8.1 - Tropical Rainforest

Question 1

Give an example of how changes in biotic and abiotic components of rainforests affect each other?

Answer 1

• The warm wet climate means plants grow quickly. Dense leaf cover protect forest floor from wind and heavy rainfall + roots hold soil together for less erosion

Question 2

What are the four layers of tropical rainforests?

Answer 2

Emergents, main canopy, undercanopy, shrub layer

Question 3

What two types of relationships are there in tropical rainforest?

Answer 3

• Relationships between abiotic and biotic components where a change in one affects the other
• Symbiotic relationships between plants and animals where they depend on each other

Question 4

What is the shrub layer?

Answer 4

The shrub layer is nearest to the ground where it’s quite dark

Question 5

What is the structure of the undercanopy?

Answer 5

It is made up of younger trees that have yet to reach their full height, only surviving where there are breaks in the canopy

Question 6

What is the structure of the main canopy?

Answer 6

It is a continuous layer of trees, which only have leaves at the top. This layer shades the rest of the forest

Question 7

What is the structure of the emergents?

Answer 7

The emergents are the tallest trees, which poke out of the main canopy layer.

Question 8

What is the adaption of drip tip leaves?

Answer 8

• They are thick waxy leaves with pointed tips

- This lets water run off of leaves so it’s weight doesn’t damage the plant and fungi can’t grow

Question 9

What are the adaptions of lianas (climbing plants)?

Answer 9

• No weight supporting stems to use energy for fast growth

- Wrap round existing tree trunks for support to climb

Question 10

What are general adaptions of trees in the trf?

Answer 10

• Drop their leaves gradually throughout the year so can grow all year
• Smooth thin bark so water runs off easily + no need to protect from cold

Question 11

What are the adaptions of emergents?

Answer 11

• Big roots called buttress roots to support trunks
• Straight trunks
• Only leaves on top

Question 12

What are the adaptions of sloths?

Answer 12

• Huge claws allow for hanging upside down

- Green algae grows on fur for camouflage

Question 13

What are the adaptions of primates?

Answer 13

• Live in the canopy where most food is found
• Have long tails for balance
• Have strong claws to grip trees and branches

Question 14

What are the adaptions of big cats?

Answer 14

• Camouflaged fur to blend in with shade and sunlight to be undetected by prey
• Can swim across river channels

Question 15

What are the adaptions of birds in the TRF?

Answer 15

• Powerful beaks to break open nuts

Question 16

What is the nutrient cycle?

Answer 16

The nutrient cycle is the way nutrients move through an ecosystem

Question 17

In what 3 ways are nutrients stored in an ecosystem?

Answer 17

• Biomass (living organisms)
• litter (dead organic material)
• soil

Question 18

Order the nutrient stores in the TRF from largest to smallest?

Answer 18

Biomass, soil, litter

Question 19

Why are most nutrients stored as biomass in the tropical rainforest and there is a rapid transfer of nutrients?

Answer 19

• Trees are evergreen so dead leaves fall all year round
• warm, mist climate means fungi + bacteria decompose dead organic matter quickly
• Dense vegetation + rapid plant growth mean nutrients are rapidly taken up by plant’s roots

Question 20

What is biodiversity?

Answer 20

Biodiversity is the variety of organisms living in an area

Question 21

Why do rainforests have a very high biodiversity? (50% of plant + animal species)

Answer 21

• The rainforest biome has been around for a long time (10mil years) without much change in climate
• The layered structure of the TRF provides lots of different habitats
• Rainforests are stable environments - hot + wet all year round

Question 22

Why does the layered structure of the TrF mena high biodiveristy?

Answer 22

plants + animals adapt for their particular environment/food source so lots of different species develop

Question 23

Why does rainforests being stable environments lead to lots of biodiversity?

Answer 23

Plant and animals don’t have to cope with changing climates and there is always plenty of growth / plenty to eat so constant adaption

Question 24

What do food chains show?

Answer 24

They show what is eaten by what in an ecosystem

Question 25

What are food webs?

Answer 25

Food webs show how lots of food chains in an ecosystem overlap

Question 26

Why do tropical rainforests have very complex food webs?

Answer 26

• Lots of different species

- Some animals can be both primary and secondary consumer