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Geography

Biomes and Ecosystems

Biomes and Ecosystems
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 3 to 4
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   4.86

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    biome, biomes, driest, ecosystem, extremely, rainfall, rainforests, temperate, tundra, deserts, environment, grassland, opposite, backyard, however, spruce
     content words:    United States, Central America, South America, Mojave Desert, Sahara Desert, Amazon Rainforest

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Biomes and Ecosystems
By Trista L. Pollard 		  
1     Did you know that there are communities right in your backyard? Do you know that some communities don't have houses, but trees, plants, and shrubs? Well, these communities are part of ecosystems . They are also part of biomes .
 
2     Biomes are large areas that have similar plants, animals, and other organisms . Organisms are living things that can work independently. Some of these organisms we cannot see with our eyes. However, they are there. Ecosystems are smaller than biomes. They are a community of plants and animals that live in an environment.
 
3     There are many biomes on Earth. However, we will only talk about four. They are forests, grasslands, deserts, and tundras. The animals and plants in these biomes need to adapt to the environment. Each biome has different types of water, soil, and climate.
 
4     Forests are trees and other plants that cover a large area. These trees and plants grow in groups that are very dense. Depending on the climate, different types of trees and plants grow in the forest. There are tropical rainforests, tropical dry forests, cold climate forests, and temperate forests. Temperate forests are found in the eastern United States. These forests have cold winters and warm summers. You can tell you are in a temperate forest if the leaves change colors in the fall. Cold climate forests have trees that have cones. You would find pine, fir, and spruce trees in these areas. These forests are found in the mountains.

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