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Tropical ecosystem management > Class 9 - rivers, lakes and wetlands > Flashcards

Class 9 - rivers, lakes and wetlands Flashcards

1
Q

Where and how big is the largest known area of TP?

A

Largest known area of tropical peatland is in Southeast Asia (56%, 77% of peat-carbon storage) – often depths over 10 meters

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2
Q

How deep is the South American peatlands compared to SE Asian

A

South American thinner and contain less carbon

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3
Q

What are peatlands important for?

A

Significant role in climate change moderation and biodiversity conservation

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4
Q

Where do peatlands occur?

A

Mainly occur in lowland areas in sub-coastal zones

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5
Q

What trees produce peat?

A

Tend to be formed by highly productive vegetation such as rainforest trees

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6
Q

How much does TP make up of total peatlands?

A

11%

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7
Q

What happens when peatland is cnverted to agriculture (often palm oil)

A

Destroying biodiversity, displace indigenous people, release carbon into the atmosphere

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8
Q

Where is the most intense destruction of peat happening?

A

In Indonesia and Malaysia

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9
Q

What is peat?

A

Is a type of histosol soil found in tropical altitudes. Tropical peat is mainly dead organic matter from trees

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10
Q

How much land does tropical peat probably cover ww?

A

Could be around 380,000 km2 globally

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11
Q

Is peat threatened and by what?

A

Yes, climate change and deforestation

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12
Q

How much area does TP cover and how much carbon does it store?

A

TP only covers 0.25% of forests area, they contain 3% of the world’s soil carbon resource

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13
Q

What are some rare animals living in TP?

A

Orangutan and Sumatran tiger

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14
Q

What commodities come from peatlands?

A

Commodities such as fruit, bark, resin, latex

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15
Q

What is the vicious cycle happening in TP?

A

Peatlands are under threat from climate change and they cause more climate change as they get destroyed

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16
Q

Is carbon from peat destruction included in greenshouse gas estimates?

A

Carbon release from peat destruction is not usually included in greenhouse gas emissions so we are continuously underestimating it

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17
Q

Is peatland a strong ecosystem?

A

Incredibly fragile ecosystems vulnerable to any disruption

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18
Q

What happens when peat is deforested?

A

If forest is lost and peatland drains, the surface peat oxidises - flooding

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19
Q

What causes peat to form?

A

Toxic chemicals (biotoxins) in leaves prevent decomposition – triggering peat accumulation

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20
Q

What forests do peatlands often coexist with?

A

Some peatland coexists with swamp-forest

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21
Q

When did deforestation really take off?

A

Since 1970s peat-swamp has been deforested at rapidly increasing rates

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22
Q

Are peatlands sinks or sources?

A

Deforestation transforming them from sinks to large scale sources

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23
Q

What animals live in congo?

A

Peatland in central Republic of Congo provides habitat for lowland gorillas and elephants

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24
Q

How much carbon is stored in the peatlands of Congo?

A

This site contains carbon equal to the 20 year carbon output of the USA

25
Q

How much carbon is stored in a swamp in Peru?

A

In the Pastaza-Maranon swamp in Peru, even though it is only 3% of land area in forested Peru, it holds half of carbon

26
Q

How much peatland is there vs what is recorded now?

A

It is estimated that there is much more tropical peat than recorded – probably 3 times more

27
Q

In which areas of the world does peat mainly?

A

Mainly occurs in Central and South America, Africa, Southeast Asia

28
Q

Which ecosystems/areas does peat occur in?

A

Developed in low-lying areas like deltas, floodplains, shallow lakes or meander oxbows

29
Q

What happens as the peat accumulates and rises?

A

When peat rises as it accumulates, water input becomes solely from rainfall and it becomes a low-nutrient system

30
Q

Peat and general pH?

A

Highly acidic

31
Q

How old are the oldest peatlands in Asia?

A

8000 years

32
Q

At what altitudes does peat occur?

A

Sites are usually located about 12-20 meters above sea level and this has not changes much in the past 100,000 years

33
Q

Why is Indonesia the world’s third largest carbon emitter?

A

Indonesia is the world’s third largest carbon emitter, mainly because of destruction of peat swamp

34
Q

What conservation efforts are made to try and save peatlands?

A

There are conservation efforts for example to save the Orangutans. There are other efforts that engage controversially with the palm oil farmers to promote better practices and educate on consequences

35
Q

How much of peat-forest is protected?

A

Only 6%

36
Q

When is it projected that peat will be completely removed in Indonesia?

A

2030

37
Q

What are the main issues of peatlands in the Amazon?

A

Main issues in the Amazon: Deforestation and agriculture, palm oil production, rice fields, mining for minerals, fire, climate change

38
Q

Where do lakes and wetlands get water from?

A

Rivers or groundwater

39
Q

What characterizes Amazon rivers?

A

Amazonian rivers are very meandering (bending), because the ground is soft and the area is flat

40
Q

What happens when rivers flow really fast?

A

Fastest flowing water erodes the river bank, fastest is when it goes down – this leads to backswamps or oxbow lakes

41
Q

Where is there more oxygen in rivers?

A

More oxygen upstream than downstream

42
Q

Define the flood pulse concept

A

Sometimes the river level is high, sometimes low, this affects life in the river – can vary in just one week with rainfall

43
Q

What are the colors of the three types of river water in the Amazon?

A

Blackwater (black tea color), clearwater (clear color), whitewater (milky coffee color)

44
Q

Characterise blackwater

A

High transparency, low sediment load, low nutrient load, 3.5-6 ph

45
Q

Characterise clearwater

A

High transparency, low sediment, low-intermediate nutrient, 5.5-8 ph

46
Q

Characterise whitewater

A

Low transparency, high sediment, intermediate-high nutrient, 6.5-7.5 ph

47
Q

What is special about lake Victoria and biodiversity?

A

High diversity of fish species and fast evolution – 500 cichlid species just in lake Victoria, high endemism

48
Q

What species is especially invasive on lakes and rivers?

A

The water hyacinth

49
Q

What is unique about the Okavango delta in Africa?

A

Okavango delta in Africa finishes in the middle of the dessert – disappears into the ground or evaporates – unique

50
Q

Define the 3 types of wetlands *2

A

Rain-fed = ombrotrophic, river-fed = rheotrophic, water from mineral soil-fed = minerotrophic

Oligotrophic = nutrient poor, mesotrophic = nutrient intermidiate, eutrophic = nutrient rich

51
Q

What would peat become naturally if we left it for long enough?

A

Coal

52
Q

How much pure organic matter must there be for something to be peat?

A

30cm

53
Q

Campare the features of rivers and lakes

A

Unidirectional running water towards sea vs standing water. Water from large catchment area vs water from rivers or groundwater. Longitudinal zonation vs vertical zonation. Transportation and deposition of materials vs accumulation of materials

54
Q

What is the river continuum concept?

A

What happens upstream affects downstream ecosystems (and other way around)

55
Q

Define the flood farming cycle

A
  1. flood retreats, 2. Plowing, 3. Cultivated floodplains, 4. Crop harvesting, 5. Floodplain is bare. 6. Flood
56
Q

What fish is causing mass extinction in the nile

A

The Nile Perch

57
Q

What is the challenge of soil saturation and flooding for plants?

A

Plants need oxygen to grow, flooding fill soil pores with water, microorganisms consume oxygen

58
Q

What are some reasons that peat does not decompose?

A

poor aeriation, anoxic conditions, biotoxins

Tropical ecosystem management (13 decks)

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