Natural ecosystems, Central Asia and Uzbekistan
Answers are for parents and teachers.
1
Write three adaptations of desert animals and the factor each counters.
Nocturnal life – heat; use of metabolic water – scarcity of water; burrowing – overheating.
2
Match to biomes: reindeer, giraffe, snow leopard, gerbil, snowy owl.
Reindeer, snowy owl – tundra; giraffe – savanna; snow leopard – mountain pastures; gerbil – desert.
3
Write the ecological importance of the tugai in three points.
Stops bank erosion; regulates air humidity and temperature; provides habitat and food for animals.
4
What biome is expected where annual precipitation is 150 mm? Why?
Desert: with precipitation below ~250 mm xerophytes and ephemerals dominate.
5
How did the drying of the Aral Sea affect surrounding ecosystems? Name two consequences.
Fish and shore communities were lost; salt and dust from the exposed bed salinised soils and made the climate drier.