Use the following video transcript to answer the questions below:

These stunted shrubs mark the tree-line,

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the beginning of the boreal forest -

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the taiga.

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The needle-shaped leaves of the conifers are virtually inedible,

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so this forest supports very little animal life.

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It's a silent place, where the snow is unmarked by footprints.

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In the Arctic winter, snow forms a continuous blanket across the land.

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But, as spring creeps up from the south, the taiga is unveiled.

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This vast forest, circling the globe,

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contains a third of all the trees on Earth

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and produces so much oxygen it changes the composition of the atmosphere.

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As we travel south, so the sun's influence grows stronger,

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and at 50 degrees of latitude, a radical transformation begins.

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BIRDS SING

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The summers here are long enough

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for broad-leaved trees to replace conifers.

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Broad leaves are much easier to eat and digest,

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so now animals can collect their share of the energy

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that has come from the sun.

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It's summer and these forests are bustling with life.

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But the good times will not last.

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Broad leaves must be shed in winter for they are damaged by frost.

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As they disappear,

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so the land becomes barren, with little for animals to eat.

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SHRILL HOWLS

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The inhabitants must migrate, hibernate

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or face months of near-starvation.

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CAWING

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The Amur leopard - the rarest cat in the world.

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Here in the deciduous forests of eastern Russia

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the winter makes hunting very difficult.

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Prey animals are scarce and there's no concealing vegetation.

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The cub is a year old and still dependent on its mother.

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Deer are frequent casualties of the harsh winter

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and these leopards are not above scavenging from a corpse.

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African leopards could never survive here.

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But the Russian cats have thick fur to shield them from the cold.

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There are only 40 Amur leopards left in the wild

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and that number is falling.

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Like so many creatures, the cats have been pushed to the very edge of extinction by hunting

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and the destruction of their habitat.

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The Amur leopard symbolises the fragility of our natural heritage.

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The future of an entire species

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hangs on the survival of a tiny number of mothers like this one.

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All animals, rare or common, ultimately depend for their energy

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on the sun.

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In Japan, the arrival of the cherry blossom

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announces the beginning of spring.

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The sun's energy brings colour to the landscape.

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The earth, as it makes its annual journey around the sun,

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spins on a tilted axis, and it's this tilt that creates the seasons.

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The advance of the seasons brings constant change.

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As the sun's influence diminishes in the north, so the deciduous forests

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of America begin to shut down, losing their leaves in preparation

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for the dark, cold months ahead.

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One season hands over to another.

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Some organisms thrive on decay,

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but most must make special preparations for winter

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and a life with little sun.

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Whole populations of animals are now forced to travel great distances

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in pursuit of food and warmth.

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300,000 Baikal teal gather to escape from the Siberian winter

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by migrating south to Korea.

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The world's entire population in a single flock.

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But there are parts of the world that have no seasons.

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In the tropics, the sun's rays strike the earth head on

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and their strength is more or less constant all year round.

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That is why the jungle grows so vigorously

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and supports so much life.

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This forest covers only 3% of the planet's surface,

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but it contains more than 50% of all its plants and animals.

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The canopy is particularly rich.

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There are monkeys, birds

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and millions of species of insects - exactly how many we have no idea.

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The character of the forest changes as you descend, becoming ever darker

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and damper, favouring different kinds of animals and plants.

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Less than 2% of the sunlight reaches the floor.

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But even here there is extraordinary variety.

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In the great island of New Guinea

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there are 42 different species of birds of paradise,

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each more bizarre than the last.

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SHRILL SQUAWKS

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This forest is so rich

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that nourishing food can be gathered very quickly.

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That leaves the male six-plumed bird of paradise with time

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to concentrate on other matters, like tidying up his display area.

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Everything must be spick and span.

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All is ready.

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Very impressive.

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But no-one is watching.

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The superb bird of paradise calls to attract a female.

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And he has more luck.

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But what does he have to do to really impress her?

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CLICKING

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She retires to consider her verdict.

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It's hard not to feel deflated when even your best isn't good enough.

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The sun influences life in the oceans just as it does on land.

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Its richest parts are those where waves and currents bring fertilising nutrients

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to surface waters that are bathed in sunlight.

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The seas off the Cape in South Africa have this magic recipe

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and are hugely productive.

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Summer is a time of plenty and it is now that the seals start to breed.

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The strike of a great white shark lasts a mere second.

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Slowing it down 40 times

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reveals the technique and immense strength of this massive predator.

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If surprise fails, there will be a chase.

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The shark is faster on a straight course,

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but it can't turn as sharply as the seal.

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It's agility versus power.

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Once the seals have finished breeding,

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the giant sharks will move on.

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It's now becoming clear

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that Great Whites migrate thousands of miles across the oceans

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to harvest seasonal abundances in different seas.

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The sun, beating down on tropical waters,

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powers the weather systems of the globe.

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Moisture evaporates from the warming ocean

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and rises to create great storms.

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The winds generated out at sea sweep inland across the continents.

Boreal Forest (Taiga)
What kind of tree inhabits the boreal forest?

What is the main producer in the taiga?


Temperate Deciduous Forest
What kind of tree inhabits temperate forests?


List one abiotic factor that affects life in the temperate forest.


List one biotic factor that affects life in the temperate forest.


List one herbivore from the video that lives in the temperate forest.  What does it eat?


List one carnivore from the video that lives in the temperate forest.  What does it eat?


Why are the carnivores in the temperate forest so scarce now?


What causes the Earth to have seasons?
The revolution of the Earth around the sun

What is the main producer in the temperate deciduous forest?



Tropical Rainforest
List one abiotic factor that affects life in the tropical forest.


List one biotic factor that affects life in the tropical forest.


The rainforest covers 3% of the planet surface, but contains _______% of its species.
What is the main producer in the tropical rainforest?

Ocean (Marine)
List one abiotic factor that affects life in the ocean.


List one biotic factor that affects life in the ocean.


List one carnivore from the video that lives in the ocean.  What does it eat?


What is the main producer in the ocean?