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What Abiotic Factors Determine the Type of Biome? — Reading Comprehension

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MS-LS1-5

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This NGSS-aligned middle school reading passage explains how abiotic factors—specifically temperature and precipitation—determine the types of biomes found on Earth. Students will learn how these non-living environmental factors influence plant and animal life in areas such as deserts, rainforests, tundras, and grasslands. The passage also touches on other abiotic influences like soil, sunlight, and altitude. It supports NGSS standard MS-LS2-1 by helping students understand how non-living conditions impact ecosystems. This engaging and informative text builds reading comprehension skills and introduces key science vocabulary in an accessible way.

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Biomes are large regions on Earth with similar climates, plants, and animals. The type of biome in a particular area is mainly determined by abiotic factors, which are the non-living parts of the environment. Two of the most important abiotic factors that shape biomes are temperature and precipitation (rain and snowfall). These factors influence what kinds of plants can grow, and in turn, what animals can live there.

Temperature affects how hot or cold an area is throughout the year. Tropical biomes, like rainforests, have warm temperatures year-round, while tundras have very cold temperatures. Most plants and animals can only survive in specific temperature ranges, so temperature plays a major role in determining the types of organisms found in a biome.

Precipitation provides water, which all living things need to survive. Deserts, for example, are dry biomes with very little rainfall, so only drought-tolerant plants like cacti can grow there. In contrast, temperate forests and tropical rainforests receive more rain, which supports taller trees, dense plant life, and many animal species.

Other abiotic factors that help define a biome include soil type, sunlight, and altitude. Soil affects what plants can grow by providing nutrients. Sunlight influences how much energy is available for photosynthesis. Altitude, or how high the land is above sea level, can also change the temperature and oxygen levels, creating different conditions even within the same biome.

Understanding these abiotic factors helps scientists predict where certain biomes are found and how ecosystems might change with climate shifts. These factors also show how tightly connected the non-living and living parts of Earth really are.

Fun Fact: Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa has several different biomes on its slopes—from rainforest at the base to tundra near the top—all due to changes in temperature and altitude!

What are abiotic factors?

Living things in an environmentAnimals that eat plantsNon-living parts of the environmentPlants that need sunlight

Which two abiotic factors most strongly shape a biome?

Soil and windAnimals and plantsTemperature and precipitationSunlight and bacteria

Why can cacti grow in deserts?

They love wet soilThey don’t need sunlightThey are drought-tolerantThey grow only on mountains

What kind of biome does a warm climate with high rainfall support?

DesertTundraTropical rainforestGrassland

How does altitude affect a biome?

It only changes the soilIt changes temperature and oxygen levelsIt adds more sunlightIt makes all biomes into deserts

Why is precipitation important in a biome?

It warms the airIt blocks sunlightIt provides water for lifeIt attracts predators

What is the main idea of the passage?

Biomes only depend on animalsAbiotic factors like temperature and precipitation determine biome typesRainforests are the best biomeSoil is not important in biomes

If an area gets very cold and dry, what biome is likely to form?

Tropical rainforestTundraDesertOcean

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