Ecosystems - tropical rainforests Flashcards
Where are TFRs located
Around the equator in South America, Africa and Indonesia.
In between the tropics
Solar insolation
A measurement of solar radiation energy received on a given surface area
Angle of incidence
A measurement of deviation of something from ‘straight on”
Evaporation
Where water moves from liquid state to water vapour in the atmosphere
Humidity
The amount of water vapour in the atmosphere
Condensation
When water vapour Changes from a gas to a liquid
Convectional rainfall
When the land heats up it warms the air which then rises. Then it cools and condenses. This causes rainfall .
Global atmospheric circulation
Creates winds across the planet and leads to areas of high rainfall
What is the top layer of the rainforest called
The emergant layer
What is the second tallest layer called
The canopy
Second smallest layer?
Under canopy
Smallest layer ?
Forst floor
Emergant layer characteristics
Over 40 metres
Only few trees in this later
Dry nd sunny conditions
Small waxy leaves so the sun doesn’t dry them out
Eagles small monkeys, butterflies and bats lie at this level
Canopy layer characteristics
30-45 metres
Dense foliage blocking sunlight for anything below it
Catches rainfall
Contains most plant species
Under canopy characteristics
Low light conditions (2-15%)
Dense vegetation
Plants adapted to low light
Birds butterflies and frogs and snakes and insects live here
