Living world Flashcards
Desert
High pressure
Not many clouds
30% of earth
generally high temp during day and low during night
30 degrees North/ South
Polar
Cold air
dry
-50 degrees Celsius
North/ South pole
Deciduous Forest/ Coniferous forest
Deciduous forest lose their leaves in the winter
coniferous forests appear further north than deciduous.
50-60 degrees from equator
Temperate grasslands
American (prairies) and European (steeps)
Warm dry summers and cold winters
30-40 degrees from equator
Mediterranean
Hot dry summer mild winter
Olive and citrus are common
30- 40 degrees North/South of equator
Tropical Grassland
Wet season- violent storms
Dry season- Wild fire
15-30 degrees from equator
Tundra
Low growing plants
Cold dry & windy
60-70 degrees from the equator
Rainforest
Close to equator
high temp
High rainfall
6% of earth
low pressure
Biotic
Living
Eco system
A complex symbiotic relationship between abiotic and biotic aspects of the environment
Producer
Convert energy from the sunlight into sugar and absorb nutrients from the soil
Consumer
Get energy from eating sugars produced by producers
Decomposers
break down dead plants and animals and return nutrients to soil
Food chain
Simple links between producers and consumers in a line
Food web
More complex connections between species
how long does it take to form an ecosystem
100s -1000s of years
Adding beavers to ecosystems (Short term)
creates wetlands
stops flooding downstream
Kingfisher returns
kayaking might be more difficult
Adding beavers to ecosystems (Long term)
Helps with climate change
Reduces flood risk
Animal species return
Tourism
Epping Forest (deciduous forest north of London)
Home to many native trees(e.g. Oak,Elm Ash), insect, birds, amphibians, 177 species of moss and over 700 species of fungi
when leaves fall leave a nutrient rich layer
Interdependence
Everything is linked
Rainforest percents
20% of oxygen comes from rainforests.
25% of cancer curing drugs come from rainforests
50% of earths plants and animals come from rainforests
Emergent
Around 50m high and are the habitat for the forests pollinators
Canopy
Around 35m high and the most bio diverse layer of the rainforest. Most rainfall and 80% of sunlight is absorbed here it is quite windy.
Under Canopy
Quite dense no wind and quite dim and dark
Shrub layer
Plants grow on the forest floor and the shrub layer can be anything between thorny and open. There is a lot of leaf litter which decomposes quickly due to the constant heavy rain which leaves a nutrient rich topsoil. Many micro organisms and fungi help with decomposition.
Biomass
all living things
Adaptation
Actions taken to adjust to natural events such as climate change
Biodiversity
Range of plants and animals in the world or a particular habitat. Biodiversity is important and desirable
symbiotic
When a relationship between two animals mutually benefits both participants
Buttress roots
large wide roots to give the tree stability.
They are quite shallow as rainforest soil is often lacking in nutrients due to leeching
stilt roots
similar to buttress roots provide tall trees with support (less wide though) also stays quite shallow
Lianas
Have roots in the ground and use other trees to grow into canopy to maximize sunlight. Many start in the canopy and send roots down to the ground
Red leaves
Used to protect leaves from harsh sunlight
leaf angling
Leaves arrange in specific ways to maximise sunlight
tail drips
Leaves have a waxy texture so water doesn’t gather son algae doesn’t grow so it doesn’t harm the leaves ability to photosynthesize
Epiphytes
plants that move on other plants (mostly trees) to make the most of the sunlight in the canopy layer
Thin bark
Difficult for other plants to grow on bark. Also because of constant moisture is readily available thick,moisture preserving bark isn’t needed.
Main causes of deforestation
Logging
Mining
Settlement growth
Road development
Farming(cash crops)
Cattle ranching
Hydro electric power
Environmental impacts of deforestation
Causes 24% of greenhouse gases
4000-6000 species lost each year
80% of animals on earth would lose habitat
More soil erosion and flash floods
Less temperate climate worldwide
Economic impacts of deforestation
Short term payout
Long term it isn’t sustainable
Social impacts of deforestation
2 billion people worldwide rely on rainforests to survive
Also the indigenous tribes such as the Penan tribe would lose their culture
5 Ws on the Penan tribe
Who= an indigenous tribe who live in harmony with the rainforest
What=Hunters who live off of the forest and feel safe there being moved out due to deforestation
Where= Borneo, Malaysia they aren’t exposed to the same viruses as outside
When= Now
Why= The Malaysian government is using the forest for many short term economic gains such as temporary jobs to help the economy fund infrastructure and mine valuable minerals rather than long term loses
