Cerro del Nacimiento

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/cerro-del-nacimiento

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the location?Mexico
2. What is the primary flora?Ferocactus gracilis (ancient barrel cactus populations)
3. Why are the Ferocactus gracilis cacti special?These barrel cacti can live for hundreds of years and grow very slowly to save water. They also give shade and help keep moisture for other life around them.
4. How does the mountain help scientists?Scientists study the cactus and other desert life to learn how plants survive in dry places and how the whole ecosystem works.

Diurnal Temperature Variation: The difference between the high and low temperatures over a 24-hour period.
Keystone Species: A species that has a disproportionately large effect on its environment relative to its abundance.
Ecosystem: A community of living organisms interacting with their physical environment.