Amazon rainforest Flashcards
Biodiversity
Number of different plant and animal species in an area
Amazonia
- 16,000 different tree species
- 40,000 plant species
- 1,300 bird species
- 6 sloth species
Uk tree species
30 different
Biodiversity is high in rainforest because
- climate is perfect for all year growth and reproduction
- rainforest are ancient and have stable climate
- multiple layers of forest (different habitats)
Amazon rainforest
Holds 10% of words plant and animal species
World tropical rainforest
- Ecuador
- Congo Vadim
- again countries
Climate of rainforest
- no dry season (60mm of rainfall each year)
- high temp (26-32 all year round)
0-10 m of forest
Forest floor
-darkness
(Mammals)
10-20m forest
Understorey layer
- Young trees
(Insects)
20-30m forest
Canopy layer
-dense
(Snakes, birds, frogs)
30-40m forest
Emergent layer
-hardwood and evergreen
(Monkey and birds)
Adaptation
Evergreen hardwood
-tall slender trunks with no branches, huge roots
Support weight
Adaptation
Epiphytes
-gets nutrients from water and air
Roots dangle mid air
Adaptation
Lianas
Stem clings to trees and climb up to sunlight
Adaptation
Drip tip leaves
-thick waxy leaves
Shed water quickly to prevent Rot
Adaptation
Sloth
- huge claws (hang upside down)
- fur grow away from feet (shed rain)
- green algae on fur (camouflage)
Adaptation
Primates
(Lemurs and monkeys)
- long tails (balance)
- stein claws (grip trees)
Adaptation
Big cats
(Jaguars, tigers, leopards)
-comouflaged fur (blend with sunlight and shade on floor)
Adaptation
Birds
- Loud calls (easier to mate)
- powerful beaks (break open nuts)
Nutrients
Tiny amounts of chemical elements and compounds
Nutrient cycle
Nutrients eaten by animals
Animals then die
Nutrients recycled
External factors affect nutrient cycle
- added by precipitation/ weathering
- remover by runoff or leaching
- taken up from soil as plants grow
- returned when animals die
Tropical rainforest
Nutrient cycle
Larger biomass store Smaller litter store Large decay transfer Larger growth transfer Larger weathering input Larger leaching output
Food web
- Primary producers (plants)
- Primary consumers (herbivores)
- Secondary consumers (carnivores)
- Tertiary consumers (too carnivores)
- Detrivores (decomposers)
Directs threat
Deliberate cutting down of trees for timber
Indirect threat
Come from pollution, global warming or disease
Main threat for tropical rainforest
Deforestation
Direct
Deforestation occurs
- poverty
- debt
- economic development
- demand for resources
To show rainforest lost
GIS satellite used
Dark green on GIS
Tropical rainforest
Lighter areas GIS
Deforest places
Deforestation happens along
Major roads
Different rates of deforestation caused by:
- poverty of low income countries
- palm oil industry
- protection of forest
- isolation
Indirect threats are
Harder to manage
Main indirect threat
Global warming
Globally warming impacts already
- plants are flowering earlier
- bird migration patterns are changing
- vegetation zones (shifting towards poles)
Temp rise of 1°
- 10% of land species face extinction
- biomes shrink
Temp rise of 2°
- 15%-40% land species face extinction
- biomes shift towards zones
- extreme weather
Temp rise of 3°
- 20%-50% of land species face extinction
- flooding
- drought
Amazon main droughts
2005 and 2010
Droughts put forest ecosystems under stress by
- Drying leaf litter (threatens nutrient cycle)
- leaves in canopy did (reduce food supply affecting food webs)
Scientists argue
- deforestation leads to an increase in droughts and severity
- fewer trees means less evaporation and transpiration = fewer clouds and less rain
Amazonia
- produces 20% global oxygen
- 40000 plant species
- 2 million insect species
Rate of deforestation slowed
- large area protected by government
- reduce demand (global recession)
- government stricter on illegal logging
- forest code law (preserve 80% of forest they own)
- 19% voted Green Party
CITES
The convention on international trade in endangered species
Cites
Lists
29000 plants
5000 animal
What does cites do
- bans cross boarder trade in listed species
- stopping the buying and selling of endangered species
Cites advantages
- many countries signed up
- wider variety of species
- key success
- worked well for cute and cuddly threatened species
Cites disadvantages
- protects species not ecosystem (doesn’t prevent deforestation)
- global warming could undermine its success
- relies on funding from counties
- has to be underthreat to get on list
REDD
Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation
Purpose of redd
Stop deforestation
Redd aims
- reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation
- conservation and enhancement of forest carbon stocks
- sustainable management of forests
Redd works through
Government and TNCs
Juma SFR
juma sustainable forest reserve
SFR
- non government
- brazil first redd project
- area of rain forest in Amazon
Juma people
- 5880 square kilometres
- 35 villages
- population= 2400
Juma biodiversity
- 21 different species
- 430 different birds
- 1% deforestation
Local people in juma are
Payed to not cut down forest
Money to juma people
- From TNCs
- families payed $28 a month
- alternate income so no deforestation
Success of SFR
- without protection 60% would be gone by 2050
- come has risen
- funding to build schools, clean water, solar panels
- ecotourism developed
Not success of SFR
- relies on donations
- money for families is less than $1 a day
- hard to police (illegal logging may continue)
Sustainable forest management
Conserves forest by ensuring they are not used faster than can be renewed
Economic benefits of sustainable forest management
Reducing poverty by creating income from alternative livelihoods
Social benefits of sustainable forest management
Involve improving facilities to benefit the community
Environmental benefits of sustainable forest management
Protect forest biodiversity and other resource
Sustainable environmental management
Kilum-ljim
Kilum-ljim
- mountain rainforest
- Cameroon, Africa
- 35 communities
What did kilum-ljim do
- market out forest reserve area
- made list of resources
- developed rules for the sustainable use of forest
- set up unit to manage and monitor forest
- educate communities about replanting trees
Kilum-ljim aim
Conserve so future generations could use it
Challenges faced
- population growth = increase pressure
- money from doners could end
- climate change can degrade
Agroforestry
(Sustainable farming)
- crops are grown between trees so trees are not cut
- crops of different height are grown to protect soil from erosion and reduce pest numbers
Ecotourism
- small scale, low impact tourism
- appeals to tourists interested in wildlife
- tourists stay with local families and eat local food
- money from tourists go to local people
