Year 9 Geography

1.

2 points

What are the threats to coral reefs?

Animals damaging and eating the coral

Pollution, global warming which raises the sea temperature and tourists who remove and damage the coral

Land damage because of urban development which causes dirt to be washed into the ocean which blocks the sunlight and kills the coral

Storms and wild seas

2.

2 points

What factors shape Australia's biomes?

Draining of wetlands and introduction of new plants + animals

Natural processes (weather), land clearing and irrigation

Earthquakes and cyclones

Wars

3.

1 point

What are the 5 main biomes?

cities, country, oceans, ice, forests

beaches, oceans, forests, tundras, cities

grasslands, forests, deserts, tundras and aquatic

aquatic, deserts, ice, forests, beaches

4.

2 points

What are the characteristics of grasslands

Few or no trees, 25% of the earth, found in every continent (except Antartica), fast growing grasses

Many sea creatures, cold climates generally, lots of rainfall

Only found Northern Hemisphere, makes up 60% of the Earth, tall trees

Grazing animals are common, found in mild and tropical areas

5.

2 points

What are the threats to grasslands?

Easy for them to turn into deserts and are often cleared for cities (urbanisation) and for crop plantation

Grasslands are being damaged by tourists

Grasslands are being damaged by floods

Too many animals are damaging the land - especially native birds and insects

6.

2 points

Why are grasslands important?

1 billion people rely on grasslands for a food source and the plants provide clothing and medicines

They are home to some of the most exotic endangered species

They protect the surrounding communities

Provide animals with grazing land and has deep fertile soil for growing crops

7.

2 points

What are the characteristics of aquatic biomes?

Aquatic biomes cover 50% of the earth

Freshwater: not much salt, found on land (rivers, lakes, wetlands)

Wetlands: low swap areas, hot temperatures, saltwater

Marine: salt water regions (oceans,coral reefs and estuaries)

8.

2 points

What are the characteristics of Australia's deserts?

Plant life is abundant and diverse

Simpson is dominated by sand and many deserts contain spinifex and acacia shrubs

Temperature extremes - up to 50 degrees at night and freezing during the day, many marine creatures and tundras

Temperature extremes - up to 50 degrees during the day and freezing at night

9.

2 points

What are the characteristics of Australia's wetlands and rivers

Many old trees, shrubs and mammals

Wetlands are important for native and migratory birds and are under threat because water is diverted from rivers to produce crops

Inhabited by the Aboriginals for more than 50,000 years for food and water

Dominated by spandex and acacia shrubs

10.

2 points

What are the characteristics of a Tundra?

Mainly found in tropical areas

Found in coldest places on the earth - low temperatures and 3 types - Arctic, Antarctic and Alpine

Tall trees and lots of rivers and animal life

Plant life - low shrubs, mosses, lichens

11.

1 point

What are the main characteristics of deserts?

Can be found in Tropic of Capricorn, Africa, Australia + Asia

Can be found mainly in Europe

Hot all of the time, animals are active during the day time

Hot during day, cold at night, nocturnal animals, not many plants. There can also be cold deserts (Antartica + Gobi)

12.

2 points

What are coral reefs?

Requires cool temperatures and deep water for the coral to form properly

Found in tropical and subtropical shores, requires sunlight, clear water, gentle waves and temperatures between 18 -26 degrees.

Coral is grown overtime by dead fish and shells which collect in sea formations.

Built by tiny animals called coral polyps - the upper layer is alive

13.

2 points

What are the characteristics of Australia's Savannah?

They are very cold, dense places

Useful grazing lands - the settlers introduced new plants and animals which means less than 1 percent of Australia's original native grasslands survive today

Savannah's are extremely dangerous and hot

Provide vital habitats and protection from predators and was a valuable hunting ground for the Aboriginals

14.

2 points

What are the characteristics of forests? (Choose 2 responses)

Found mainly in the southern hemisphere

Temp: range from hot, wet tropical to temperate forests

Temp: cold most of the time

Found on most continents, diverse, regulates climate

15.

2 points

What are the characteristics of Australia's seagrass meadows?

There are many large, old trees

Important habitats for marine creatures and they absorb nutrients from coastal run off which keeps water clear.

Seagrasses are submerged flowering plants that form colonies off long, sandy ocean beaches creating dense areas that resemble meadows.

Aboriginals used to hunt in the meadows

16.

1 point

What is a biome?

a desert

a country

a machine

an ecosystem

17.

2 points

What are the characteristics of wetlands?

Some wetlands are drained for agriculture and urban settlements

The ground is saturated and include swamps, bogs and marshes. They are found in every continent except Antarctica

Found in very cold climates and mainly in Australia

Low rainfall, hot temperatures at night

18.

2 points

Benefits of coral reefs

They are important for the fishing + tourism industries and coral reefs have been used to create new medicines.

Coral is an excellent food source for those living on the coast

Coral reefs are important in protecting Australia against poisonous marine life

They break up wave action which reduces costal erosion and 500 million people rely on them for protection for their homes, for food or for their jobs