8a.1 - Fast and Diverse (TRF Characteristics) Flashcards
What happens to the soil if we cut down the rainforest for farming?
Leaching happens - The soil loses its fertility very quickly and becomes useless
How many species of trees, plants and birds are there?
Over 16,000 tree species, 40,000 plant species, and 1,300 bird species
What nutrients are required for plants to grow?
Nitrogen, potassium, phosphate and magnesium
How much rain does the rainforest get per month?
250mm
How much rainfall can some rainforests get per year?
3 metres
What are the average temperatures in the rainforest?
26-32 degrees Celsius
What are the two direct threats towards the rainforest?
Agriculture and logging
What is the indirect threat that a rainforest can face?
Climate change
What happens to global temperatures that affect the atmospheric systems that bring wet seasons to the equatorial climate?
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
What is an ecosystem stress?
Factors (can be done by human or natural causes), that put pressure on an ecosystem productivity and its processes.
What happens if the ecosystem stress is quite a big problem and goes on for a long time?
Damage in the rainforest will start to occur.
Identify 3 features of the rainforest
Very tall trees Canopy layer Layered or stratified forest structure Straight and or narrow trunks Very dense vegetation growth
Why do TRF have such high biodiversity?
Hot wet tropical climate Complex stratification (layers) - lots of ecological niches
Why are isolated TRF biomes so biodiverse
Not affected by human activity
Ecological niches not disturbed
Why is TRF biomass store bigger?
More photosynthesis, so more productivity, so more nutrients are stored in vegetation
Why is the TRF soil store smaller
Nutrient uptake is really high by the plants
High precipitation means high levels of leaching
Why is the litter store smaller int he TRF?
Decomposition is faster, because of higher humidity
What do drip trips achieve?
remove excess water in conditions of over 2000mm of precipitation
What do buttress roots achieve?
stabilise very tall and thin trees as they increase in height
What do waxy leaves achieve?
stop water infiltrating into leaf and rotting it
Why are trees tall, thin and straight?
grow straight up towards the light to out compete other species
What are epiphytes?
Roots that hang in mid air, so they can absorb water and nutrients, rather than from the soil
Describe the annual rainfall pattern in the TRF?
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.
Where are the TRF found?
Close to the equator
Inland
Mainly between 0-10o n/s
