4. Ecosystems Flashcards
Definition of ecosystem
Made up of living things and their non-living environment and all the interactions between them
Definition of biome
An ecosystem on a global scale - large bands of land running roughly parallel to the equator that share the same type of plants and animals because they share the same general climate
What are the layers of the tropical rainforest? Lowest to highest.
Forest floor, under canopy, canopy, emergents
How are lianas adapted to their surroundings?
The thick vines reach sunlight by looping around tree branches
How are epiphytes adapted to their surroundings?
The plants perch on high branches they feed on the rain and nutrients from rotting leaves
How are buttress roots adapted to their surroundings?
The tallest trees have big strong buttress root to stop them from falling over
How are drip tips adapted to their surroundings?
They let rain drip off them so they aren’t pulled off the tree by heavy rain
What are the major threats to the tropical rainforests?
Deforestation
Describe the distribution of rainforests around the world
Rainforests are found around the equator, in-between the tropic of Cancer and Capricorn
Three impacts tropical rainforest deforestation
-more than 1/8 of the worlds population rely on wood and without it people may die
-rainforest a major carbon sinks absorbing 2.4 billion tons of carbon a year if we cut down rainforests fight against climate changes harder
-water vapour released by trees in the rainforest through transpiration becomes cloud and rains in the atmosphere to cut down the trees the weather will become drier and risk of more fire
Two strategies to reduce rate of tropical rainforest deforestation
-ecotourism (Small groups of tourist visiting locations to learn about the natural world in a way that is sustainable)
-National parks (which protects wildlife and species)
