Ecosystem key services, Tropical rainforest ecosystem, how and why humans use the rainforest

Question 1

1. What do we mean by the term ‘key services’?

Answer 1

The way in which ecosystems provide benefits for people.

Question 2

2. Give 5 key services that ecosystems provide?

Answer 2

• Maintain a steady supply of clean water to rivers.
• Prevent soil erosion.
• Reduce the risk of river floods.
• Providing natural materials for building or for medicine.
• Providing foodstuff such as honey.
• Fruit & nuts.
• Huge stores of carbon dioxide help regulate the greenhouse effect.

Question 3

3. Where are tropical rainforests found?

Answer 3

Along the equator.

E.g Brazil, Congo, South East Asia.

Question 4

4. Why is there a continual growing season in the rainforest?

Answer 4

Because the rainfall amount is often larger than 2m per year and the temperatures are high averaging 25℃.

Question 5

5. What are the 5 different layers of a rainforest?

Answer 5

⇧⇧⇧ 𝐓𝐎𝐏 ⇧⇧⇧
- Emergent Layer.

• Canopy.
• Under-canopy.
• Shrub Layer.
• Ground Layer.
  ⇧⇧⇧ 𝐁𝐎𝐓𝐓𝐎𝐌 ⇧⇧⇧

Question 6

6. 80% of the rainforests nutrients come from trees and plants, only 20% of the nutrients are stored in soil. Why is this?

Answer 6

• Rapid decomposition due to heat this is easily absorbed by plants.
• The nutrients are in high demand from the fast-growing plants so they stay near the soil’s surface.
• Consumers eat plants when the consumer dies the nutrients are returned to the soil by decomposers so are recycled quickly.

Question 7

7. Where is most of the rainfall intercepted in the rainforest?

Answer 7

Canopy.

Question 8

8. How does convectional rainfall happen in the rainforest?

Answer 8

Hot rainforest temperatures causes water to evaporate into the atmosphere and together with transpiration mix to form clouds.

Question 9

9. Is the rainforest a good store of water?

Answer 9

Yes.

Question 10

10. Give a named example of a river in a tropical rainforest.

Answer 10

Amazon.

Question 11

11. If the rainforest water cycle were to be broken why would water supply to people be at risk?

Answer 11

Water flowing into the rivers would be more uneven as convectional rainfall would be reduced.

Question 12

12. Rainforests store less carbon than other ecosystems.

Answer 12

False.

Question 13

13. The soils of the rainforest are important stores of carbon.

Answer 13

True.

Question 14

14. When rainforests are cleared what happens to the carbon?

Answer 14

It is lost to the atmosphere.

Question 15

15. Give 5 reasons why the rainforest is being destroyed in the Amazon?

Answer 15

• Monoculture (Big scale farming - Oil palms & Bananas.)
• Subsistence farmers (Individuals/families) using slash and burn and then moving on once nutrients have gone.
• Iron ore mining.
• Roads & Railways.
• Logging.
• Hydroelectric dams.

Question 16

16. Give 3 positive impacts of deforestation in the Amazon

Answer 16

• Brazil has become richer.
• Long term jobs in farming and logging.
• Multiplier effect as other industries have moved to the area.

Question 17

17. Give 3 negative impacts of deforestation in the Amazon

Answer 17

• Native Indians have lost their homes.
• Habitat loss and extinction.
• Changes in climate - Interception and transpiration are reduced and more evaporation means dryer climate.
• Broken nutrient cycle causing the soil to be washed away and never recovers so plants and wildlife are reduced.

Question 18

18. What does the word sustainable mean?

Answer 18

Meeting the needs of current generation without compromising the needs of future generations

Question 19

19. Give 5 ways the rainforest can be managed sustainably

Answer 19

• Agro-forestry (Growing trees and crops at the same time.)
• Selective logging (Cutting down certain trees)
• Forest reserves (Alto Maues National Park)
• Wildlife corridors (linked up corridors of vegetation)
• Eco-tourism.