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Geography (3.3) > Ecosystems with a focus on Tropical Rainforests > Flashcards

Ecosystems with a focus on Tropical Rainforests Flashcards

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1
Q

What does ‘ecosystem’ mean?

A

A community unit made up of living things and their interactions with each other and their non-living environment.

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2
Q

What does ‘biome’ mean?

A

A large ecosystem [NB technically a bone is distinct from an ecosystem] that has a similar climate and soil alongside similar species of flora and fauna that have adapted to it.

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3
Q

What does ‘biodiversity’ mean?

A

Plant and animal variety in a certain area.

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4
Q

What does ‘nutrients’ mean?

A

Chemicals that organisms use to aid growth and/or movement. They are found in food and the soil.

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5
Q

What does ‘producers’ mean?

A

Organisms that convert solar energy to chemical energy for nutrition.
Green (i.e. chlorophyll-filled) plants + algae.

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6
Q

What does ‘consumers’ mean?

A

Organisms that consume other organisms.

Animals (+ pitcher plants).

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7
Q

What does ‘decomposers’ mean?

A

Organisms that break down dead organic matter. They recycle nutrients and put them back into the soil to be absorbed through plants’ roots for the process to recommence.

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8
Q

What does ‘herbivores’ mean?

A

Organisms that consume solely plants.

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9
Q

What does ‘carnivores’ mean?

A

Organisms that consume solely meat.

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10
Q

What does ‘omnivores’ mean?

A

Organisms that consume both plants and meat.

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11
Q

What does ‘adaptation’ mean?

A

A special feature that allows to organism to survive and thrive in a certain habitat.

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12
Q

What does ‘buttress roots’ mean?

A

Large roots that grow above the ground to support large trees.

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13
Q

What does ‘emergents’ mean?

A

Fast-growing, 40m+ trees that stand out above the canopy.

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14
Q

What does ’pitcher plants’ mean?

A

Carnivorous plants that attract and drown insects in a pitfall trap mechanism.

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15
Q

What does ‘canopy’ mean?

A

A dense layer of average-sized leaf- and flower-bearing plants in the rainforest.

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16
Q

What does ‘shrub layer’ mean?

A

Another dense layer of ground-level vegetation in the rainforest.

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17
Q

What does ‘lianas’ mean?

A

Vine-like plants that use tropical trees for support.

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18
Q

What does ‘leaching’ mean?

A

A process whereby nutrients are ‘washed’ out of the soil by heavy rainfall.

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19
Q

What does ‘subsistence agriculture’ mean?

A

Farming that produces only enough food for those growing it, as opposed to commercial agriculture.

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20
Q

What does ‘deforestation’ mean and what are the two types?

A

Clearing large swathes of forest for another purpose, such as agriculture. The two kinds are:
— clear felling, whereby all trees are cut down.
— selective logging, whereby only desired trees are chopped.

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21
Q

What does ‘nutrient cycle’ mean?

A

A theory that describes how nutrients are moved around in an environment.

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22
Q

What does ‘under-canopy’ mean?

A

A layer of smaller, shorter trees beneath the canopy that get little light. They have few side branches.

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23
Q

What does ‘epiphytes’ mean?

A

Plants that symbiotically grow on other plants, getting nutrients from air, water and/or rotting leaves.

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24
Q

What do climate graphs look like?

A

Refer to physical flashcard.

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25
Q

What should one always do when analysing climate graphs?

A

Mention trends.
Mention facts and figures from graph.
Compare trends if analysing two or more.
Different biomes will have different general trends.

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26
Q

Why are biomes different?

A

They have different climates, which are the driving forces in ecosystems.

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27
Q

How does environment affect soil?

A

Rock breaks down into soil more quickly in the hot and damp.

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28
Q

How does environment affect flora?

A

Faster + thicker growth in hot/damp/Sun

Slower growth in cold/dry

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29
Q

How does environment affect fauna?

A

They adapt to cope w/ climate/flora/other fauna.

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30
Q

What are some examples of biomes?

A 
Tundra (cold desert)
Taiga (boreal/coniferous forest)
Deciduous forest (deciduous woodland)
Mediterranean (chaparral)
(Hot) Desert
Savanna(h) grassland (tropical grassland)
Tropical rainforest
Steppe
Underwater
Mountains
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31
Q

Where is tundra found?

A

Alaska
Greenland
N Canada
N Russia

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32
Q

What is the average precipitation p.a. of tundra regions?

A

103mm.
Most precipitation is snow.
Very little precip.

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33
Q

What is the average temp. p.a. of tundra regions?

A

-11.2°C.

34
Q

What is the climate like in tundra?

A 
Constantly cold.
Warmer summers (~5-10°C)
35
Q

What is the soil like in tundra?

A

Permafrost (mostly).
Nutrient-deficient.
Limits water circulation.
Organisms decompose slowly (v. cold) to create peat.

36
Q

What are the animals like in tundra?

A

Some hibernate in winter.
Others migrate temporarily.
Lemmings.
Caribou.

37
Q

What are the plants like in tundra?

A

Few plants + no trees — difficult to survive in poor soil.

Mosses.

38
Q

Where is deciduous forest found?

A 
Central Europe
E Asia
SE USA
Pacific Coast (Canada/USA)
NZ
E NSW + Victoria
39
Q

What is the average precipitation p.a. of deciduous forest regions?

A

1044mm (500-1500mm).

Fair amount + fairly evenly distributed.

40
Q

What is the average temp. p.a. of deciduous forest regions?

A

10°C.

41
Q

What is the soil like in deciduous forest?

A

Alfisol.
Fertile.
Brown.
Replenished every year by leaf litter — decomposes through autumn + winter for spring growth.

42
Q

What is the climate like in deciduous forest?

A

Mostly mild.
Fairly warm summers (~24-26°C).
Humid/continental.
Defined warm/cool seasons.

43
Q

What are the animals like in deciduous forest?

A

Some hibernate and/or store food — cold temps prevent spoiling/rotting — food can be hard to come by later.
Owls
Deer
Foxes

44
Q

What are the plants like in deciduous forest?

A 
Plentiful deciduous trees lose leaves in autumn to retain heat + water.
Beech
Birch
Carpet moss
Ferns
Oak
45
Q

Where is desert found?

A 
W Argentina (Patagonian)
SW USA + NW Mexico (Mojave, Chihuahuan, etc.)
Namibia (Namib)
Botswana (Kalahari)
Arabian Peninsula (Arabian)
Central Australia (Outback)
Afghanistan
Iran
46
Q

What is the average precipitation p.a. of desert regions?

A

182mm.

47
Q

What is the average temp. p.a. of desert regions?

A

21.4°C.

48
Q

What is the soil like in desert?

A

Sierozem.
Little organic content.
Poorly defined soil profile due to little rainfall.
Can (sometimes) be fertile if irrigated.
‘Capillary action’ brings nutrients to surface to give plants nutrients even w/o rainfall.

49
Q

What is the climate like in desert?

A 
Hot + dry all year.
Cooler during night.
Hot summers (~30-34°C).
Consistent — little-to-no fluctuation.
Often in a ‘rainshadow’ — area that is behind mountain and/or far from sea.
50
Q

What are the animals like in desert?

A

Scaly skin + exoskeletons prevent water loss via evaporation.
Dehydration is prevented by drinking morning dew + moisture in food.
Many small/nocturnal — prevents copious water loss.
Lizards
Scorpions
Snakes
Vultures

51
Q

What are the plants like in desert?

A

Deep roots to access water beneath sand + aid capillary action, whereas short, shallow roots trap rain water before it is lost.
Xenophyte (‘dry plant’) survive for a long time
w/o precip.
Waxy trunks w/ water + waxy needles minimise transportation.
Cacti
Tumbleweeds

52
Q

Where is tropical rainforest found?

A 
Between 23.5°N + S (Tropics of Cancer + Capricorn) of the equator.
Amazon
SE Brazil
Central Africa
S China
SE Asia
N Queensland
N Madagascar
Mesoamerica 
Caribbean
53
Q

What is the average precipitation p.a. of tropical rainforest regions?

A

2354mm.

54
Q

What is the average temp. p.a. of tropical rainforest regions?

A

26.9°C.

55
Q

What is the climate like in the tropical rainforest?

A

Equatorial/tropical/wet pq constant low atmospheric/air pressure.
Fairly uniform temps all year round (summers: ~27°C).
Rain all year.

56
Q

What are the animals like in the tropical rainforest?

A

Butterflies
Macaws
Lemurs
Frogs

57
Q

What are the plants like in the tropical rainforest?

A

Megatherms (need a lot of heat).
Grow all year round pq food + shelter (from canopy — easier to grow out of direct sunlight) all year.
Two root systems:
— shallow: nutrient absorption.
— butttress: prevent the v tall trees from toppling.
Lianas
Broadleaf evergreens

58
Q

What is a food chain?

A

A chain that shows the link betwixt predator and prey.

59
Q

What are some examples of decomposers?

A

Bacteria
Earthworms
Fungi
Some insects

60
Q

What do the arrows in a food chain show?

A

What is eaten by what.

61
Q

What is a food web? why are they often regarded as better than food chains?

A

Food webs are many connected food chains that shows how an ecosystem feeds. They are often seen as better because they are more naturalistic — few organisms only consumer one kind of organism.

62
Q

What is the general food chain/web template in all ecosystems?

A

Refer to physical flashcard.

63
Q

Do ecosystems have similar webs?

A

They may do, but every food web is unique.

64
Q

Are all the organisms in a food web linked? If one organism went extinct, would they all be affected or only some?

A

Yes. They would all be affected. The organisms in a food web exist in a delicate balance. If this is altered, it will have a ripple effect on all the organisms — some will be badly affected, some not so much, but all will be changed in some way.

65
Q

Do rainforest plants have deep or shallow roots?

A

All have shallow roots for quick absorption of nutrients.

Epiphytes grow on other plants(!).

66
Q

How good is the soil in the TRF? why so?

A

Latosol/laterite soil.
Infertile due to heavy leaching (RAINforest).
Nutrients are also quickly taken by shallow root systems — not deep, but v wide for all of the nutrients.
Despite being fairly deep, only the first few cm are good.

67
Q

What is the nutrient cycle of the tropical rainforest?

A

Dead + waste have nutrients released by decomposers (aided by heat).
Nutrients have little chance of sinking in — quickly taken in.
Nutrients go through food chain.
Repeat.

68
Q

Where are most of the nutrients in the TRF?

A

In the trees, as the roots snaffle them up.

69
Q

What is humus?

A

A dense, nutrient-rich layer of decomposing organic matter at the top of a soil profile i.e. the uppermost soil layer. It is not soil, but a thin, rich layer of nutrients.

70
Q

Why do loggers threaten the traditional rainforest lifestyle?

A

Land often has rare trees (e.g. mahogany).
State (e.g. Peru) may not have much control over illegal logging — usually it is illegal.
Often carry new, possibly fatal diseases.
May kill/massacre/forcibly evict tribes off land.
Mashco-Piro have been driven up the river — the loggers have even killed some.

71
Q

Why do disease threaten the traditional rainforest lifestyle?

A

Come into contact through:
— ranchers
— agrarians + colonists
— loggers
— builders
— missionaries
Often have never seen well-known diseases (e.g. chickenpox) — can be fatal.
50% of Nahun were wiped out in Peru in early 1980s — oil.
Zo’é were contacted in 1980s by clandestine mission — many died after first contact — completely unprepared missionaries — expelled by FUNAI, part of Brazilian government responsible for indigenous affairs

72
Q

Why do cattle ranchers threaten the traditional rainforest lifestyle?

A

Force tribes off land for ‘slash and burn’, which they will abandon a few years later.
Akuntsu — massacred in 1990s — houses bulldozed to cover up crime — five(!) are alive — no outsiders speak language — clear mental + physical scars — live in a fragment of forest

73
Q

Why do missionaries threaten the traditional rainforest lifestyle?

A

Spread disease + Christianity against peoples’ wishes.

74
Q

Why do colonists threaten the traditional rainforest lifestyle?

A

Deforestation.

Forced emigration.

75
Q

Why do roads threaten the traditional rainforest lifestyle?

A

Deforestation.
Forced emigration.
Panará were enticed away by alcohol in 1970s — women were prostituted — disease was spread — 4/5 died (350-400 down to 69) — historically, sued government + won.

76
Q

What are the main varieties of agriculture? which is the most common in the TRF?

A

Subsistence and commercial.
Subsistence is more common traditionally in the TRF.
Commercial has grown recently — cattle ranches, palm oil, timber, etc.

77
Q

What is the ‘slash and burn’ method? how common is it?

A

An environmentally damaging process that is used to cultivate rainforest environments. It is traditional, but used by both subsistence and commercial.
Trees are rapidly cut down before rainiest part of year.
The ‘slash’ is left to dry.
Burnt to quickly eliminate weeds + pests.
This creates nutrient-rich humus for fertile soil.
Every 3-5 years, the soil no longer has nutrients — farmers must move.
This interrupts the nutrient cycle + means that the soil cannot be reused w/o external influence.

78
Q

What are the disadvantages of ‘slash and burn’?

A

It is environmentally damaging.
Often illegal.
Farmers can come into contact with the indigenous — spread disease + death.

79
Q

Why are primary producers very important in ecosystems?

A

W/o plants, all would die, as they pass nutrients along.

80
Q

Why are decomposers very important in ecosystems?

A

W/o decomposers, all would die, as the soil would leach.

Geography (3.3) (4 decks)

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