April 11

Biogeography: The Distribution of Living Things 🌍🧭

📅 Completed: April 11

In this lesson, students explored biogeography, the study of where organisms live and how they got there. Through guided notes and a creative mountain climate activity, students examined how climate, barriers, and competition influence the spread of life on Earth.

🧠 Key Concepts Covered:

🔹 What is Biogeography?

• Biogeography is the study of the distribution of living things across the planet.

• Organisms vary by latitude, elevation, climate, and geographic separation.
  
  

🔹 Continental Drift

• Introduced by Alfred Wegener, the theory of continental drift explains how Earth’s landmasses have moved over time, carrying species with them.

• This explains how related species, like marsupials, can be found on separate continents.
  
  

🔹 Dispersal

• The movement of organisms from one place to another.

• Caused by wind, water, and other living things:

  • Wind can carry seeds and spores.

  • Water can float coconuts and small animals across bodies of water.

  • Animals (including humans) spread organisms by carrying seeds or relocating species.

⛔ Limits to Dispersal:

Even though organisms can travel, certain factors limit where they can survive:

• Climate – Different weather and temperature patterns restrict certain organisms.

• Physical Barriers – Mountains, oceans, deserts, and valleys are hard to cross.

• Competition – New species must compete with existing species for space, food, and resources.

🏔️ Mountain Climate Drawing Activity:

To model how biogeography works in a local setting, students:

• Created a visual diagram of a mountain

• Drew how climate, plants, and animals change from the base to the summit

• Noted how elevation affects temperature and biodiversity
  
  

🌿 Why This Matters:

This activity helped students see that where organisms live depends on both natural history and current environmental conditions. Understanding biogeography is important for studying evolution, extinction, and conservation.

✅ Great work learning how life spreads—and survives—around the planet! 🌎✨

Intro to Biomes & Biome in a Bottle Project 🌎🌱💧

📅 Completed: April 11

In this lesson, students were introduced to biomes—large ecological areas defined by specific climates, soil types, plant and animal life, and geographic features. 

📝 What We Covered in Class:

🔹 What Is a Biome?

• Biomes are determined by abiotic factors like temperature, rainfall, sunlight, soil, and elevation.

• These environmental conditions shape which plants and animals can survive and thrive in a region.

• Students identified major terrestrial and aquatic biomes and discussed what makes each one unique.
  
  

🔹 Abiotic Factors That Influence Biomes:

• Rain/humidity

• Soil type & pH

• Sunlight & elevation

• Pollution & salinity

• Wind & nutrient availability