IB ESS HL 2.5.1 Zonation Question Bank
Explain zonation as spatial change in community composition along an environmental gradient.
- Syllabus
- First assessment 2026
- Course
- ESS HL
- Level
- HL
Explain zonation as spatial change in community composition along an environmental gradient.

Figure:Vegetation map of New Zealand

Key:

Figure:Topographic map of New Zealand
With reference to Figures: Topographic map of New Zealand and Vegetation map of New Zealand, identify a relationship between altitude and type of vegetation.
a. Low/lower altitude is associated with bog/swamp/grass steppe/shrub steppe/subtropical laurel forest/subtropical rainforest/temperate broadleaf forest;
b. High/higher altitude is associated with alpine shrubland/highland steppe/temperate rainforest;
c. Mid/middle altitude is associated with temperate rainforest/temperate broadleaf forest;
d. Low/lower altitudes are associated with subtropical forests / mid/middle altitudes with temperate forests / high/higher altitudes are associated with grasslands;
e. The higher the altitude, the more grass steppe there is;
f. Zonation;
Note to examiners: accept any other reasonable responses. Do not accept just "steppe" or "rainforest", it must be specifically named for the appropriate altitude. Do not accept responses which simply state at which height range a specific vegetation type is located (e.g. Temperate broadleaf forest is located at 1000 m−1249 m ) as this is not a relationship.