Activity 3-C: Comparing Ecoregions in Canada

1. Look at the map of Canada’s ecozones on page 287. Identify and record the ecozones that are found in Ontario.

2. Identify the ecozone in which you live.

3. How many ecoregions are located in Ontario? Describe the breakdown of ecoregions by ecozone.

• The ecozones found in Ontario are Hudson’s Plains, Boreal Shield, and Mixedwoods Plains.

• We live in the Mixedwoods Plains ecozone.

• There are 10 ecoregions of Boreal Shield in Ontario, as well as Hudson’s Plains and Mixedwoods Plains ecozones. Therefore there are a total of 12.

4. Use the map on page 287 to identify the ecoregion in which you live.

5. The table on the next page summarizes the characteristics of each of Ontario’s ecozones. Use the table to compare the boreal forest ecozone with the Hudson plains ecozone. Summarize how they are different and how they are the same.

• We live in the Mixedwoods Plains. (The map does not break the Mixedwoods Plains ecozone down into ecoregions.)

• The Hudson Plains and the Boreal Shield are both flat ecozones with clay plains drained by rivers. Winters in both ecozones are very cold. The summer high in the Hudson Plains is +15oC or below. The summer high in the Boreal Shield is below +20oC. The Hudson Plains ecozone has scrub above the tree line and bushes, flowers, and aquatic vegetation below the tree line, whereas Boreal Shield is primarily forest, with mostly coniferous trees. The Hudson Plains ecozone has mostly swamps and bogs, with some rocks. The Boreal Shield is hilly with many lakes and rivers. While the Hudson Plains region is only very lightly settled by humans, the Boreal Shield has settlements along highways, on rivers, or at mines.

6. Use a Venn diagram and the information in the table to summarize how the mixed-wood ecozone differs from the boreal forest ecozone.

7. Why have some of the ecozones not attracted much human habitation?

8. All of these ecozones are expected to become warmer and drier as climate changes. Compare how this change will affect life in the ecozones in Ontario.

9. Why is understanding the different ecoregions and ecozones of the world important? How do humans use this information?

• Conditions in some of the ecozones are not suitable for agriculture, easy transportation, or building structures. All these factors are important for human habitation.

• All of the ecozone boundaries may move north, so more land area will become suitable for human habitation or industry (forestry, agriculture, etc.). More settlements will be possible, allowing a larger population to live in the (current) extreme environments.

• Understanding ecozones and ecoregions allows strategic decision making, such as conservation plans, development plans, and decisions about how humans can use the features of the areas in which they live (resource management).