Sky island

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/sky-island

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. How big is Sky island?The Sky Island ecoregion covers approximately 10 million acres (40,000 square kilometers)
2. What is Sky island known for?Exceptional biodiversity, high levels of endemism, and dramatic altitudinal ecological zonation
3. What are sky islands and why do they look like islands in the sky?Sky islands are very tall mountains that rise sharply from the surrounding land, making them feel like floating islands. Their steep slopes create a dramatic change in height, so they stand out like islands among the clouds.
4. Why do sky islands have so many different plants and animals?The mountains have many climate zones, from desert at the bottom to forests and meadows at the top. The valleys between mountains keep species separate, so each island can develop its own unique life.

Biogeography: The study of the distribution of species and ecosystems in geographic space and through geological time.
Endemism: The ecological state of a species being unique to a defined geographic location.
Altitudinal Gradient: The change in environmental conditions, such as temperature and precipitation, with increasing elevation.
Speciation: The evolutionary process by which new biological species arise in the course of evolution.