We learned that temperate forests have deciduous trees and before the leaves fall off the trees pull important nutrients from the leaves into the trunk and stems. We learned that tropical rain forests are warm and rainy all year. Plants called epiphytes have adapted to reach light by living in the trees. We learned that the soil is very thin in a tropical rain forest so some trees have roots that grow down from the branches to prop up the tree. We learned that in grasslands bison and elephants have flat teeth for chewing grass and rabbits and prairie dogs have strong front paws to help them dig burrows. We learned that in the desert camels have long eyelashes to protect their eyes from blowing sand and they can close their nostrils during a sandstorm to keep sand out of the lungs. We learned about life in the taiga, a far northern habitat with very cold winters and short, warm summers. The taiga has conifers or evergreen trees that grow seeds in cones. They are well adapted to this environment because they bend without breaking and their dark green color helps them absorb more light from the sun. Polar habitats that are covered with ice year-round are home to many animals like penguins, polar bears, and ptarmigans.
Assignment: We added examples of behavioral adaptations that organisms do in order to survive. We watched the waggle dance of bees on the National Geographic Website.