Living World Flashcards
Ecosystem
The living and non-living parts of an environment and the interrelationships that exist between them
Biomes
Global-scale ecosystems
Adaptations
The way that plants evolve to cope with certain environmental conditions such as excessive rainfall.
Producers
Organisms that obtain their energy from a primary source such as the sun.
Consumers
Organisms that obtain their energy by eating other organisms.
Food chain
A line of linkages between producers and consumers.
Food web
A diagram that shows all the linkages between producers and consumers in an ecosystem.
Scavengers
Organisms that consume dead animals or plants.
Decomposers
Organisms such as bacteria that break down plant and animal matter.
Nutrient cycling
The recycling of nutrients between living organisms and the environment.
Temperature deciduous forest
Forests made up of broad-leaved trees such as oak that drop their leaves in the autumn.
Stratification
Layering of forests, seen particularly in temperate deciduous forests and tropical rainforests.
Tropical Rainforests
The natural vegetation found in the tropics, well suited to the high temperatures and heavy rainfall of these latitudes.
Leaching
The dissolving and removal of nutrients from the soil, often in tropical rainforests because of the heavy rainfall.
Arid
Dry conditions typically associated with deserts.
Hot deserts
Deserts have a rainfall of less than 250mm per year. Hot deserts are generally found between 30°N and 30°S of the equator.
Pollarding
Cutting of trees at about shoulder height to encourage new growth.
Sustainable management
A form of management that ensures that developments are long lasting and non-harmful to the environment.
Primary (virgin) rainforest
Rainforest that represents the natural vegetation in the region unaffected by the actions of people.
Deforestation
The cutting down and removal of trees.
Clear felling
Absolute clearance of all trees from an area.
Selective logging
The cutting down of selected trees, leaving most of the trees intact.
Transmigration
A population policy that aims to move people from densely populated areas to sparsely populated areas and provide them with opportunities to improve the quality of their lives.
Slash and burn
A form of subsistence farming in tropical rainforests where some trees are felled and land is cleared by burning before being replanted.
Selective Management System
A form of sustainable forestry management adopted in Malaysia.
Conservation
The thoughtful use of resources; managing the landscape in order to protect ecosystems and cultural features.
Ecotourism
Tourism that focuses on protecting the environment and local way of life. Also known as green tourism.
Debt Relief
Many poorer countries are in debt, having borrowed money from richer countries to support their economic development. There is strong international pressure for the developed countries to clear these debts – this is debt relief.
Debt
Money owed to others, to a bank or to a global organisation such as the World Bank.
Carbon Sink
Forests are carbon sinks because threes absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. They help to address the problem of global carbon emissions.
Non-governmental organisation (NGO)
An organisation that collects money and distributes it to needy causes , e.g. Oxfam, ActionAid and WaterAid.
Subsistence farming
Farming to produce food for the farmer and his/her family.
Hunter-gatherers
People who carry out a basic form of subsistence farming by hunting animals and gathering fruit and nuts.
Commercial farming
A type of farming where crops and/or livestock are sold to make a profit.
Salinisation
The deposition od solid salts on the ground surface following the evaporation of water. Also an increase in the concentration of salts in the soil reducing fertility.
Retirement migration
Migration to an area for retirement.
