NAME: BUENVIAJE, HYASMIN B.

SECTION/SCHED: BEE/MWF 1:20PM-2:20PM

STUDENT NO.: 20190117432 DATE: SEPTEMBER 22, 2021

BiomeViewer:
Biodiversity and Human Impacts Apps
Student Worksheet

OVERVIEW
This worksheet is designed to familiarize you with the many features found in BiomeViewer.
TIPS FOR USING THE APP
 You can use BiomeViewer online or download an iPad version from the App Store.
 Click and hold the globe to spin it and explore different parts of the world.
 Click and release a spot on the globe to drop a pin there to see a summary of the characteristics of the
biome for that location.
 You can also search for locations by name, latitude/longitude, or zip code.
 In the biome summary panel, click on “More” to see a longer description, photos, a larger climate graph, and
wildlife data.
 Click on “Compare” to view details on two biomes side by side.
 On the biomes legend, use the arrows at the top to see different layers including anthromes, temperature,
precipitation, and terrain.
 Click the gear icon to toggle gridlines and political boundaries on and off.
 Click on the globe icon to switch between a spherical view and a flat projection of Earth.

BIODIVERSITY AND LATITUDE

1. Drop the pin on any point in one of the biomes listed in Table 1 below and record the following:
Biome name: Boreal Forest
Latitude and longitude: 52.9° North, 87.8° West
Range temperatures: Minimum -23°C of Maximum 17°C
Range of rainfall: Minimum 20 mm. Maximum 90 mm.
Total number of species (richness): 46

2. Share the data you collected with your classmates and complete Table 1 as others share their data. Pick just
one representative location for each biome.
Table 1. Characteristics of some representative biomes.
Biome Latitude Species Richness
Tundra – Christian D. Lagaday 73.3° North 19 (19 mammals)
Boreal Forest – Leila 57.4° North 46 (2 amphibians + 44 mammals)
Bernardo
Temperate Deciduous Forest 31.8° North, 117.2° East 99 (18 reptiles +26 amphibians +
– Julienne Dane Pagarigan 55 mammals)
Desert – Princess G. Punzalan 41.0° North 37 (5 reptiles + 1 amphibian + 31
mammals)
Tropical Rain Forest – 27.1° North 127 (33 reptiles + 32 amphibians +
Reginald Larracas 62 mammals)
Alpine – Mack Bernardo 35.7° North, 99.0° East 49 (2 reptiles + 47 mammals)

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 Apps
BiomeViewer: Biodiversity and Human Impacts Student Worksheet

3. Based on the completed table, do an “I see, I think, I wonder” activity by completing Table 2.
Table 2. Questions about patterns in biomes.
I see I think I wonder
What patterns do you What can you infer from What else would you
observe? the patterns? like to explore?
 The biome with the highest  The higher the latitude, the  In terms of annual
number of latitude is the lower the number of species temperatures and
biome with the lowest richness. precipitations, which biome
number of species, and vice  In contrary, the lower the ranks the highest and which
versa. latitude, the higher the biome ranks the lowest
 For instance, the tundra with number of species richness.
the highest latitude (73.3) is
the biome with the lowest
number of species richness
(19). And tropical rainforest
with the lowest latitude
(27.1) is the biome with the
highest number of species
richness (127).

4. Change the view to a flat map and turn on the gridlines. Click on the Sahara Desert near the Tropic of
Cancer. Click “compare” and select the tropical rain forest biome in Southeast Asia at about the same
latitude. Then, answer the following questions:

a. How do rainfall and temperature patterns differ between the biomes?

 For rainfall patterns:
In the Sahara desert, the precipitation from January-July decreases and from August-December
increases. But for the Tropical Rain Forest, the precipitation tends to increase from January and
reach its peak on midyear, and tends to decrease from the peak to December.
 For temperature patterns:
In the Sahara desert, the temperature from January-July decreases and from August-December
increases. In contrary, the temperature in Tropical Rain Forest from January-June increases and the
temperature from July-December decreases.
Basically, the two biomes differ in terms of their movements that are totally opposite, as to Sahara
desert’s precipitation decreasing from beginning of the year to mid-year and increasing from mid-year to
end of year. Contrary to the movement of Tropical Rain Forest that’s increasing from beginning of the
year to mid-year and decreasing from mid-year to end of the year.

b. List the species richness for each biome.

Sahara Desert: 88 (6 reptiles + 10 amphibians + 72 mammals)
SE Asia Tropical Forest: 184 (46 reptiles + 18 amphibians + 120 mammals)

c. Think about the difference or similarity in species richness between these two biomes. What could
account for this difference or similarity?
Both biomes have the highest number of mammals compared to reptiles and amphibians.
The reason being both biomes have flowering plants that emerge when environmental
conditions are just right. The difference is that in the Tropical Rain Forest, deforestation occurs.

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HUMAN IMPACTS ON BIODIVERSITY
5. Go back to your original biome from question 1. Make sure you are still in flat map view. Change to the
Anthrome layer and select the year 2000.

a. Select the point in your biome with the highest level of human disturbance. List the Anthromes at this
location for each of these years:
1700: Seminatural, Wildlands
1800: Seminatural, Wildlands
1900: Croplands, Seminatural, Wildlands
2000: Dense Settlements, Croplands, Seminatural, Wildlands

b. Briefly summarize how humans have impacted the environment at this location over time.
In Boreal Forest, Wildlands, although seen as lands without human population, still tend to be
affected by human-caused changes such as climate change which can be seen all throughout the years. As
for Seminatural, it is a result of humans using 20% of land for pasture, crops, or decreased urban
settlements. It is expressed that as time goes by, the humans have impacted the environment more as
the croplands and dense settlements occur in the years 1900 and 2000.

c. At this location, record the following:

Anthrome (year 2000): Dense Settlements
Species Richness: 51 (2 reptiles + 10 amphibians + 39 mammals)
# Species NOT listed as “Least Concern”: 0

d. Now select the point in your biome with the lowest level of human disturbance. Ideally, it should be a
wilderness area, but as close as possible to the last location. Record the following:
Anthrome: Wildlands
Species Richness: 46 (1 reptile + 4 amphibians + 41 mammals)
# Species NOT listed as “Least Concern”: 2 (vulnerable mammals)

e. Summarize the differences in species richness and IUCN status of species between the two locations.
Make a claim for how human disturbance could have impacted biodiversity in your biome. Support your
claim with evidence.
For Dense Settlements, the species richness tend to be higher than the Wildlands, but the
species not listed as “least concern” tend to be lower than the wildlands which shows that Boreal
Forest is low in species diversity. For Wildlands, it is present all throughout years 1700-2000 which
shows that Boreal Forest is sensitive to disturbance because the trees tend to be short and spaced
widely apart.
Although the biodiversity in Boreal Forest tend to be dominated by species, human
disturbance can also be the cause especially in year 2000 because of having intense urban land use.
For instance, there are vulnerable species present and the Boreal Forest is dominated by wildlands
which are affected by human-caused changes such as climate change.