Case Studies For The Amazon

Question 1

Physical characteristics of the amazon

Answer 1

• Daily convectional rainfall means the Amazon receives up to 3000mm of rain per year
• Average temperatures are 27oC and this creates a very humid environment
• The soil in the Amazon is mainly infertile red earth with a shallow nutrient rich Humus layer on the surface from which plants must get their nutrients
• Nutrients are added to the soil quickly because of the hot, damp conditions making decomposition fast (plant matter can break down in only 6 weeks)
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Question 2

Plant adaptions

Answer 2

• Plants adapt to where they sit within the rainforest structure
• Tall emergent trees have buttress roots to support themselves in the shallow soil
• Lianas are vine like plants which grow up trees to reach more light
• Fan palms have large leaves to capture any available light on the forest floor

Question 3

2 animal adaptions

Answer 3

• Animals such as the sloth have adapted by climbing through the canopy to avoid predators
• Dart frogs are camouflaged against the vegetation

Question 4

What is the importance of the amazon to the wider world

Answer 4

1) Rainforests help to regulate the atmosphere by using carbon dioxide and releasing Oxygen
2) The Amazon’s plants and animals store billions of tonnes of carbon and use 2.2. billion tonnes each year
3) The Amazon creates its own microclimate through transpiration from trees and interception by vegetation. This also plays a vital role in the global water cycle
4) Only 1% of the Amazon’s flowering plant species have been studied and there is a huge potential for more new medicines to be discovered as has been the case in the past
5) The Amazon will be essential in trying to combat climate change by helping humans regulate carbon in the atmosphere.

Question 5

Methods of sustainably managing the amazon

Answer 5

Selective logging, conservation swaps, international agreements, rules and laws, education, afforestation and ecotourism.

Question 6

Causes of deforestation

Answer 6

• Largest cause is cattle ranching (65%) which is to feed the global beef demand
• 1-2% is for mining of metals and other minerals
• 5-10% is for commercial agriculture, especially production of soy beans and palm oil
• 2-3% is logging for timber
• 1-2% is for the creation of new urban areas and improving road/rail infrastructure. This includes the trans Amazonian highway
• Rapid population growth has put pressure on land for construction and resource extraction

Question 7

Consequences of deforestation

Answer 7

• More and more species are becoming endangered or extinct
• Construction of roads allows easier access, accelerating rate of deforestation
• Soil quickly becomes infertile as no dead organism are left to decompose on the surface, meaning no new nutrients are added
• Reduction in amount of oxygen released. Currently Amazon accounts for 20% of global oxygen production
• Interrupts water cycle on global scale as trees transpire less and intercept less rainfall.
• Taking up 33% less carbon than a decade ago