cheeked warbler birds, turtles, and snakes are examples of living things you can find in this area.
11. Why is the land on the Edwards Plateau in danger?
Answer: Most of the land in this area has been turned into farmland and pasture. A very small amount of the original habitat has survived. As the cities of Austin and San Antonio grow larger, more people will move toward these areas, making less space for the plants and animals.
12. Describe two interesting features of the Clymer Meadow Preserve.
Answer: Bison have been reintroduced to the Blackland Prairie there and scientists will study how they affect plant growth on the prairie. There are special areas called gilgai, which are shallow areas of soil that hold large amounts of water. Different kinds of plants can grow in these lower wetter areas. The prairie preserve is a popular place for people from universities and schools to come and study.
13. Describe two differences between a young forest and a late forest.
Answer: Young forests have pines, sweet gum, sumac, and persimmon. Many songbirds can be found in the young forest. The late forest has oaks and hickories. Owls are common in the late forest. A late forest has trees that grow well in shade.
14. How do foresters protect rivers and streams in managed forests? Why is this important?
Answer: The rivers and streams in managed forests are protected because the trees that grow right beside the water are not cut down. These trees hold soil in place. If the trees were cut down, soil and waste or pollutants from the road would get blown into the water and make it hard for fish and other animals to breathe. The trees that are left growing by the water protect the animals and plants that live in the stream.
15. Name two animals and one type of plant that you can see in this area.
Answer: Students should report any of the following: armadillos, deer, alligators, bison, spiders, songbirds, raptors/hawks, hardwood trees, and grasses.
16. Whom helps keep native plants healthy at the ABNC?
Answer: Volunteers work to keep the plants healthy.
17. Describe three ways you and your family have benefited from water habitats.
Answer: Answers may vary. Students should suggest ways that they benefit from water habitats such as fishing, beauty, entertainment and recreation.
 

Study Questions Texas Communities and Biomes
1. If you traveled an average speed of 60 miles per hour, how long would it take to drive from El Paso to Orange?



2. What is special about the mileage marker in Orange County?



3. Describe the life of a tree in a deciduous forest, beginning with spring and summer and ending with winter.



4. Name two ways in which tallgrass, mixed grass and shortgrass parries differ from each other.



5. List the two wettest areas in the state.



6. Explain why the Chihuahuan Desert gets so little rain.



7. List two plants, two invertebrates, and two mammals that you might find in Big Bend National Park.



8. List three pairs of living things that you used to build your shortgrass prairie. For example, the gopher snake eats prairie dogs.



9. Explain how fire helps the prairie.



10. List five living things you can find in the savannas of the Edwards Plateau.



11. Why is the land on the Edwards Plateau in danger?



12. Describe two interesting features of the Clymer Meadow Preserve.



13. Describe two differences between a young forest and a late forest.



14. How do foresters protect rivers and streams in managed forests? Why is this important?



15. Name two animals and one type of plant that you can see in this area.



16. Whom helps keep native plants healthy at the ABNC?



17. Describe three ways you and your family have benefited from water habitats.



 

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