This bundle of documents contains materials investigating the influence of water as an environmental factor in desert ecosystems. They include:

The three-page text “Adaptations of Plants to Water as an Environmental Factor” discusses the importance of water for a plant’s survival. It presents different groups of plants (hydrophytes, hygrophytes, mesophytes, xerophytes) that differ in their adaptations to the quantity of water available in their habitat. The text explains how certain characteristics of these groups of plants enable them to cope with the particular conditions of their environments.

The document encourages learners to summarize the information presented in the text by hand or by means of the comment function.

In parallel, the single-page text “Adaptations of Animals to Water as an Environmental Factor” explains how animals can be categorized into different groups with regard to their adaptations to the amount of water available in their habitat. 

Using specific examples, the text illustrates how animals depend on water in their environment, and which characteristics enable some animals to live in habitats where very little water can be found.

It also encourages learners to summarize the information presented in the text by hand or by means of the comment function.

The worksheet “Adaptations of Plants and Animals to Water as an Environmental Factor in Desert Ecosystems” guides students in summarizing the information provided in the texts. It also encourages students to transfer this knowledge to the specific circumstances in desert ecosystems by applying it in a number of tasks.

All materials are available as WORD documents with editable form elements or comment functions and as PDF files.

Solutions for all materials are included in this bundle.