Lesson 2 Climate
Climate and Other Organisms
Climate does not just affect us and our daily lives; it also affects every other organism on Earth.
D2.13 Desert cottontail with large ears
Each organism has to have adaptations
that allow it to survive in the climate it calls home. For example, polar bears have a double fur coat: a short thick coat close to the skin and a longer, coarser coat. The long hairs absorb the heat released by the bear’s body, keeping the heat
near the bear and keeping the bear warm. On the other hand, rabbits or hares that live in a hot climate have long ears with thin skin and fur. The rabbits will pump more blood through their ears in hot weather and position their ears to catch
any breeze that they can. Doing this helps the heat from the rabbit’s body escape into the environment, cooling the rabbit down. Many other desert animals have a similar adaptation.
Plants also adapt to the climate they call home. Many plants in Alberta go through a dormant stage during the winter months. This helps the plant survive the freezing temperatures and lack of water (plants cannot use frozen water). Many plants
also rely on the snow cover in the winter to help keep their roots warm. The snow acts as a blanket, protecting the roots from the extreme cold.
Many of an organism’s characteristics and behaviours are a direct result of the climate that they live in. Since other organisms do not have the technology that people do, their lives revolve around surviving the environment that they live in. Climate is one of the driving factors in natural selection, which you have learned about in previous science courses.
Many of an organism’s characteristics and behaviours are a direct result of the climate that they live in. Since other organisms do not have the technology that people do, their lives revolve around surviving the environment that they live in. Climate is one of the driving factors in natural selection, which you have learned about in previous science courses.
D2.14 Trees going into dormancy
Digging Deeper
D2.15 Polar bear staying warm
Why do we use 60 cm of insulation to insulate our houses when polar bears can insulate themselves with a few centimetres of fur? New research into how fur, such as polar bear fur, keeps the animal warm may have positive impacts on we insulate our houses. Go to the following link for more information on this topic. https://newatlas.com/polar-bear-fur-building-insulation/30578/
Learn More
Read This
Please read pages 342 and 349 to 351 in your Science 10 textbook. Make sure you take notes on your readings to study from later. You should focus on the difference between weather and climate as well as how climate affects organisms. Remember, if you
have any questions or you do not understand something, ask your teacher!
Practice Questions
Complete the following practice questions to check your understanding of the concept you just learned. Make sure you write complete answers to the practice questions in your notes. After you have checked your answers, make corrections to your responses
(where necessary) to study from.
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What is the difference between weather and climate?
Weather is the temperature, humidity, cloud cover, and precipitation for a specific day or time. Climate is the average weather over 30 or more years.
- Give one example of how climate affects your daily life.
Your answer can include any of the examples from this lesson or your textbook or a different example that you thought of. Some of these examples include the cost of produce, the cost to heat your house, how we build houses, how we dress during different seasons, the sports or outdoor activities that we are involved in, or the jobs available.