Most terrestrial biomes are defined by their average annual temperature and precipitation, and the range of values can be organized in such a way to produce the figure below. Current predictions of rainfall change in the West have indicated that rainfall may decrease by as much as 40 cm in some areas. Imagine a chaparral location that experiences 100 cm of average annual rainfall and an average annual temperature of 10°C. If there were a decrease in rainfall of 40 cm per year, what would you expect?
A)The area under the curve for chaparral would shift to the left.
B)The area under the curve for chaparral would shift up.
C)The region would still be classified as chaparral because rainfall did not change.
D)The region would become a temperate grassland/desert.

Question

Most terrestrial biomes are defined by their average annual temperature and precipitation, and the range of values can be organized in such a way to produce the figure below.  Current predictions of rainfall change in the West have indicated that rainfall may decrease by as much as 40 cm in some areas. Imagine a chaparral location that experiences 100 cm of average annual rainfall and an average annual temperature of 10°C. If there were a decrease in rainfall of 40 cm per year, what would you expect?
A)The area under the curve for chaparral would shift to the left. 
B)The area under the curve for chaparral would shift up. 
C)The region would still be classified as chaparral because rainfall did not change. 
D)The region would become a temperate grassland/desert.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

If the chaparral location experiences a decrease in rainfall by 40 cm per year, it would no longer receive the minimum 75 cm of rainfall required to be classified as a chaparral biome. Instead, it would fall under the classification of temperate grassland or desert, depending on the amount of precipitation received. Therefore, the area under the curve for chaparral would shift to the right, and the region would become a temperate grassland or desert.

Most Terrestrial Biomes Are Defined by Their Average Annual Temperature