ecosystems Flashcards
layers of the rainforest
forest floor
understory
sub canopy
canopy
emergent
rainforest soil
low fertility, poor quality and low nutrient levels
interdependency definition
the dependence of two or more factors of an ecosystem on each other
symbiotic relationship definition
mutually beneficial relationship between 2 biotic factors
interdependency in coral reefs
clownfish and anemones
corals and zooxanthellae
sea and corals
explain interdependent relationship between corals and zooxanthellae
the zooxanthellae algae lives on top of/in the coral polyp which provides it with protection and a place to live, it also benefits from the waste nutrients from the coral and in return the zooxanthellae photosynthesises by harvesting light from the sun and provides energy for the coral
amazon
congo
madigascan
central american
south east asian
australasian
locations of the seven main rainforests
amazon - south america, brazil
congo basin rainforest - dr congo, central africa
madigascan - madagascar
central american - central america, including mexico
south east asian - south east asia, including borneo
australasian - east coast of australia
abiotic factor definition
non-living components of an ecosystem
biotic factor definition
living components of an ecosystem
food chain definition
describes who eats whom each dependent on the next as a source of food/a line of linkages between producers and consumers
food web definition
a diagram/system of interlocking and interdependent food chains within an ecosystem
trophic levels on a food chain
producers
primary consumers
secondary consumers
decomposers
locations of the six major coral reefs
great barrier reef - coast of australia
red sea reef - northern indian ocean
new caledonia reef - south pacific ocean
mesoamerican barrier reef - caribbean sea
florida reef - offshore of the florida keys
andros coral reef - bahamas
interdependency between the sea and corals
this allows sunlight (abiotic) to reach the coral (biotic) which can photosynthesise. the coral is dependent on the high levels of sunshine to survive.
interdependency between anemones and clownfish
sea anemones have stinging polyps, and attach themselves to the coral reef. the toxins paralyze their prey when they swim past, and the tentacles guide the prey into the anemone’s mouth. clownfish are coated with a mucus layer that makes them immune to the deadly sting of the anemone. clownfish are able to live within the anemone’s tentacles, and also gain protection from predators. the clownfish helps feed the anemone by letting them eat their leftovers, or luring fish over so that the anemone can catch them and eat them.
interdependency between lions and antelope
the lions eating the antelopes means the antelope population is kept at bay because if there were too many antelopes they would eat all the grass. tinhis demonstrates interdependence because the grass relies on the lions to keep the antelope population down and the lions rely on the antelopes for food and the antelopes rely on grass for food.
rainforest nutrient cycle
trees grow rapidly -> trees are constantly shedding leaves -> due to conditions, decaying vegetation decomposes rapidly -> nutrients enter the soil -> shallow roots take up the nutrients ->
In detail
Biomass is the largest store of nutrients in a tropical rainforest due to the fast growing vegetation, this is because of the large amount of rainfall and sunlight. Decaying plants (litter) release nutrients due to the runoff that removes the nutrients from the litter. The nutrients then enter the soil and the roots of plants and trees uptake the nutrients quickly, leaving the soil to become nutrient poor. This then allows the plants and trees to grow rapidly. Because of the large water supply the trees and plants shed leaves which then decay because of the humid and damp environment to repeat the cycle again.
rainforest water cycle
heavy convectional rain daily as does precipitation -> canopy layer trees intercept rain, it is then evaporated from the leaves, also occurs through transpiration, some rain reaches ground and infiltrates -> trees take up water -> water evaporates and transpires to return the water to the atmosphere ->
nutrient cycling in coral reefs
zooxanthellae live in and on the corals for protection and a place to live. the zooxanthellae photosynthesise through harvesting the sunlight to produce energy which also provides energy for the corals (coral also obtain nutrients other ways, through water and phytoplankton). the zooxanthellae have access to waste nutrients from coral (nitrogen and phosphorous). these waste nutrients fertilise the algae.
which waste nutrients from coral do zooxanthellae want
nitrogen and phosphorus
interdependency between humans and the reef
humans keep the fish population lower due to fishing industries so that they do not die out or if there were too many fish this could damage the reefs. in return, humans rely on the reef for fishing, tourism, etc. which provides jobs, money, food
why are reefs important to humans
food, jobs, coastal defence, tourism, medicine
why are reefs important to the planet
important habitat for many, contain most of the worlds biodiversity, large carbon stores
threats to the reef
crown of thorn star fish, catchment area, tourism and climate change
explain the threat of crown of thorn starfish
They feed on the fastest growing corals which allows slower coral species to form colonies however outbreaks of the venomous starfish pose a significant threat. When 15 or more COTS are found in one hectare area, the starfish can strip a reef of 90% of its living tissue. The GBR is seeing a current abundance of COTS as a result of agricultural runoff, increases algae hence food for the starfish. The COTS makes coral more susceptible to bleaching, weather damage and climate change and have been blamed for half of all coral decline over the past 30 years
How is storm runoff in increasingly urbanised catchment areas a threat?
Urban run-off after major storm events results in litter being washed into the ocean, which can then be ingested by wildlife such as marine turtles or seabirds, or cause entanglement. Farming is also a big problem due to sediment and fertiliser run off. The sediment is washed into rivers which then ends up being transported onto the reef. High sediment rates damage coral reefs in 2 ways. Firstly, they settle on corals and smother them, secondly, sediment reduces the amount of light that gets through to coral reefs and stops the zooxanthellae photosynthesising. Nitrogen from these fertilisers cause harmful algal blooms which is a source of food for the COTS.
Describe the climate of polar regions
- The climate of both polar regions consists long cold winters and short, cool summers
- Covered with snow and ice throughout the year varies with seasons
- Antarctica is covered by an ice sheet which is 3km thick in places
- Temperatures infrequently rise above freezing in these high latitude regions often due to the low angle of the sun
- Due to the tilt of the Earth, polar regions spend half their year in darkness
- They tend to be dry, receiving as little as 250mm of rainfall every year
Describe how plants are adapted to polar regions
- in general
- specific plants (arctic poppy + bearberry + arctic pearlwort)
Can use this to talk about interdependency
- Plants found in polar regions have short roots, due to the fact the ground is permanently frozen below 50cm (permafrost), thin humus layer as only a small layer of little is produced, due to high winds plants often grow close to the ground, average of 6-10 weeks where there is light and warmth to sustain plant growth
- Arctic pearlwort has small leaves to reduce transpiration (relate to little rainfall - abiotic), arctic poppy grows quickly, flower and produce seeds in the short summer months when there is sunlight for nearly 24 hours a day (relate to sunlight - abiotic), plants such as the bearberry are low and compact reaching a maximum heigh of 30cm (relate to wind - abiotic)
Describe how animals are adapted to polar regions
- polar bear
- Small ears reduce heat loss, thick layer of blubber to insulate and store energy (average temperature in winter is -34 degrees), white fur to camouflage when hunting, large feet spread load on snow and ice to reduce sinking, fur on soles of feet for insulation and grip on ice, large body - gives small surface area to volume ratio to reduce heat loss
management strategies for coral reefs
explanation
sustainablility/effectivity
starfish terminator - a robot which kills specifically crown of thorn starfish. expensive, time consuming, not 100% reliable, rapidly advancing, dont need humans,
changing farming practices - very effective when in place but difficult to enforce
tourism management - effective because it prevents damage by limiting tourists at one time and ensuring they are respectful
Describe how plants are adapted to temperate forests
- hickory trees
- other plants
- Hickory trees have an attempt to grow broad leaves to capture as much sunlight as possible during growing season. They also have thick bark in order to protect the trees inner core during the harsh conditions of winter. Finally they have a deep root system to get as much water from the soil as possible in case of a dry season.
- Some plants are small and compact with small leaves in order to reduce water loss during hot and dry seasons.
- other plants have specialised stem structures containing toxins to deter herbivores from eating them
