2.1.7: Carbon stores in different biomes

Question 1

Temperate

Answer 1

Moderate, no extremes

Question 2

Deciduous

Answer 2

Trees that shed their leaves

Question 3

What influences seasons

Answer 3

Tilt of the Earth

Question 4

Tundra

Answer 4

No trees, ice and snow

eg: Arctic Tundra

Question 5

Taiga

Answer 5

Coniferous woodland

aka Boreal Forest

Question 6

Tropical rain forest

location and reason

Answer 6

On equator as its hot and rain supplied by Hadley cell

Question 7

Desert

location

Answer 7

30 degrees North and South of equator with little rain

Question 8

Largest store of carbon out of the biomes

Answer 8

Taiga

26% and 1/3 of trees on Earth

Question 9

Terrestrial biosphere

Answer 9

land

Question 10

Biomass

Answer 10

mass of living things

Question 11

Carbon

Answer 11

macronutrient, 44% of the dry weight of plant biomass

Question 12

Organic carbon

Answer 12

Stored in the biomass, leaf litter and soil

Question 13

Green plants as carbon store

Answer 13

Store 20% of Earth’s biosphere

Question 14

Animals as a carbon store

Answer 14

Small role in carbon storage

Question 15

Litter

Answer 15

Fresh, undecomposed plant debris

Question 16

Soil

Answer 16

Humus is a black substance that remains in the soil after most of the organic litter has decomposed, dispersed by worms.

Question 17

Example of tropical rainforest

Answer 17

Amazon rainforest

biomass: 700 tonnes/hectare - reflects optimum climatic conditions

Question 18

Examples of tropical rainforest

3

Answer 18

Amazonian
African
Indo-Malaysian

Question 19

Distribution of tropical rainforests

Answer 19

Along equator at 0 degrees
At elevations below 1000m
Between the tropics

Question 20

Why is NPP in tropical rainforests so high?

Answer 20

1. competition for light and water has given rise to 5 layers of vegetation
2. plants are evergreen and trees have large leaves
3. carbon storage in animals is relatively high

Question 21

Physical factors affecting plant growth and carbon storage in tropical rainforest biome
3

Answer 21

light
temperature
precipitation

Question 22

Why are carbon levels low in leaf litter and soil in tropical rainforest biome?
3

Answer 22

1. Exchanges of carbon between soil, biosphere and atmosphere are rapid
2. Warm, humid conditions ensure rapid decomposition and quick release of CO2
3. Heavy rainfall means that soils are leached so can only retain limited amounts of humus

Question 23

Units of NPP

Answer 23

Kg/m2/year

Question 24

Example of human removal of carbon biomass store

Answer 24

deforestation

Question 25

Afforestation

Answer 25

form of climate mitigation and helps to reduce flooding

Question 26

SOC

Answer 26

soil organic carbon

Question 27

DOC

Answer 27

dissolved organic carbon

Question 28

Excessive cultivation

Answer 28

land over worked > land degradation and erosion

Question 29

Example of effect of agriculture on soil

Answer 29

Dust bowl, USA, Great plains