Ecosystems Flashcards
An Ecosystem is
A community of plants and animals which interact with each other and with their non living environment i.e. soil, climate
The environment is
The natural or physical surroundings where plants or animals live
The non living environment includes
Rock, soil, air climate
The living environment includes
Animals, birds fish insects peopl,e
An ecosystem is
A community of plants and animals which interact with each other and with their non living environment i.e. soil, climate
A biome is
A large ecosystem such as a desert or tropical rainforest
The lack of rainfall in a deserts is due to air that is __________ when this happens no ________ form so there is no rain. _____________ blow over land and they bring dry conditions.
The lack of rainfall in a deserts is due to air that is Descending when this happens no Clouds form so there is no rain. Prevailing winds blow over land and they bring dry conditions.
Hot deserts experience such hot conditions as a lack of cloud allows the ___ to heat the ground during the ___. At night this heat _______ to space, creating cold conditions
Hot deserts experience such hot conditions as a lack of cloud allows the Sun to heat the ground during the Day . At night this heat Escapes to space, creating cold conditions
Lizard Adaptions
Desert of Guana, can change skin from dark to light
Desert Cotton Tail adaptations
Large ears allow to shed heat and keep coolB
Beatles adaptations
Long legs to keep of sand
Kangaroo rat adaptatiopns
Can survive without drinking water at all
Wildlife in hot deserts are _________ to avoid __________________-
Nocturnal to avoid the high daytime temperature
Some burrow into the sand to _____________ some can store water __________________
Some burrow into the sand to keep cool some can store water for a long time
Lizards are _______ and need __________ they cope well in hot climate.
Lizards are cold blooded and need heat to survive. They cope well in hot climate
Desert wildlife includes
Scorpions, road runners and rattlesnakes
Cactus & Plant adaptations in desert
soak up water because it wont rain for a long time
Spikes stop animals from eating the plant
Long shallow roots to find water after rainfall
Describe Rainforest Climate
Very warm with an average temperature of 28 degrees Celsius temperature varies little through the year in the rainforest. Very wet with a total annual rainfall
Describe plants in rainforest
The vegetation is extremely diverse and grows in a layered structure. Many hardwoods grow in the rainforest e.g. mahogany and numerous tree species are mixed together in the rainforest
Describe animals in rainforest
The sloth uses camouflage and moves slowly to make it difficult for predator to spot. The spider monkey has large strong limbs to climb rainforest trees. The flying frog has fully webbed feet flap of loose skin to glide
Describe rainforest soils
The soil is not fertile there is a thin layer of soil at the surface where the dead leaves decompose the forest plans quickly take up nutrients from this layer
Rainforest soils are called latosols the soils are red in colour because its rich in iron. Calosols are deep because rock has been quickly broken-down in humid conditions.
Describe the rainforest water cycle
- Heavy daily convectional rain
- Trees intercept rain
- Some rain reaches ground
- Trees take up water
- Water evaporates
Describe rainforest nutrient cycle
- Trees grow rapidly
- Trees shed leaves all year round
- Decaying vegetation decomposes rapidly
- Nutrients enter the soil
- Shallow roots take up the nutrients
State 5 reasons for deforestation
Farming
Mining for animals
Flooding areas of land as part of hydroelectric power stations
Selling the timbre
Building roads through forest
Effects of deforestation on animals
Less trees leading to habitat destruction and less biodiversity.
Deforestation destroys habitats of organisms that live within the trees. It can cause extinctions
Effects of deforestation on climate
Plants carry out photosynthesis and absorb carbon dioxide and emit oxygen. If deforestation occurs there is less carbon dioxide therefore more in the atmosphere. If trees are burned after being cut more carbon dioxide will be located in the atmosphere and carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming
Effects of less transpiration/evaporation leading to less local rainfall
When trees are removed the water cycle is broken as there are no trees to transpire water nor tree leaves from which rainwater evaporates the air to produce the next days rain. Decreases in rainfall
Deforestation effects on soil
When trees are removed they cannot protect the soil so nutrients are washed by the heavy daily rained with no roots to bind the soil, without trees the nutrients cycle is broking and the supply of nutrients to the soil is removed and the soil becomes infertile.
