8a.1 - Fast and Diverse (TRF Characteristics)

Question 1

What happens to the soil if we cut down the rainforest for farming?

Answer 1

Leaching happens - The soil loses its fertility very quickly and becomes useless

Question 2

How many species of trees, plants and birds are there?

Answer 2

Over 16,000 tree species, 40,000 plant species, and 1,300 bird species

Question 3

What nutrients are required for plants to grow?

Answer 3

Nitrogen, potassium, phosphate and magnesium

Question 4

How much rain does the rainforest get per month?

Answer 4

250mm

Question 5

How much rainfall can some rainforests get per year?

Answer 5

3 metres

Question 6

What are the average temperatures in the rainforest?

Answer 6

26-32 degrees Celsius

Question 7

What are the two direct threats towards the rainforest?

Answer 7

Agriculture and logging

Question 8

What is the indirect threat that a rainforest can face?

Answer 8

Climate change

Question 9

What happens to global temperatures that affect the atmospheric systems that bring wet seasons to the equatorial climate?

Answer 9

Warmer global temperatures can mean that these systems shift polewards and don’t bring much rain towards the rainforest. It can mean that the conditions of the rainforest become a lot hotter and drier with more droughts

Question 10

What is an ecosystem stress?

Answer 10

Factors (can be done by human or natural causes), that put pressure on an ecosystem productivity and its processes.

Question 11

What happens if the ecosystem stress is quite a big problem and goes on for a long time?

Answer 11

Damage in the rainforest will start to occur.

Question 12

Identify 3 features of the rainforest

Answer 12

Very tall trees
Canopy layer
Layered or stratified forest structure
Straight and or narrow trunks
Very dense vegetation growth

Question 13

Why do TRF have such high biodiversity?

Answer 13

Hot wet tropical climate
Complex stratification (layers) - lots of ecological niches

Question 14

Why are isolated TRF biomes so biodiverse

Answer 14

Not affected by human activity

Ecological niches not disturbed

Question 15

Why is TRF biomass store bigger?

Answer 15

More photosynthesis, so more productivity, so more nutrients are stored in vegetation

Question 16

Why is the TRF soil store smaller

Answer 16

Nutrient uptake is really high by the plants

High precipitation means high levels of leaching

Question 17

Why is the litter store smaller int he TRF?

Answer 17

Decomposition is faster, because of higher humidity

Question 18

What do drip trips achieve?

Answer 18

remove excess water in conditions of over 2000mm of precipitation

Question 19

What do buttress roots achieve?

Answer 19

stabilise very tall and thin trees as they increase in height

Question 20

What do waxy leaves achieve?

Answer 20

stop water infiltrating into leaf and rotting it

Question 21

Why are trees tall, thin and straight?

Answer 21

grow straight up towards the light to out compete other species

Question 22

What are epiphytes?

Answer 22

Roots that hang in mid air, so they can absorb water and nutrients, rather than from the soil

Question 23

Describe the annual rainfall pattern in the TRF?

Answer 23

Rains throughout the year
Heaviest rain in Jan / lowest rain in July
Seasonal changes in rainfall
Rainfall decreases between Jan and July.
Rainfall increases from July to Dec.

Question 24

Where are the TRF found?

Answer 24

Close to the equator
Inland
Mainly between 0-10o n/s