Ecosystems Flashcards
What are large eco-systems called?
Biomes
Animals that only eat plants are called…
Herbivores
Animals that eat other animals are called…
Carnivores
What is an eco-system?
a complex natural system of living and non-living things with a variety of species.
What does biotic mean?
living things
What does abiotic mean?
non-living things like rocks, sunlight, atmosphere
Give an example of a small scale eco-system.
a pond, woodland,
Give an example of a large scale eco-system.
rainforest, deserts
What are producers? Give an example.
They convert energy from the environment into sugars like glucose such as plants.
What are consumers? Give an example.
They get energy from the sugars produced by producers such as a pond snail because it eats plants.
What are decomposers? Give an example.
They break down plant and animal material and return the nutrients to the soil such as bacteria and fungi.
What is a food chain?
They show direct links between producers and consumers in the form of a simple line.
What is a food web?
They show all the connections between producers and consumers in a rather more complex way.
What are nutrients?
They are foods that are used by plants or animals to grow.
What are the 2 main sources of nutrients?
Rainwater washed chemicals out of the atmosphere.
Weathered rock releases nutrients into the soil.
What causes change an eco-system?
global- scale changes, such as climate change.
local-scale changed, such as changes to a habitat.
How many biomes are there in the world?
11
What type of trees lose their leaves in the winter?
Deciduous trees
What is a biome?
a major regional group of distinctive plant and animal communities that are well adapted to the region’s physical environment.
The Earth’s biomes make up the …
biosphere
Where are tropical rainforests?
they are close to the equator
What is it like in tropical rainforests?
It has high temperatures and heavy rainfall.
Where are deserts located?
Roughly 30 degrees north and south of the equator.
What are deserts like?
Very hot but cold in the night.
Where is Polar found?
Found at the far northern and southern regions.
What is Polar like?
Low temperatures and dry conditions.
What are the main polar regions?
Antarctica, Greenland
Where are deciduous and coniferous forests located?
Roughly 50-60 degrees north of the equator.
What are deciduous and coniferous forests like?
Deciduous trees shed their leaves in the winter to retain moisture.
Coniferous trees are cone- bearing evergreens, retaining their leaves to maximise photosynthesis during the brief summer months.
Where are temperature grasslands located?
Roughly 30-40 degrees north and south of the equator. Usually in the middle of the continent.
What are temperature grasslands like?
Warm, dry summers and cold winters. Mainly used for grazing animals. It’s too hot for trees to grow.
Where are Mediterranean biomes located?
Roughly 40-45 degrees north of the equator.
What are Mediterranean biomes like?
hot, sunny and dry summers, with warm winters. Good to grow citrus fruits.
Where are Savanna biomes located?
Between 15-30 degrees north and south of the equator
What are Savanna biomes like?
Has very distinct seasons: dry seasons are very hot and wild fires can break out, wet seasons have violent thunderstorms.
What are Savanna biomes like?
Has very distinct seasons: dry seasons are very hot and wild fires can break out, wet seasons have violent thunderstorms.
What are Savanna biomes like?
Has very distinct seasons: dry seasons are very hot and wild fires can break out, wet seasons have violent thunderstorms.
Where are Tundra biomes located?
From the arctic circle to about 60-70 degrees north.
What are Tundra biomes like?
Windy and dry, low-growing plants are adapted to retain heat and moisture in the cold.
What are Tundra biomes like?
Windy and dry, low-growing plants are adapted to retain heat and moisture in the cold.
What is precipitation influenced by?
Latitude
Why is precipitation high at the rising parts?
Because air pressure is low
Why is precipitation high at the descending parts?
Because air pressure is high
What factors affect location of biomes?
Temperature, precipitation, air pressure, latitude, altitude, the sea, continentality,
What are the 5 layers in the tropical rainforest?
Emergence, canopy, under canopy, shrub layer, forest floor
How many layers are there in the rainforest?
5
Are the soils in the forest fertile or unfertile?
Unfertile
What are the plants called that grow on the top of the trees in the canopy layer called?
Epiphytes
What are the tallest trees in the forest known as?
Emergents
Where are the nutrients stored in the rainforest?
In the plant matter
What is the climate of the rainforest?
Warm and wet
What is nutrient cycling?
When fungi growing on the roots transfer nutrients straight from the air. This is an example of nutrient cycling.
What is leaching?
It is when heavy rainfall quickly dissolved and carried away nutrients.
Why do trees grow tall in the rainforest?
to get to the sunlight
Why do some plants have waxy leaves?
To get rid of the water quickly
How can plants get nutrients other than from soil?
Trapping small insects in flowers
What does adaption mean?
The mechanism by which plants and animals adjust to a new environment or changes in their current environment.
Why do plants need to adapt in the rainforest?
Survival to access water to pollinate for sunlight photosynthesis
What adaptions do fan palms have?
They have fan-shaped leaves that are good for catching sunlight and water.
The leaves are segmented, which allows access water to drain away.
What adaptions do suttress roots have?
They help anchor the tree to the ground.
The roots are shallow which allow the tree to take up nutrients.
What adaptions do drip tip leaves have?
Many rainforest plant ;;eaves have waxy surfaces and ‘drip tips’ where each leaf is pointed at the end.
These features quickly shed excess water so that the process of photosynthesis is not affected.
What adaptions do strangler figs have?
They start in a nook at the top of the tree and work down the trunk until they reach the ground and take root.
As the fig matures, the roots will criss-cross the trunk and start strangling the tree.
The fig’s branches will grow taller, dominating the sunlight, while the roots rob the nutrients.
What adaptions do howler monkeys have?
Large, gripping tail in order to move inbetween branches branches in the canopy layer as well as being secure when sleeping.
They have a hairless underside which is sensitive so that they can detect texture.
Oversized vocal features to enable them to be heard over other sounds.
What adaptions do red-eyed tree frogs have?
Suction cups to climb vertically. Bright colours to scare animals. They're nocturnal to find food. They camouflage when they sleep on a leaf. Their skin is soft to absorb moisture.
What adaptions do leaf tailed geckos have?
They camouflage against dry leaves or the bark of a tree.
Nocturnal and therefore hunt for food at night time.
Their leaf-shaped tail also acts as a balance weight for their heavy heads to help leap and climb.
Why is the Amazon rainforest being cut down?
for agriculture
What does the current government of Brazil want to do to the Amazon rainforest?
They want to increase deforestation
What are benefits of nocturnal animals?
Fewer predators
night time is cooler
the dark helps animals move around and be more stealthy.
What does deforestation mean?
The permanent removal of trees, making room for something else.
How is cattle ranching causing deforestation in the Amazon rainforest?
Trees are cut down to make room for cattle to graze on
How is substance farming causing deforestation in the Amazon rainforest?
trees are destroyed so that local people can grow food for themselves and their families.
What does slash and burn mean?
It means you clear forests and then burn it.
How does logging causing deforestation in the Amazon rainforest?
Cutting trees for wood.
How are sloths adapted?
They’re arms are longer than their legs to help support their movement through the branches.
They have curved claws to grasp branches whilst they move slowly.
They move slowly to help them stay warm by predators.
How does road building affect the Amazon rainforest?
It is needed to transport the raw materials making it easier for people to take things out.
How does mineral extraction affect the Amazon rainforest?
The forest is cleared to make way for huge mines as the Brazilian part of the Amazon has mines that extract iron, tin, nickel, copper, and more
When will forests disappear with the current rate of deforestation?
100 years
What percent do forestry and agriculture make up greenhouse gases?
24%
How many rainforest species are thought to go extinct each year?
4000-6000 (plants and animals)
What is the main source of energy in the Amazon?
hydroelectricity
What is the Huge Belo Monte?
It is a Dam that started operating in April 2016, and will generate over 11,000 Mw of power per day.
What is the electricity created from the Amazon used for?
Mining
How many dams are planned in the future for the Amazon?
150
What two main things impact deforestation?
Energy and population
How quickly does the Brazilian population grow?
23% between 2000 and 2010
Why is the population an impact of deforestation?
More houses need to be built
What causes flooding in the Amazon Rainforest?
soil erosion- without trees and their roots, soil is less stable and it can be easily washed away and eroded.
What is Pam oil used for?
Food, cleaning and sanitary products, feeding stock and biofuel
Where does palm oil come from?
Indonesia
