How people's lives change with the onset of winter. Changes in nature. Seasonal changes in plants

Seasons These are seasons that differ in weather and temperature. They change with the annual cycle. Plants and animals adapt perfectly to these seasonal changes.

Seasons on Earth

It is never very cold or very hot in the tropics, there are only two seasons: one is wet and rainy, the other is dry. At the equator (on the imaginary midline) it is hot and humid throughout the year.

In temperate zones (outside the lines of the tropics) there is spring, summer, autumn and winter. Generally, the closer to the North or South Pole, the cooler the summer and the colder the winter.

Seasonal changes in plants

Green plants need sunlight and water to form nutrients and grow. They grow most in spring and summer or during the wet season. They tolerate winter or dry seasons differently. Many plants have a so-called rest period. Many plants store nutrients in thickened parts underground. Their aerial part dies, the plant rests until spring. Carrots, onions and potatoes are the type of nutrient storage plants that people use.

Such as oak and beech shed their leaves in autumn because there is not enough sunlight at that time to produce nutrients in the leaves. In winter, they rest, and in spring new leaves appear on them.

evergreen trees always covered with leaves that never fall. To learn more about evergreen and shedding trees.

Some evergreen trees, such as pine and spruce, have long, thin leaves called needles. Many of the evergreen trees grow far north, where summers are short and cool and winters are harsh. Keeping their foliage, they can start growing as soon as spring arrives.

Deserts are usually very dry, sometimes there is no rain at all, and sometimes there are very short rainy seasons. Seeds germinate and give new shoots only in the rainy season. Plants bloom and produce seeds very quickly. They store nutrients

Seasonal changes in animals

Some animals, such as reptiles, reduce their activity and go to sleep to survive the cold or dry season. When it gets warmer, they return to an active lifestyle. Other animals behave differently, they have their own ways of surviving in harsh periods.

Some animals, such as the dormouse, sleep through the winter. This phenomenon is called hibernation. All summer they eat, accumulating fat so that in winter they can sleep without eating.

Most mammals and birds hatch their young in the spring, when there is plenty of food everywhere, so that they have time to grow and get stronger for the winter.

Many animals and birds undertake long journeys each year, called migrations, to places where there is more food. For example, swallows build nests in Europe in the spring, and fly to Africa in the fall. In the spring, when it becomes very dry in Africa, they return.

Caribou (called reindeer in Europe and Asia) also migrate, spending their summers above the Arctic Circle. Huge herds eat grass and other small plants where the ice melts. In autumn they move south to the evergreen forest area and feed on plants such as moss and lichen under the snow.

Option 1. Peculiar and indescribably beautiful nature in autumn. Despite the fact that rain and fog are quite frequent, there are also clear, quiet days for a walk in the nearest forest. Swear, love the golden robe of the forest, listen to the birds singing, look at the birds flying away. Thunder rumbled somewhere in the distance. Drop by drop it began to rain. Hiding under a tree, he looked around. How beautiful it is around I like autumn nature. The air is so fresh! I really don't want to go home.

Option 2. Human and nature are closely related to each other. Nature creates all the conditions for human life, so it is so important to live in harmony with it. Beautiful landscapes of nature fill the human soul with delight, only this beauty is truly mesmerizing. Man's interest in nature is unlimited; how many secrets and mysteries are forests and seas. There's a lot we don't know yet about nature. To enjoy the beauty of nature, you do not need to travel far, just go to a park or forest. Nature is especially beautiful in autumn, when you want to sit on the benches and absorb all its beauty, enjoy it. It is then that you feel how your soul is filled with new colors, how it is saturated with the beauty of the surrounding world. In these moments, you realize how closely people are connected with nature.

The world around us is constantly changing. This applies both to microscopic organisms and to landscapes over vast territories. This spread presents examples of the various changes that occur in nature and are associated with human activities.

Over billions of years, powerful nature - such as continental plate movements (see the article ""), volcanic activity, soil erosion, rising and lowering ocean levels - have radically changed the topography of our planet's surface and the environment. It continues very slowly even today. Less long-term changes in nature are usually called. Continuity is when entire groups of plants and animals replace each other after certain periods of time, forming climatic communities. Such a community can exist without any changes if nothing changes in it. Example - .

Continuity is the reason for the emergence of the climate community. Changes in the natural environment as a result of human activities are found everywhere. In many countries, industry, agriculture and urban growth have transformed natural landscapes into a new type of environment. Most of these transformations have been going on for many centuries, but the rapid growth of population and the development of industry in recent times have sharply increased both the scope and intensity of these changes.

The climate in different parts of the world changes several times a year, depending on the season. This is due to the tilt of the earth's axis when our planet orbits the sun. In the tropics, where it is constant all year round, the season is determined by the amount of precipitation - dry or rainy. To the south and north of the equator, climatic changes are much more significant, especially in temperature. There are four seasons here: winter, spring, summer and autumn.

Photographing seasonal changes

If you know how to use a camera, take pictures of the same place at different times of the year, and even better - on the first days of each month. The changes you will see in the photos will be impressive. With the help of these photos you will be able to demonstrate the changes in nature in different seasons. There are also longer-term climate changes that adversely affect the environment. Over the past 900 thousand years, there have been about 10 cooling periods (ice ages), in between which there has been warming. We live in one of such warm periods.

Natural climate changes occur gradually, over millennia, and we are not threatened with anything serious. Much more dangerous is the industrial interference of man in the environment and climate of the Earth. Then the climate changes very quickly, and the consequences of this are threatening. The real danger to all emus on Earth is the greenhouse effect, smoke and dust covering up, as well as the destruction of the ozone layer.

The ozone layer in the upper layers protects the Earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation from the Sun, which causes skin cancer. This vital layer has been found to be gradually destroyed by chemicals such as chlorofluorocarbons, which are used in some aerosols and refrigerators, as well as in the production of polystyrene. To slow down the accumulation of chlorofluorocarbons, certain measures are already being taken, but many scientists believe that they are clearly insufficient.

Changes in living organisms

Everything around us is constantly changing. Cells in living organisms are destroyed and replaced by new ones. Plants and animals are born, grow, multiply and die: they are replaced by new generations. Life cycles and habitats are constantly changing as well. Change of climatic seasons affects the life of most organisms. Many animals adjust their life cycles to changes in temperature and food type. Some migrate (move) to other places, often located many hundreds of kilometers away, where the conditions for life and reproduction are more favorable (see the article "").
Arctic terns breed in the summer on the coast of the Arctic Ocean, and then fly 20 thousand km in and spend the Antarctic summer there. Every year they cover more than 40 thousand km. Many plants adapt to the change of seasons, adjusting the time of flowering and fruiting. So, perennial herbaceous plants die off at the end of the year, and their underground part and roots overwinter and wake up again in the spring. These plants flower and produce seeds in the summer and then die back in the fall. Animals such as snakes and hedgehogs survive the harshest time of the year by hibernating. They spend long months in a state of deep sleep, and almost all the functions of their body freeze. The reserves of fat accumulated in the summer provide them with the necessary minimum of energy. In many ways, it resembles hibernation and torpor, except that in a state of torpor, animals, such as African lizards, can survive in conditions of heat and drought.

Butterfly metamorphosis

One of the most amazing transformations in wildlife is the rebirth of a caterpillar into a butterfly or moth. It is called metamorphosis. To watch it, you will need a cardboard box like the one shown in the picture. Put plant food in the box, and then find and plant some caterpillars in it. Check first if the cooked food is suitable for them. After a while, the caterpillars will turn into pupae, and then butterflies will emerge from them. Butterflies are best released as soon as possible.

For many, the word "nature" has become something abstract - around the stone jungle. Trying to earn a lot of money and provide themselves with a comfortable life, people lose track of time, the night is no longer a time for sleep, but, on the contrary, hours for work and entertainment. Many children think that the forest is a park with paved paths, and milk comes from a big factory.

There is no doubt that most of the inhabitants of the planet do not even think about the role of nature in the life of man and society and what it is in principle.

Fortunately, the age of information technology gives a great chance to environmentalists and just ordinary people who see injustice towards the planet to declare problems to the whole world, to be heard and supported. Numerous actions, rescue operations, fundraising allow at least a little to heal the wounds of the Earth. How is the natural sphere of the planet arranged, why is it so important to preserve it?

What is nature?

It is difficult to give a precise definition of the word "nature". Planet Earth, together with the relief, land and oceans, plants and animals, is nature.

The position of the planet in the Universe, solar influence, magnetic fields, physical and chemical phenomena, weather and natural disasters are also nature.

The birth of a person, death, metabolism, blood circulation and pressure, mood changes, the emergence of feelings in a person - and this is nature.

The common thing is that man was not involved in the creation of all this, he himself is nature.

Naturally, over time, human influence on nature increased: anthropogenic landscapes appeared, swamps dried up, rivers changed their channels, many plant and animal species disappeared from the face of the earth, and the subsoil was depleted. All this did not pass without consequences: the balance of nature was disturbed, natural disasters occur more and more often, millions of people die of hunger and disease, the land has become unfertile. If the population does not understand how important the role of nature is in people's lives, then soon the shaky world threatens to collapse completely.

Nature is man's means of life and his home

The land on which houses stand, roads, favorite cafes and attractions are located is a natural component that has its own characteristics and features. The earth is irreplaceable. Every year there is desertification of large areas, that is, the replacement of soil with sandy rocks that cannot produce crops, on which it is difficult to build and live.

Air is an element of nature. Its role in the life of people is so great that without it one can die. However, air without oxygen will not help in any way, only with this substance a person will continue to breathe. Plants produce it. Single trees near the house produce oxygen, but not in such quantity that it is enough for residents of at least 5 apartments. The main contribution to oxygen enrichment is made by equatorial forests and taiga, the area of ​​which decreases annually by thousands of hectares. If there is no air with oxygen, then there is no life for a person.

Water is an equally important component of nature. From ancient times, dwellings were built near water, water in many countries is more valuable than gold, wars are going on because of water resources.

Nature is a source of wealth

In people's lives, the role of nature, as they themselves think, is assigned only to enrichment. Naturally, this is a delusion. Nevertheless, billions of dollars in revenue are made from natural resources. Oil, gas, timber, metals, water are the main commodities in the world, for which there is a big struggle. Man, in fact, did not invest anything in their origin, but manages like a master, while causing enormous damage to nature, which cannot protest. She just endures.

Only a careful attitude will help to manage the economy harmoniously, without leaving behind wounds to nature, the restoration of which takes thousands of years.

Nature is the way of man's knowledge of himself

Man is a creative person. Artists, poets, singers admire sunsets and sunrises, see beauty and phenomena in the world around them, which help to understand their own soul. The role of nature in people's lives is measured not by money, but by harmony with oneself, moral and physical strength, moments of admiration and enjoyment of beauty, a loved one, a bizarre pattern of stars in the sky. The combination of colors, ideal shapes, animal and plant life bring order to the mind and heart.

The role of wildlife in human life is difficult to overestimate. The task of everyone is to learn to take care of the world around them, to try to return only good to the Earth, because it is the basis of human life.

The seasons play a huge role in the life of animals. For them, each season is a period of a certain activity. If a person can transfer his plans or change his lifestyle, then animals are not capable of this. Living by the rules of nature is in their blood.

Spring

How do animals celebrate spring?

Spring for all animals is a period of new life. After a long and calm winter, all representatives of the animal world begin to actively prepare for the onset of a hot summer.

Spring days in the life of animals are accompanied by a change of coat - from winter to summer. Squirrels change their gray skin to bright red. They are increasingly found in parks. Squirrels jump through the trees in search of food.

Chipmunks wake up after hibernation. Outwardly, it can be confused with a squirrel, but the main difference is the five dark stripes on the back. Chipmunks have been stocking up on food since winter, before they hibernate. Therefore, these animals, with the advent of spring, are not puzzled by the search for what they can get enough of.

But bears, also hibernating, do not care about what they will eat after a long sleep. Therefore, in the spring they leave their dens in search of food.

For wolves, spring is the time when they breed. Little wolf cubs are in the den of their parents until such time as they have the sight to navigate well in space. Being small, they are very similar to foxes, only the tips of their tails are not white, but gray.

Hares begin to molt, changing their winter white skin to gray and less warm. Also, raccoon dogs, waking up after hibernation, change their color to a less remarkable one. The color of the coat is of great importance. In winter, the skins are white, which makes it possible to merge with the snow-white cover of the earth if a predator hunts nearby. Gray wool in the summer also serves as a kind of camouflage.

In early spring, hedgehogs wake up, because in April they have to breed.

Summer

animal life in summer

Summer is the most favorable period in the life of animals. Long sunny days, warmth and plenty of food, undoubtedly, delight the animals. At this time of the year they are especially active. They are not yet preparing for winter, but they are preparing their offspring for the harsh period. Therefore, animals are in constant search of food for their cubs in order to saturate them with useful substances and vitamins.

Herbivorous mammals sometimes go out of their habitats, because what they feed on grows everywhere. Fresh juicy leaves allow them to stock up on useful substances for the future.

For birds, summer is a feast, because they can find treats absolutely everywhere. Midges, worms, caterpillars, fish - all this is their food in the summer. Also, birds are assistants to gardeners. They eat all the pests that can destroy the crop.

Despite the fact that summer is the most active period in the life of animals, there is one exception. Gophers prefer to rest on these warm days. And to saturate with vital energy, they go hunting at night.

The most active animals in the summer are squirrels, wolves, bears, and various rodents. Also love this time: giraffes, camels, hyenas, cheetahs, monkeys and many others.

Autumn

Change in animal life in autumn

Autumn is the period of preparation for the winter cold. How they live through the autumn, what they manage to do during this time, their life in the winter depends. Furry, feathered, predators - everyone should take this preparation responsibly, because their own life and the life of their offspring is at stake.

Insects are the first to feel the arrival of cold weather. They begin to build minks for themselves, seek shelter, which most often falls on fallen leaves or tree bark. Here they will spend the whole winter.

Butterflies have their own way of surviving the cold period - they turn into pupae.

Toads, frogs, snakes and lizards are also among the first to hide. Some frogs live closer to bodies of water so that when cold weather sets in, they dive into them and sleep at the bottom until warm days return. But toads, on the contrary, hide on land. Their winter refuge is tree roots or rodent burrows.

Forest animals in the autumn period begin to eat often and satisfyingly, because they need to accumulate a supply of substances and fat that will help them survive in severe frosts.

And squirrels, mice and moles begin to stock up on food for the future. They bring as many nuts, berries and cones as possible into the house.

Most animals go through a natural process of pre-winter molting. They again change their skins to warmer and less attractive ones.

Winter

How animals hibernate

As a rule, only those animals that are capable of hibernation hibernate. And those who are categorically afraid of the cold run away to the southern regions.

Animal life freezes in winter. In autumn, everyone prepared for themselves the shelters in which they now live. The cold is not terrible for those warmly dressed in their skins: hares, squirrels, arctic foxes, foxes, wolves, elks and many others.

And some just fall asleep: raccoons, marmots, chipmunks, badgers, bears and other animals.

Mollusks burrow into the mud for the winter. Also minks prepared for themselves wasps, bumblebees, tarantulas.

Newts hide on the shore, in a thick layer of fallen leaves or branched tree roots.

Gophers, hamsters and jerboas prefer sleep in winter.

In late August - early September, ground squirrels, hamsters, jerboas climb into their deep holes and fall asleep.