Living World Flashcards
1
Q
Where are tropical rainforests found?
A
Located mostly a few degrees either side of the Equator between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn in the equatorial climate
2
Q
What is the average daily temperature and rainfall in the rainforests?
A
- 28 degrees Celcius
- over 2,000mm of rainfall
3
Q
What are the layers of the rainforest and how tall are they?
A
- Shrub and ground layer (0-10m)
- lower canopy (10-20)
- middle canopy (20-35m)
- top canopy (35-50m)
4
Q
Suggest how animals are adapted top tropical rainforests?
A
- South American 3 toed sloth: animals camouflage to prevent being eaten by predators
- Poison dart frogs: bright colours which serve as a warning and they have poison
- Parrots - strong beaks that crack the shells of very hard nuts, enable to eat food other animals can’t
5
Q
How does conservation and education help manage the rainforest?
A
Promoting value and benefits of biodiversity associated with the rainforest
- can help make sure animals don’t lose homes
- makes people aware of why it is important to help conserve the rainforest, will make them want to help
- costs money
6
Q
How does debt reduction help manage the rainforest?
A
Giving money to countries in debt to reduce the need for selling rainforest resources
+ reduction in deforestation
+ country develops using gained money
+ extra profit, tribal people’s homes sustained
- country could ask for more
- country could mistreat money USA gave Brazil 20 million dollars to stop cutting trees in rainforest
7
Q
Suggest how plants are adapted to the climate in tropical rainforests?
A
- Lianas: climbing vines so they can climb up trees to sunlight for photosynthesis
- Drip tips (canopy layer: high amount of rainfall of over 2000mm/yr), allows rainfall to channel to the point and fall off so it doesn’t get too heavy and break
- Buttress roots: wide base trunks which help support the trees as they grow very tall (50m) up to the emergent layer to capture sunlight
8
Q
List the ways rainforests can be managed sustainably
A
- selective logging and replanting
- ecotourism
- conservation and education
- international agreements
- debt reduction
9
Q
How does international agreements help manage the rainforest?
A
People and organisations come together to find solutions for sustainable methods to gathering resources
+ promotes responsible management
+ brings people together
- non-profit, might start getting more expensive
- members could leave
10
Q
How is energy development a threat to Malaysia’s rainforests?
A
- Area flooded the size of Singapore just to build a dam: Bakun HEP Dam in Sarawak
- hydroelectric power will be more environmentally friendly
- conflict from indigenous people, environmental activists and charities
- the energy is for the people in Malaysia, produced and sold off for profit in other countries
11
Q
How is mineral extraction a threat to Malaysia’s rainforests?
A
- tin mining is established and drilling for oil and gas has recently started
- lots of land has to be cleared for mine, the change is irreversible as the scale of the damage is too large
- once mining is finished, they leave that area and is hard for species to grow
- for economic gain
12
Q
How is logging a threat to Malaysia’s rainforests?
A
Logging -> plays huge role in country’s economy
In 1980s, Malaysia became the world’s largest exporter of highly valued tropical wood
Clear felling: destroys everything, clearing large areas
Selective logging: cuts down mature trees that are fully grown, only takes what is needed
Illegal logging: cut down trees in areas that have been restricted
13
Q
List the causes of deforestation in Malaysia’s rainforests
A
- Logging
- Subsistence farming
- Commercial farming
- Mineral extraction
- Population pressure
- Energy development
- Road building
14
Q
Why is Malaysia an important rainforest?
A
600 species of birds
25% of all plant species found in Malaysia
Around 200 mammal species
Many undiscovered plants which could have important medicinal values
15
Q
How is commercial farming a threat to Malaysia’s rainforests?
A
- Malaysia is the largest exported of palm oil in the world
- large-scale farming
- plantation owners receive 10 year tax incentives which encourage for more deforestation in plantations
- LIC to DNE
- most money comes from palm oil exportations
16
Q
How is population pressure a threat to Malaysia’s rainforests?
A
- Government encouraged poor to move to the countryside (transmigration) to get people away from the overcrowded cities
- 70% of population only live on 30% of the land
- 1956-1980 had 15,000 hectares of rainforest was felled
- the people moved to areas near rainforest which would mean that area would be cut down and deforestation would increase
17
Q
How is subsistence farming a threat to Malaysia’s rainforest?
A
- traditional small scale sustainable farming - tribal people
- slash and burn: fires can grow out of control destroying large areas of rainforest
- burning creates nutrients that help plants to grow
18
Q
List the impacts of deforestation
A
- loss of biodiversity
- conflict
- soil erosion
- contribution to climate change
- decline of indigenous tribes
- economic development
19
Q
Explain how soil erosion is an impact of deforestation
A
- takes thousands of years to form
- roots and plants bind the soil together
- so deforestation means that the soil becomes loose and erodes away which will decrease soil fertility, which can negatively affect crop yield
20
Q
Explain how climate change is an impact of deforestation
A
During photosynthesis, the trees absorb CO2 (greenhouse gas partly responsible for climate change). By absorbing CO2, trees store the carbon and help reduce the rate of global warming
Trees give off moisture by the process of transpiration; deforestation reduces the moisture in the air resulting in a drier climate
21
Q
Explain how decline of indigenous tribes is an impact of deforestation
A
- Malaysia’s Orang Asli have been stripped of historic lands and are more susceptible to deadly illness
- loss of forest due to illegal logging -> reduced bat population -> bat pollinate fruits -> enormous impact on indigenous people’s food security
22
Q
Explain how loss of biodiversity is an impact on deforestation
A
- most diverse ecosystem in the world
- deforestation destroys the ecosystem and the many habitats that exact on the ground and in the trees
- species richness surveys in Malaysia show that there is 34.9% reduction in species richness in oil palm compared to forest habitats
- species at risk include Pygmy orangutans
23
Q
One of the impacts of deforestation is economic development, what are the gains?
A
- Palm oil employs 441,000
- improved transport infrastructure
- Palm oil industry - 4th largest sector to contribute to the economy in the past 15-18 years.
- HEP is cheap and plentiful
- tax revenue used to supply public services
24
Q
One of the impacts of deforestation is economic development, what are the losses?
A
- pollution of water sources through activities such as mining + dry climate causes water shortages
- fires can cause pollution
- climate change -> economic costs -> people have to adapt to living in a warmer world
- number of tourists could decrease
- plants that could bring huge medicinal profit may become extinct
25
How does ecotourism help manage a rainforest?
Form of tourism involving responsible travel to natural areas, conserving the environment, and improving the well-being of the local people
+ reduces the need to hunt animals for income
+ income earnt from preserving rainforest
+ deforestation discouraged
+ money from tourist go to conservation
- natural resources destroyed for souvenirs
- overused tracks -> soil erosion and damaged vegetation
26
How does selective logging and replanting help manage the rainforest?
Only cutting trees down once they reach a particular height. Allows the younger trees to reach maturity
+ more eco-friendly
+ sell each tree for extra profit
- trees take a long time to regrow
- not efficient
- run out of the type of log after a while
27
How is agriculture and opportunity in the Thar desert?
Subsistence farming -> herding goats, fetching water twice a day, goats provide milk
SELF SUFFICIENT
Commercial farming -> a huge canal has been constructed but was then extended Indira Gandhi Canal (143km). Brings water to irrigate the land and desert produces crop + cotton with more water
28
What are some ways plants are generally adapted to hot deserts?
- Spines: defence mechanism
- Waxy skin: helps keep water in,
help water loss
- Water storage: so water can flow through stems
- Tap roots: retrieve water very deep in the ground
- Small leaves: reduce water via transpiration
- Short life cycle: allows quick pollination
- Wide and shallow roots: when rain falls, it absorbs as much water as possible very quickly
29
Name me 3 specific plants that are adapted to hot deserts
Succulents - shallow but extensive root system, hold water in the stem
Perennial plants - dormant during the dry months and then come back when water is available
Annual plants - complete a life cycle within a season or sometimes less
30
What are characteristics of hot deserts?
- very low rainfall
- extreme high temperature range but cold at night
- soils tend to be sandy or stony
- soils are saline because evaporation of moisture draws salts to the surface
- wide diversity of plants
31
Where are deserts located?
- found along the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn
- high temperature during the day (+30 degrees), low night temperature
- very low rainfall (300mm/year)
- lack of plants and few species; adapted to drought
- many animals are small and nocturnal; except camel
32
Why is it hot in deserts?
Hadley cell circulation of air between equator and 30 N and 30S
- wind blows from high pressure system to low pressure
- rising air leads to precipitation in equatorial region which eventually descends at 30N and 30S
- sinking air creates high pressure and do not contain much moisture
- the combination of high pressure, sinking air mass and low precipitation lead to the formation of tropical rainforest
33
How does the Great Green Wall help reduce the risk of desertification?
4000 mile wide and 10 mile deep wall of trees to stretch across 11 counties from Senegal to Dijbouti
+ reduces degradation
+ educates children
- very hot
34
How does using appropriate technology reduce the risk of desertification?
increase 50% of crop yields
Addresses: droughts, loss of nutrients from surface runoff. Lines of stones placed along contour lines so water is trapped. Planting pipis - water trapped in hole
Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger
+ simple, cheap
+ less erosion, more water for crops
- not enough stone
- less rainfall
- time consuming when large scale
35
How does soil management help reduce the risk of desertification?
Addresses: high rate of evaporation in hot deserts can lead to a build up of salts on the surface -> soil fertility reduced and plants can die
- Plant drought resistant crops and those that don't require
+ saves water and fertilizer by applying water onto roots
+ reduces evaporation that causes Salinisation
- soil erosion
- flooding
36
How does water management help reduce the risk of desertification?
Ponding banks - are of land enclosed by low walls to store water
Contour tops - embankments built along the contours of slopes to prevent soil from being washed down during heavy rainfall
37
List the methods to reduce the risk of desertification
- Appropriate technology
- Soil management
- Replanting trees
- The Great Green Wall
- Water management
38
What is the region in South Africa that is at high risk of desertification?
Sahel - Niger, Senegal, Chad
Located in Northern Africa between Sahara and the North and the Savannas in the South
39
List the causes of desertification in the Sahel
- population growth
- removal of wood
- overgrazing
- soil erosion
- climate change
40
How is population growth a cause of desertification?
Development such as mining and tourism attract people as they want jobs
Increased population is putting pressure on the environment for resources such as food and water
41
How is removal of wood a cause of desertification?
People use wood for cooking so as the population increases, there is a demand for fuel wood
-> land will be cleared for trees, the roots of the trees no longer hold soil together so it is more vulnerable to soil erosion
42
How is soil erosion a cause of desertification?
Where vegetation is destroyed:
- exposing soil -> cracks then breaks
- vulnerable to erosion by wind and rain
43
How is overgrazing a cause of desertification?
- sheep, cattle and goats are overgrazing the limited vegetation
- leaves the soil expose to erosion
44
How is climate change a cause of desertification?
resulting in drier conditions and unreliable rainfall ins some regions (Sahel)
- on average, less rainfall now than there was 50 years ago
45
Define desertification
Process by which fertile land becomes desert, typically as a result of drought, deforestation, or inappropriate agriculture
46
What are xerophytes?
Plants with adaptations which allow them to live in hot and dry (harsh) conditions
47
Describe the nutrient cycle in a hot desert
- high temp, low precipitation = dry conditions so biomass is very small as few plants survive
- little litter produced
- little rain so nutrients are not lost from runoff or leaching
- with few plants and no leaching, nutrients build up in the soil so soil is biggest store
48
Name me 2 animals and 3 ways they have adapted to hot deserts
Thorny devil:
- camouflages, making is difficult for predators
- burrows in ground at night to stay warm and regulate its temperature (>5)
- spikes so predators can't eat it
Camel:
- hump to store food as fat to provide energy
- thick fur to keep Sun's heat away, warmth for night
- long intestine to reabsorb as much water as possible form food
49
What are the challenges in the Thar desert?
Extreme temperatures (reaches 50 sometimes) - makes physical work hard, high rates of evaporation so water shortage, determines plant and animal adaptations
Water supply - low annual rainfall, lots of evaporation as population increases, demand for water increases but human built Johads and natural Tobas
Accessibility - vast barren areas, tarmac can melt, some areas are only accessible via a camel
50
What is the name of the canal in the Thar desert?
Indira Gandhi Canal (650km, 1958)
51
How is tourism an opportunity in the Thar desert?
Jaisalmer - desert city famous for Jaisalmer fort and gorgeous sand dunes
Thar Desert National Park - 120 species
Tourism brings revenue to an area and attracts business and employment
52
How is energy production an opportunity in Thar Desert?
Engro Coal Power Project = coal fired power plant
Jaisalmer wind farm - 75 wind turbines with a total capacity of 60MW
- provides renewable electricity
- no greenhouse gas emissions and reduces air pollution
- provides employment and revenue for locals
53
How is mineral extraction in the Thar desert an opportunity?
- removal of solid mineral resources from Earth -> extracts limestone and gypsum
- can be used to produce a range of products such as cement and fertilisers
- can be solid, can provide jobs
54
List the opportunities in the Thar desert
- mineral extraction
- energy generation
- tourism
- agriculture/farming
55
Where is the Thar desert?
- stretches across north west India and Pakistan
- most densely population desert in the world
- population density of over 80 people per km^2
