Ecosystems Flashcards
What is a biome?
A large scale ecosystem
Tropical Rainforest - location
Amazon, Brazil
Tropical Rainforest - precipitation
Total annual rainfall 2000mm - 2200mm
Tropical Rainforest - temperature
Hot all year small range of 26-30°C
Tropical Rainforest - vegetation
A huge variety of broadleaved plants.
Trees dominate, with other plants competing for sunlight
Tropical Rainforest - animals
Sloths
Monkeys
Armadillos
Snakes
Insects
Temperate Forest - location
UK, Europe
Temperate Forest - precipitation
Total annual rainfall around 1000mm
Temperate Forest - temperature
Warm summers (around 18°C) and cool winters (around 5°C)
Temperate Forest - vegetation
Deciduous trees, oak dominant, which drop their leaves in autumn
Temperate Forest - animals
Rabbits
Deers
Boreal Forest - location
Russia
Boreal Forest - precipitation
Total annual rainfall of around 500mm
Boreal Forest - animals
Deer
Wolves
Black bears
Boreal Forest - temperature
Warm summers and cold winters (range between -10°C and 15°C)
Boreal Forest - vegetation
Coniferous/ evergreen trees with needles (less transpiration) instead of leaves to survive cold and reduce water loss.
Thick bark (protection from cold), shallow roots
Tropical Grassland - location
East Africa
Tropical Grassland - precipitation
500-1000mm of rainfall a year
Distinctive wet season (May-October) but always with a dry season
Tropical Grassland - temperature
Hot all year 25°C - 35°C
Tropical Grassland - vegetation
Tall grasses with scattered, drought-adapted trees and shrubs
Tropical Grassland - animals
Many animals migrate long distances in search of food. Wildebeest
Giraffes
Elephants
Temperate Grassland - location
Pampas, Argentina
Temperate Grassland - precipitation
Total annual rainfall around 500 - 900mm
Temperate Grassland - temperature
Hot summers (25°C) and cold winters (-40°C)
Temperate Grassland - vegetation
Grasslands with very few trees or shrubs
Temperate Grassland - animals
Foxes
Skunks
Small herds of guanacos
Bush dogs
Many bird species
Deserts - location
Great Sandy Desert, Australia
Deserts - precipitation
Very low rainfall (less than 250mm annual average) and unpredictable
Deserts - temperature
Hot at day and cold at night (40°C - drops below 0).
Deserts - vegetation
Shrubs, cacti, very little vegetation
Plants have water-storing features, spines instead of leaves and extensive root systems
Deserts - animals
Camels
Dingoes
Kangaroo
Tundra - location
Alaska
Tundra - precipitation
Low precipitation
Tundra - temperature
Reach below 0°C for most of the year, only reaching 10°C in summer
Tundra - vegetation
Very few plants, mostly lichens and mosses. Trees are rare and stunted in height
Coniferous
Tundra - animals
Arctic hares
Foxes
Case Study: The New Forest (biodiversity)
Rich in biodiversity
About 1/3 of British wildflowers grow in the New Forest
Case Study: The New Forest (conflicts)
Visitors trample rare plants
Erosion caused by cyclists, horses, cars, and walkers
Fires started by BBQs
Litter
Dogs scare wildlife
As animals roam wild, they are sometimes hit by traffic
50% of the forest is privately owned, of which 40% is not managed in an attractive way… overgrown or poorly managed
Case Study: The New Forest (Our Past. Our Future)
Our Past. Our Future is a 5 year scheme for the New Forest led by the New Forest National Park Authority and ten other organisations supported by a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Projects started at the beginning of 2016.
Case Study: Costa Rica (TRF) - (government)
A little over a quarter (25%) of the country has protected status of some kind, whether as a forest or biological reserve, or wildlife refuge.
The Costa Rican Government has encouraged foreign investment to help protect the land and has often made it easy for land to be bought for the purposes of protection.
Government gives tax deductions if owners conserve the forest.
Introduction of a certificate for Sustainable Tourism (CST)
Case Study: The New Forest (Deciduous) - sustainable woodland management
The forest produces 50,000 tonnes of timber sustainably each year
