Ecosystems Y8

Question 1

Definition of ecosystem

Answer 1

A natural system made up of all living things (animals, plants, bacteria and fungi) and their non living environment (the atmosphere, rocks, water, the climate) and all the interactions between them. This could be something as big as a forest, or as small as a garden pool or under a stone.

Question 2

Definition of a biome

Answer 2

An Ecosystem on a global scale – large bands of land, running roughly parallel to the equator, that share the same type of plants and animals because they share the same general climate

Question 3

What percent of the Earths surface do tropical rainforests cover?

Answer 3

6%

Question 4

What proportion of all the plants and animals on land live in rainforests?

Answer 4

Half -50%

Question 5

Where are tropical rainforests usually?

Answer 5

In the tropics (cancer and Capricorn)

Question 6

Name the four layers of the rainforest from highest to lowest

Answer 6

The emergents - the canopy- the under canopy- the shrub layer

Question 7

What is the emergents.

Answer 7

These are the tallest tree is up to 60 m tall

Question 8

What is the canopy ?

Answer 8

Is the thickest layer where most of the animals live

Question 9

What is the under canopy

Answer 9

It has the young trees, shorter trees, and bushes

Question 10

What is the shrub layer(forest floor)

Answer 10

Here you find ferns and other plants that grow close to the ground

Question 11

How do emergents get sunlight?

Answer 11

They grow so that they are taller then the rest of the plants

Question 12

What are lianas?

Answer 12

They are thick vines that reach sunlight by looping around tree branches

Question 13

What are epiphytes?

Answer 13

They perch on high branches. They feed on rain, and nutrients from rotting keaves

Question 14

Where do you find epiphytes?

Answer 14

In the canopy

Question 15

How do plants in the shrub layer get sunlight?

Answer 15

The plants grow large leaves with lots of chlorophyll to trap as much sunlight as possible

Question 16

What are buttress roots?

Answer 16

Roots that stop tall trees from falling over. The root stone grey deep into the soil instead they spread out near the surface. This way they can quickly take up the nutrients from dead leaves an animal droppings.

Question 17

What are drip tips?

Answer 17

They are leaves that have a tip at the end so that water falls off them

Question 18

Why do some leaves have thick waxy coating?

Answer 18

To protect against rain and insects

Question 19

Why do some leaves have sharp edges?

Answer 19

To keep animals from eating them

Question 20

How many countries have tropical rainforest ?

Answer 20

80 but 80% of tropical rainforests are found in just 10countries

Question 21

Name major threats of tropical rainforest deforestation 

Answer 21

Large areas are being burnt- to clear land for farming to grow food or to build cattle ranches
Logging- cutting down trees for timber for furniture


Question 22

Impacts of deforestation of tropical rainforest

Answer 22

-Global warming
-there will be no nutrients in the soil because there are no plants or trees shedding leaves to replace the nutrients in the soil. The soil is no longer able to support plant life
-flooding
-species may go extinct as they will no longer have homes

Question 23

Strategies to reduce rates of tropical rainforest deforestation

Answer 23

-Buy products are certified by the rainforest alliance – means they will have been produced an ethical sustainable manner
- Buy products that have the RSPO logo or products free from palm oil
-REDD agenda -
-Ecotourism-
-National parks

Question 24

What is the REDD agenda

Answer 24

It aims to pay rainforest countries to leave rainforest alone. If we can make conservation more profitable there will be a huge decrease in deforestation rates

Question 25

How do national parks help deforestation

Answer 25

Rainforests in national parks stop deforestation as it is illegal to cut the trees down there. Costa Rica has 25% of the country’s land area in national parks.

Question 26

What is ecotourism ?

Answer 26

It involves small groups of tourists visiting locations to enjoy learning about the natural world – this is a way which is sustainable and does it cause environmental damage.
Ecotourism also gives greater power to local and indigenous communities and more of the profit stay with these groups rather than going to big travel companies.