biomes - characteristics of biomes Flashcards
where is the tropical rainforest biome found
23*C north and south of the equator
what type of climate
tropical climate that is hot and humid
what is the average temperature
27*C
what is the humidity
88%
what are these conditions of heat and humidity due to
position of the biome across the equatorial region
what is the equatorial zone
the region of maximum solar heating on the earths surface
what happens at these latitudes
the suns rays are directly overheard and hit the earth at a high angle causing intense heating of the surface and high levels of evaporation
what does the high rate of evaporation cause
heavy convectional rain
what is the total rainfall per year
6,600 mm
although there are no seasons in the rainforest biome, what happens to the areas that receive the most rain and high temperatures
slight drying and cooling at the edges of the rainforest biome region in June and December
what conditions are in the tropical climate
warmth, moisture and sunlight
what are these perfect for the growth of
living things
what has the climate led to
high biodiversity in the tropical rainforest biome
Vegetation
what is the natural vegetation in the tropical rainforest biome
jungle or rainforest
what do rainforests contain
highly specialised pants and trees such as mahogany
what does every rainforest contain
four layers of vegetation
what is the layering of rainforests
an adoption by plants to reduce competition for water, sunlight and nutrients
what does the forest floor occupy
the lowest 2 metres of the rainforest
why is it very dark
as only 1% of the sunligt that falls on the forest actually reaches the ground
what happens as a result of this
few plants grow here unless a tree falls, creating a clearing where sunlight encourages rapid growth of vegetation
what’s does the understory later reach to
2 to 20 metres above the forest floor
what does it consist of
tall, non flowering shrubs, ferns, small trees and vines
what is this area also
very shaded but trees receive more sunlight here and have large leaves to trap the sunlight
what does the canopy layer extend to
20 to 40 meters above the forest floor
what grows here
vines grow on the trees and other tree living plants called epiphytes(mosses or orchids)
what do the leaves do
leaves are large to trap sunlight
what do canopy trees have
shallow buttress roots
what do butters roots do
capture nutrients in the O horizon of the soil and support the tree
what is the emergent layer
highest layer of forest vegetation
what does this contain
tallest trees in the forest e.g. mahogany
how high is mahogany
70 metres
why do they have smaller leaves
emergents trees are exposed to sunlight and breezes which decrease the humidity
Latosol
what soil is associated with this biome
latosol
what does this soil have
thin O horizon (humus layer)
what is this due to
intense bacterial activity which rapidly decomposes dead organic matter
what does the A horizon contain
aluminium and iron oxides
what is the B horizon
very deep and uniform in texture
what is this due to
intense leaching in high temperatures
what colour is the soil
red/orange or yellow
what is that colour a result of
laterisation process
what is latersiation
a form of intense chemical weathering and leaching that occurs in hot climates
what are all the soluble minerals
washed out of the soil and only insoluble iron and aluminium oxides remainwh
what do latosols have
low humus content
what is this due to
rapid composition of dead organic matter which is quickly absorbed by plant roots or washed from the soil by heavy rain
what do fast foreign plants do
rapidly use the humus so that it does not get much chance to be leached into the soil
what does this short nutrient cycle do
gives the impression. that latosol is very fertile
what happens once the forest is removed
the latest have very little fertility and crops fail after two or three years
Specialist and camouflaged animals
why are tropical rainforests unique
they contain a great variety of living thing found in different layers the forest
what is this due to
availability of warmth, water and sunlight and therefore plants
what does one hectare of the forest contain
up to 42,000 species
what does the variety of life differ from
asian, African and South American forests
where are orang-utans only found in
asian rainforests
where are gorillas located
African forests
why have animals become very specialised
in order to avoid competition for food and living space among other living things
where may the live
in only one forest layer
for example, where are found in the canopy ayer od the rainforest
mammas such as spider monkeys as well as snakes antbirds such as parrots
what may animals be
nocturnal
what do some forest animals and plant do
live in association with each other - they depend on each other for food and reproduction
what is a good example of this
swordbill hummingbird which feeds only from datura flowers, its bill cannot reach nectar in any other plant
what does it do in turn
the birds passes pollen from one datura flower to another, ensuring its reproduction
what have many plants and animals done
adapted to the rainforest by using camouflage to hide form predators
what do insects do
disguise themselves to look like twigs(stick insects) or leaves
