Geography - Sustaining Ecosystems Flashcards
What are the 4 layers of the rainforest?
Emergent layer
Canopy Layer
Under Canopy Layer
Forest Floor
What are epiphytes?
Plants that live on branches high in the canopy to seek sunlight → they obtain nutrients from the water and the air rather than the soil so there is no need to grow on the ground. It rains everyday in the rainforest due to convectional rainfall.
What are buttress roots?
Large roots on top of the soil to help stabilise the base of tall trees → trees grow tall and thin to compete for sunlight, if the tree was not supported then it could fall over and they also help absorb nutrients to keep the tree healthy as the tree only has very short roots.
What are lianas?
Woody creepers rooted to the ground but wrapped around the trees into the upper layers → this is to access more well-lit areas of the rainforest as the forest floor is extremely dark due to the dense trees.
What are emergent trees?
These are fast growing and out-compete other trees to reach the highest levels → this is so they are able to compete for the sunlight. The trees are very dense in the rainforest so they need to grow taller to survive.
What are drip tips?
A pointed edge on the tip of a leaf to allow the rain to drip off the edge → there is a high amount of rain which could break the leaf if it was able to gather in the centre.
What are two adaptations of sloths?
They have the slowest digestion rate of any mammal. It’s the perfect solution to their low calorie leaf diet.
Two types of fur, the outer one keeps the inner one dry as it is so wet in the rainforest.
Their slow way of life means they rely on stealth and camouflage to avoid predators.
Their fur grows towards their spine, opposite to mammals, which grows from their spine down. To keep them dry as they hang upside down.
Describe the process of shifting cultivation.
A small area of forest is cleared by chopping down trees and burning them.
Seeds are grown in the new clearing. Ash from burning trees adds nutrients to soil.
Initially the crops grow well but after two or three years the soil loses its fertility when the nutrients are washed away (leaching).
People move on to another part of the forest and the trees in this clearing slowly regrow.
This is sustainable, as eventually, the trees in the clearings grow back meaning no harm is done.
What are all the different ecosystems in Costa Rica?
Tropical rainforests, cloud forests, dry forests, mangrove swamps, beaches, coral reefs and volcanoes
What is PES?
PES stands for payment for environmental services.
It is a program that encourages forest ecosystem conservation and combats land degradation. PES pays for landowners to keep and protect their forest rather than turning it into farmland.
PES helps to provide an income for landowners which can increase quality of life and it protects biodiversity.
More than 18,000 families have benefited, more than 1.3 million hectares of land has been protected through an over investment of $524 million.
What is agroforestry?
Trees and crops are grown together, some crops benefit from shelter from trees. Trees prevent soil erosion and crops benefit from nutrients in leaf litter.
What is selective logging?
Trees are felled only when they reach a certain height. Young trees are allowed to mature to ensure the height of the canopy is maintained.
What is afforestation?
Trees are planted to replace the original forest that has been lost. This forest lacks the same biodiversity and takes a long time for species to re-establish.
What is monitoring?
Satellite technology and photos are taken to ensure no illegal activities are taking place.
What is an example of ecotourism in Costa Rica?
Ecotourism is a type of sustainable development that creates local employment whilst conserving the natural environment.
As it provides the local people with jobs, it stops them from illegally logging and selling the trees to provide money for themselves.
Samasati nature retreat
