Ecosystems Flashcards
What is an ecosystem?
A unit made up of living and non-living things
How do ecosystems work?
Plants (producers) make their own food, animals (consumers) feed on plants or other animals, fungi and bacteria (decomposers) feed on dead animals and plants
Define: Food Chain Food Web Recycling Nutrients Energy Flows
- Transfer of energy through an ecosystem
- Many food chains linked together
- Nutrients continually cycling through ecosystems
- Energy passing through a food chain
What are the four spheres?
Atmosphere
Biosphere
Hydrosphere
Geosphere
What is the climate like in Temperate Forests?
Not extreme
Annual temp is low
Precipitation all year
Long growing season
What is the Soil like in TDR?
brown earth is fertilised by the loss of deciduous trees
minerals are slowly washed through
What is the Vegetation in TDR?
Trees loose leaves in winter as temp and light decrease
Vegetation grows in layers
Plants are adapted to climate and soil
Background of Epping Forest
6000acres
Clay, gravel and loam
Forest, grasslands, wetland
Game, aquatic animals, nesting sites
Recreation in Epping forest
Millions visit each year
over 60 football pitches
18 hold golf course
refreshments all over
Conservation in Epping Forest
Pollarding; 50,000 trees
Grazing; cattle added
Protection; 2/3 SSSIs
1878; City of London owned
Climate in Tropical Rainforests
28 degrees avg
2000mm rainfall annually
No real seasons
Soils in Tropical Rainforests
Red in colour and rich in iron
thick litter layer, thin fertile layer
nutrients quickly washed out
Vegetation in Tropical Rainforests
Emerging, Canopy, understory, forest floor
adapted to tough climate and soil
The Atlantic Forest Background
Has a lot of endemic species
South America; mainly Brazil
134000 Ameridians
What are the causes and effects of deforestation in the Atlantic Forest?
Causes: logging for pulp and wood, cattle a ranches, sugar plants
70% Brazil’s pop live in south east
Impacts: land and way of life destroyed
loss of land fertility, global warming and flood risks
Management of the Atlantic Forest
Conservation: 1/4 under protective laws, conservation corridors, grants
Restoration: By 2008 38000 trees
environmental program at school
research and education centre
Ecotourism: Una Ecopark provides economic opportunities, research centre, visitor centres and guides
Sustainable Farming: locals introduced to new methods
Hot deserts Climate
40 degree day, freezing nights
250mm rainfall
2 seasons
Hot Desert Soils
Rocky, sandy and grey
Thin crust from heavy but infrequent rainfall
Salt deposits
Dry but soaks water quickly
Hot Desert Vegetation
Few and far between
Long wide roots
Few small leaves
The Australian Outback Uses/ Benefits
Tourism: most visited place in Australia, 400000 in 2005, brings economic benefits
Farming: Soil is poor so difficult to earn
Hunting&Gathering: Aborginal tradition
Growing industry
Mining: 70% worlds opal
250000 tonnes of iron a day
Worlds largest ore reserves
Management in The Australian Outback
Farming: dams, boreholes and reservoirs built to store water
Tourism: new education centre
guides
employs aborigines
economic and cultural pros
Sahara Desert Uses and Pros
Energy: large oil and gas
50% income
Farming: Population growth 79mill/25
provides eat and export
13% GDP
Desertrification: intense pressure turns land into desert land
Sahara Desert Management
Energy: prepare for oil less future
solar power plant
Farming: Irrigate further from Nile($70)
high value crops
improve roads, electricity
promote tourism
Desertification: Reduce farm animals
grow crops for fertilisation
plant more trees for shelter
