Biomes Flashcards
What is a biome?
Biome refers to large areas of our planet that have similar climates, landscapes, animals, and plants
What are the six biomes ?
Taiga
Temperate forest
Tundra
Rainforest
Savannah grassland
Desert
Give one plant and animal adaptation for each of the biomes.m
Tundra: lichens are able to carry out photosynthesis while frozen and polar bears have bumps on the bottom of their feet that help grip the ice as they are walking
Taiga: coniferous trees have needles that contain very little sap, which helps prevent freezing. Squirrels are able to store large quantities of nuts and seeds for the lean times of the year.
Temperate forest: deciduous trees have thin, broad, light-weight leaves that can capture a lot of sunlight to make a lot of food for the tree in warm weather and a raccoon’s front paws contain thumbs, which enable the raccoon to pry open food and climb easily.
Desert: cacti have long roots that go deep inside the soil for absorbing water. Camels have fat is stored in its humps, which allows them to release heat from their bodies in hot weather
Rainforest: evergreen trees have modified leaves as needles so they don’t fall off in the winter and monkeys have evolved rotating shoulders that make it easy to grasp onto branches.
Savannah grassland: wild flowers have bright petals and sugar water called nectar to get insects to visit and giraffes have long necks allow them to browse leaves off the tops of grassland trees, helping them avoid food competition from other herbivores.
Where do we find tropical rainforests and why ?
We find them anywhere between 10 degrees north and 10 degrees south because of the amount of rainfall and the amount of sunshine these areas receive
What is a climate graph?
It is a graph that shows the average precipitation and temperatures experienced in a particular location
How is temperature shown on a climate graph?
Temperature is shown on a line graph
How is precipitation shown on a climate graph?
Precipitation is shown as bars on the graph
What is the climate of the tropical rainforest?
The rainforest biome remains warm and wet all year
Who are indigenous people? How do they use the tropical rainforest?
Indigenous people are the original inhabitants of the rainforest and they use the rainforest to survive and they use the rainforest by hunting, gathering wild fruits and nuts and fishing, Indigenous people also plant small gardens for other sources of food
Who are transnational corporations?
transnational corporation is world wide company that sells goods by the destruction of the rainforest to make money and an example of a TLC is Nike and Apple
How are transnational corporations using the tropical rainforest ?
Logging operations use timber for flooring and construction; paper industries turn wood into paper pulp; power plants burn trees to generate power.
What are the positive impacts of deforestation?
better and more abundant production of food and materials, and making space for new trees to be planted
What are the negative impacts of deforestation?
The loss of trees and other vegetation can cause climate change and a host of problems for Indigenous people
What does sustainable mean?
Sustainability is meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. while ensuring a balance between economic growth, environmental care and social well-being
Name and explain the four methods of sustainably managing the tropical rainforest.
Logging and replanting - This method allows the forest to recover because the younger trees gain more space and sunlight to grow while the older trees get cut down. Planned and controlled logging ensures that for every tree logged another is planted.
Education - Promoting the value and benefits of biodiversity associated with tropical rainforests.
Ecotourism - this encourages sustainable tourism that creates jobs for local people whilst ensuring that the money generated is used to protect and conserve the tropical rainforest for future generations to enjoy.
International agreements - agreements to protect tropical rainforests have been made between different countries
