Teacher Background Mountains have greatly diverse climates due to altitude, their location on the land, latitude, and exposure to sun and wind. Adverse effects include exposure to sun, and drastic temperature changes. As one climbs a mountain, the temperature drops. The decrease in temperature as the altitude increases creates the vertical zonations of climate and vegetation called biomes. The latitude, or how far the mountain is from the equator, can also affect the vegetation.
Animals live on the vegetation found in the biomes.
Some animals may wander from one biome to another while other animals must remain in only one biome to survive. In this activity, students will create a topographical relief map of a mountain with a handful of clay. Place the mountain on a piece of paper. Trace around the bottom of your mountain. Cut off a section of the mountain one inch above the baseline.