Geograhy Theme 2 - Ecosystems Flashcards
Ecosystem
community of plants and animals that interact with each other and their environment
is a system of links between plants and animals and the habitats in which they live.
OR
living parts ( organic)
inorganic parts eg climate, or particles of broken rock that combine with decomposing organic material to form soil.
Biomes = large Ecosystems
Biomes
Large Scale or Global Ecosystems
eg Amazon Rainforest
Deforestation
The cutting down or burning of trees
The Tropical Rainforest Biome
relies on rapid recycling of dead plant material.
Deforestation exposes a fragile soil which quickly erodes and the chances of regrowth are low
Food Web
Producer
Primary Consumer
Secondary Consumer
Tertiary Consurmer
Ecosystem management
Regulating the use of ecosystems so that human needs and those of the ecosystem are met
Sustainable
use of resources and environments in ways which allow them to continue to be used in the future = not destroying them for short term gain
Biosphere Reserves
similar to National Parks
- the further away you travel from the protected area an increasing amount of human activity is permitted.
National Parks
set up to protect the forests and ensure that damaging activities are stopped.
Medical Reserves
Pharmaceutical companies buy large areas of forest to prevent them being destroyed and then use the forest to look for cures for diseases that affect people
Ecotourism
“Certificate of Sustainable Tourism” is awarded when tourist developments help protect the environment or provide employment for local people, use local resources and sustain local culture eg Costa Rica
Attempts at sustainable management of rainforests
- National Parks
- Biosphere Reserves
- Medical Reserves
- Ecotourism
Why is sustainable management of the rainforest needed ?
- rainforests are very important to life both inside and outside the rainforest area.
- provide a habitat for the most diverse ecosystem on the planet
- they absorb Carbon Dioxide and help reduce the amount in the atmosphere
- capable of affecting rainfall patterns locally and wider area
“logging” by multi national companies of the rainforests
- means they don’t care about the environment, when they have got what they want from the environment they move on.
- they use heavy machinery that breaks up the soil
- they pay very little to the real owners of the land to take their property
- they do not replace what they take
- they destroy many more trees than they take
the Penan lifestyle in Borneo
is an example of how they respect their environment and only take from the environment when they need for life
The effects of Ecosystem destruction
- on the immediate environment = soil exposed to heavy rain, rivers become polluted, heaving machinery destroys top soil, nutrients left are leached, rain washes soil particles into the rivers
- on the people living as part of the ecosystem = water muddy, become ill eg TB, eye infections , malaria, get killed on the bulldozer roads.
- on the environment beyond the ecosystem = affects water quality and fish stock further downstream because of the large amounts of soil being washed into the streams and rivers
- and even wider effects = deforestation and green house effect and global warming
How might ecosystems be conserved ?
- international conferences held to reach agreements on solutions to the problem
- the debate on exploiting v conserve
- for many LEDCs the threatened environments are a way of helping to pay off their debts
5 Pharmaceutical companies may be persuaded to invest in such areas to prevent them being destroyed. - Eco-tourism - is holiday making that tries not to destroy the environments the tourists come to see. This can also bring money into areas under threat
Biotic
living eg Frog, Ant, Kookbura
Abiotic
Non-living
eg Algae,
WORLD BIOMES - Tundra Biome (Artic and Alpine)
Cold /Dry
No vegetation
WORLD BIOMES -Coniferous Forest
Cold/Wet
Evergreen Trees
WORLD BIOMES -Temperate Deciduous Forest
Wet/mild
trees which loose leaves during winter
WORLD BIOMES -Desert Biome
Hot/Dry
NO vegetation
WORLD BIOMES -Savanna Grassland Biome
warm/rainy
Grass/shrubs
WORLD BIOMES -Tropical Rainforest Biome
Hot/Wet
4 Layers of vegetation
Nutrient Cycles
- soil - nutrients are stored in the soil
- Nutrients
- Plants take up nutrients throughout the year due to the constant hot temperatures
- Biomass
- Lots of nutrients
- Leaf litter - rainwater dissolves the nutrients in the litter and soil and washes them away = LEACHING
- bacteria reproduces very quickly due to the high temperatures and hence decomposition = very rapid and nutrients quickly transferred back into the soil - Minerals are released quicly from the chemical reactions in the rocks because of the high temperatures
Tundra Biome
Areas of Canada, Alaska and Russia
- Vegetation highly specialised to the long cold winters and short cool summers
- Plants - short growing season and are very short to avoid damage by the winds
- Leaves small to avoid water loss
- Soils are poor in nutrients - weathering of rocks and lack of organic matter
- Permafrost (lots of) - frozen soil which underlies an “active layer” of soil that thaws in Summer (thawing and freezing process make the ground unstable - difficult to build on.
Ecosystem Food Chain
The simple relationship of energy transfer between different organisms in an Ecosystem
Food Web
complex relationship of energy transfer between organisms in an Ecosystem
Tertiary consumer decreases then secondary consumer increases
Components of an Ecosystem - 5 points
1 Energy
- Vegetation
- Soil & Roots
- Humans and Animals
- Air
The Importance of the Tropical Rain Forests - 7 ponts
- Water store
- Prevention of soil erosion
- Prevention of floods : interception, evaporation and absorption of rainfall
- Home to many species
- Food supplies for people and animals
- Maintaining future rainfall events - evapotranspiration
- Regulation of the atomosphere - Lungs of the Earth
Biomass - Definition
Amount of living matter in an Ecosystem
Biodiversity hotspot
A region with a particularly high variety of organisms eg the Amazon
Managing the Tropical Rainforest - How ? 3 points
- Ecotourism
- “Sustainable” logging
- Debt for nature swaps
The structure of the Tropical Rainforest Canopy - Describe - 4 levels
- EMERGENTS
- CANOPY
- UNDER CANOPY
- SHRUB LAYER
