Asking Questions in Biology

CONTENTS OF CURRICULUM UNIT 26.06.04

  1. Unit Guide
  1. Introduction/rationale
  2. Demographics
  3. Content Objectives 
  4. Teaching Strategies
  5. Classroom Activities
  6. Resources
  7. Annotated Bibliography
  8. Appendix On Implementing District Standards
  9. Notes

Questions to Discoveries, Exploring Temperate Grasslands and Temperate Forests

Stacy-Ann Morrison Thomas

Published September 2026

Tools for this Unit:

Notes

[1] https://openscied.org/why-openscied/about-us/

[2] https://reportcard.doe.k12.de.us/detail.html#aboutpage?scope=school&district=32&school=282

[3] https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/what-makes-biome/

[4] Harkiolakis, N. (2013). Ecosystems. In: Idowu, S.O., Capaldi, N., Zu, L., Gupta, A.D. (eds) Encyclopedia of Corporate Social Responsibility. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-28036-8_382

[5] Hall, L. S. , Krausman, P. R. , & Morrison, M. L. (1997). The habitat concept and a plea for standard terminology. Wildlife Society Bulletin, 25, 173–182. 

[6] Fred Van Dyke, Conservation Biology: Foundations, Concepts, Applications (Drecht: Springer Netherlands, 2008), 85.

[7] Michael Begon, Colin R. Townsend, and John L. Harper, Ecology: From Individuals to Ecosystems, 4th ed. (Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2006), 3.

[8] Jonathan M. Henwood, "The World's Temperate Grasslands: A Beleaguered Biome," Parks 8, no. 3 (1998): 31, https://parksjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/parks_8_3.pdf.

[9] https://www.globalbioenergy.org/temperate-grasslands-biome/

[10] Otto T. Solbrig, Ernesto Medina, and Juan F. Silva, eds., Biodiversity and Savanna Ecosystem Processes: A Global Perspective (Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands, 1996), 1–4.

[11] Animalia, “Montane Grasslands and Shrublands,” accessed July 14, 2026, https://animalia.bio/montane-grasslands-and-shrublands/1000

[12] Wouter Buytaert et al., "Human Impact on the Hydrology of the Andean Páramos," Earth-Science Reviews 79, no. 1–2 (2006): 53–72.

[13] Madriñán, S., Cortés, A. J., & Richardson, J. E. (2013). Páramo is the world's fastest evolving and coolest biodiversity hotspot. Frontiers in Genetics, 4, Article.

 Madriñán, S., Cortés, A. J., & Richardson, J. E. (2013). Páramo is the world's fastest evolving and coolest biodiversity hotspot. Frontiers in Genetics, 4, Article.

gy, "The Grassland Biome," UCMP Berkeley, accessed July 14, 2026, berkeley.edu.

[16] Biology LibreTexts, “5.4.8: Temperate Grasslands (Prairie),” accessed July 14, 2026, https://bio.libretexts.org.

[17] S. Woodward, “Temperate Grasslands,” Radford University, accessed July 14, 2026, https://php.radford.edu/~swoodwar/biomes/

[18] Pan Geography, "Temperate Grasslands Biome: Location, Climate, Plants, & Animals," Global Bioenergy, last modified August 7, 2025, https://www.globalbioenergy.org/temperate-grasslands-biome/

[19] Banaras Hindu University, An Overview of Micropedological Features of Different Soil Orders, PDF, accessed July 14, 2026, https://bhu.ac.in/Images/files/SSC-604(1).pdf.

[20] Soil Survey Staff, Keys to Soil Taxonomy, 13th ed. (Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, 2022), https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/resources/guides-and-instructions/keys-to-soil-taxonomy

[21] "Range Management," EBSCO Research Starters, accessed July 14, 2026, https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/environmental-sciences/range-management

[22] Alan K. Knapp, John M. Briggs, David C. Hartnett, and Scott L. Collins, eds., Grassland Ecology (New York: Oxford University Press, 1998).

[23] Michael L. Cain, William D. Bowman, and Sally D. Hacker, Ecology, 5th ed. (Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates, 2020).

[24] Anderson, Roger C. “Evolution and Origin of the Central Grassland of North America: Climate, Fire, and Mammalian Grazers.” Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society 133, no. 4 (2006): 626–647. https://doi.org/10.3159/1095-5674(2006)133[626:EAOOTC]2.0.CO;2.

[25] Jennifer Chakravorty, John A. Harrington, and Elizabeth M. Bach, "Bison Grazing in Eastern Tallgrass Prairie Does Not Alter Plant Diversity after Five Years," Natural Areas Journal 44, no. 4 (2024): 215–222, https://doi.org/10.3375/2162-4399-44.4.215

[26] Kimmins, J. P. Forest Ecology: A Foundation for Sustainable Forest Management and Environmental Ethics in Forestry. 4th ed. Boston: Pearson, 2004.

[27] Robert Leo Smith and Thomas M. Smith, Elements of Ecology, 10th ed. (Boston: Pearson, 2019).

[28] Lisa A. Urry et al., Campbell Biology, 12th ed. (New York: Pearson, 2021), chap. 52.

[29] Stephenson, N. L. 1990. "Climatic Control of Vegetation Distribution: The Role of the Water Balance." The American Naturalist 135 (5): 649–670. https://doi.org/10.1086/285067

[30] Olson, David M., et al. 2001. "Terrestrial Ecoregions of the World: A New Map of Life on Earth." BioScience 51 (11): 933–938. https://doi.org/10.1641/0006-3568(2001)051[0933:TEOTWA]2.0.CO;2

[31] Kim H. Coder, Temperate Deciduous Forest Biome (Athens: University of Georgia Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, 2007).

[32] Richardson, A. D., et al. "Influence of Spring and Autumn Phenological Transitions on Forest Ecosystem Productivity." Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 365, no. 1555 (2010): 3227–3246. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2010.0102

[33] Robert E. Ricklefs and Rick Relyea, The Economy of Nature, 8th ed. (New York: W. H. Freeman, 2014), chap. 16.

[34] Lisa A. Urry et al., Campbell Biology, 12th ed. (New York: Pearson, 2021), chap. 52.

[35] David M. Olson et al., "Terrestrial Ecoregions of the World: A New Map of Life on Earth," BioScience 51, no. 11 (2001): 933–938. https://doi.org/10.1641/0006-3568(2001)051[0933:TEOTWA]2.0.CO;2

[36] Kim D. Coder. Structure and Function of Mature Temperate Deciduous Forests. Athens: Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, 1999.

[37] Estrella, Nicole, Elisabeth Menzel, and Annette Menzel. "Recent and Future Climate Effects on Spring and Autumn Phenology in Europe." International Journal of Biometeorology 51, no. 5 (2007): 413–424.

[38] Geiser, Fritz. "Metabolic Rate and Body Temperature Reduction During Hibernation and Daily Torpor." Annual Review of Physiology 66 (2004): 239–274.

[39] Ricklefs, Robert E., and Rick Relyea. The Economy of Nature. 8th ed. New York: W. H. Freeman, 2014.

[40] Gann, George D., et al. "International Principles and Standards for the Practice of Ecological Restoration." Restoration Ecology 27, no. S1 (2019): S1–S46. https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.13035.

[41] Samson, Fred, and Fritz Knopf. Prairie Conservation: Preserving North America's Most Endangered Ecosystem. Washington, DC: Island Press, 1994.

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