LIVING WORLD

Question 1

What is a biome?

Answer 1

A large ecosystem covering a large area of the earth’s surface?

Question 2

What is a producer

Answer 2

Uses sunlight energy to produce food

Question 3

what is a consumer

Answer 3

Gets its energy by eating other organism - they eat producers or other consumers.

Question 4

what is a decomposer

Answer 4

an organism that gets its energy by breaking down dead material and dead consumers. eg bacteria and fungi

Question 5

What is a food web?

Answer 5

A complex series of interconnected food chains of an ecosystem

Question 6

what is nutrient cycling?

Answer 6

When dead materials decompose they break down into the soil and their energy is released.

The nutrients are then taken up from the soil by plants. The plants may be eaten by consumers.

When the plants or consumers die the nutrients are returned into the soil.

Question 7

What are the trophic levels going from bottom to top?

Answer 7

Primary producer
Primary consumer
Secondary consumer
Tertiary consumer

Question 8

Climatic summary of: TRF

Distibution

Answer 8

Wet all year 2000 - 3000mm of annual precipitation

27 - 30 degrees

Equatorial regions

Question 9

Climatic summary of: Hot Dessert

Distribution

Answer 9

Low annual rainfall- less than 250mm

Diurnal can reach 45 - 0

Close to tropics

Question 10

Climatic summary of: Decidious woodland

Distribution

Answer 10

Warm summers 18 degrees
Cold winters 10 degrees

Wet all year 1500 mm

Higher latitudes eg. Western Europe and East coasts of Asia, North America and New Zealand

Question 11

Climatic summary of: Savanna Grassland

Distribution

Answer 11

Hot all year 25 - 35 degrees
Distinct dry and wet seasons

Between equator and tropics

Question 12

How do trees take advantage of the continuous season in the tropical rainforest?

Answer 12

Trees are evergreen so they grow all year round.

They are very tall as only two percent of water reaches the forest floor

Question 13

Is the soil fertile in the TRF?

Answer 13

No however the top layer is very fertile due to fast nutrient recycling because of the humidity.

Heavy rainfall mean lots of leaching

Question 14

Why is biodiversity high in the TRF?

Answer 14

Constant conditions means always lots to eat

Wet and warm - perfect for plant growth

Plants have adapted to the conditions

Question 15

What are the layers of the rainforest?

Answer 15

Emergent 40m+
Main canopy 20-30m
Under canopy 10-20m
Shrub layer

Question 16

How is the TRF interdependent?

Answer 16

Changes to one part of the ecosystem have major parts to others. As they are INTERDEPENDENT

Nutrient Cycling
Plants and animals form symbiotic relationships - they depend on each other for survival

eg. cutting down trees increases leaching

Question 17

Name 3 plant adaptations in the TRF?

Answer 17

Buttress roots - spread wide to support tall tree - shallow to get surface nutrients

Waxy drip tips pointed ends helps surface run off

Lianas - climbing plants use trunks to reach sunlight.

Question 18

Name 5 animal adaptations in the TRF?

Answer 18

Camouflage
Nocturnality / low light levels on forest floor eg. anteaters
Reduced sized
Limited diet
Poision

Question 19

What rate of the amazon will be lost if current rates of deforestation continue?

Answer 19

30%

Question 20

What are the main 3 reasons why the amazon rainforest is being cut down?

Answer 20

Commercial farming- 65 to 70% - Cattle grazing and huge plantations. Cattle main cause of deforestation. Soy plantations.

Subsistence farming - Forest cleared for small-scale farming. Many indigenous.

Commercial logging - Amazon contains lots of valuable hardwoods eg. Mahogany

Question 21

What are the 4 other minor reasons for deforestation in Brazil>

Answer 21

Mineral extraction

Energy development - Hydroelectric dams

Population growth - pressure on Brazilian government so it’s a solution for the poor eg. Trans-Amazonian Highway

Road building

Question 22

What are the economic impacts of Deforestation in the amazon?

Answer 22

Brings in money from farming especially. Brazil made $600 M in 2018 from beef

Mineral extraction creates jobs

Logging can be used to make things but not very attractive for tourism

Question 23

What are the environmental impacts of Deforestation in the Amazon?

Answer 23

Trees remove CO2 and act as a carbon sink so removing the trees prevents this. - 75% of Brazil’s emissions are from deforestation.

Soil erosion prevents growth and affects interdependence. Farmers are then forced to find new areas.
This may lead to flooding and landslides in the future

Question 24

How can we make deforestation more sustainable?

Answer 24

Replanting for every tree cut down

Selective logging - canopy remains and therefore soil is protected

Ecotourism - No litter/ Income and job opportunities for locals - they don’t have to log or farm/ Educates

Education

Conservation parks - restricts damaging activities but relies on funding for policing

Reduce debt owed to HICs - Many LICs turn to logging, commercial farming, or mining to earn this money - No guarantee that the repayment money will be spent on conservation so conservation swaps are ideal.

International hardwood agreements - prevent illegal logging

Question 25

Why is the TRF important to us?

Answer 25

Products are found eg. rubber chocolate and coffee.

Reduces greenhouse effect

Economic benefits such as ecotourism

Question 26

Example of efforts to reduce deforestation?

Answer 26

In 1996 Costa Rica made unauthorised deforestation illegal and provided financial support to farmers to preserve their land. - Since then, forest cover has increased to around 60% of land cover.

Increased awareness of the effects of deforestation has led to reduced demand for products from deforested areas. EG. Divine Chocolate company no longer uses palm oil in their products