Living World Case Studies Flashcards
Tropical rainforests:
Causes of deforestation:
Farming
Logging
Tropical rainforests:
What types of farming occur?
Subsistence farming - sustainable local farmers.
Ranching - deforestation for the farming of cattle.
Growing crops on a large scale.
Tropical rainforests:
What is the purpose of logging?
Sell the hard wood for furniture
Sell it to be burned.
Tropical rainforests:
Environmental impacts of deforestation
Habitats destroyed = extinction.
Soil erosion = leaching of nutrients = unable to grow crops.
Less photosynthesis. = greenhouse effect.
Tropical rainforests:
Social impacts of deforestation:
Soil becomes infertile due to leaching = cant farm = go out of business/ cut down more trees.
Recourses and land cleared for settlement.
Tropical rainforests:
Economic impacts of deforestation:
Minerals provide region with vast natural sources.
Hardwood is very valuable.
Tropical rainforests:
How is deforestation sustainably managed?
Subsistence burning (slash and burn): cut down small patch of trees. Use land for farming. Move on and allow area to recover.
Involve community programmes - socially sustainable.
Tropical rainforests:
Describe the climate
- 27- 30 degrees all yr round.
- hot and wet all yr round.
2000 - 3000ml of rain per yr.
Tropical rainforests:
Average temperatures:
27 - 30 degrees celsius.
Tropical rainforests:
Rainfall per yr.
2000 - 3000 ml per yr
Tropical rainforests:
Distribution:
On the equator.
0-10 degrees north and south.
Tropical rainforests:
Characteristics of the vegetation.
•Dense vegetation: - forest floor - shrub layer - understory - canopy - emergents • materials broken down to soil very quickly.
Tropical rainforests:
Characteristics of the soil:
•latolus
- infertile
- clay - iron and aluminium
- lots of leaching.
Tropical rainforests:
Adaptions of vegitation
• drip tips - shape of leaves to allow water to run off them.
- prevents them from breaking.
- lianas and epiphytes get their energy from other plants.
- emergents - grow above the canopy to get sunlight.
• buttress roots stabilise emergents to grow taller.
And because roots don’t go too deep as the nutrients sits in the first hummus layer.
Hot dessert LEDC:
Location:
Thar dessert
India and Pakistan.
Hot dessert:
Climate:
• 35-40c in the day
0-10c at night
= diurnal range
• very dry.
Hot dessert:
Distribution:
Why?
• tropics of cancer and capricorn.
Due to:
Moisture at equator, warm = rises and rains ( rainforest)
Then the dry air cools and drops to the desert.
Hot dessert:
Adaptions of Vegetation
Succulent: stores water in the steams.
Ifemeral plants: bloom with rain. Look dead when dry.
Xerophytic plants =grow in hot dry areas.
Thick waxy surfaces: prevent water loss.
Thorns: prevent water loss. Prevent predators eating them.
Tropical rainforests:
Location:
Amazon
Brazil
South america.
Temperate Deciduous Forest:
Climate:
• four distinct seasons
•warm summers (16-20c)
• mild/ cool winters
(-3- -8c)
• 550 - 1500mm of rainfall per yr.
Temperate Deciduous Forest:
Distribution:
40* and 60* north of the equator.
Mostly found on north.
Temperate Deciduous Forest:
Vegetation structure:
Undergrowth: bramble, mosses, lichen, ferns, blue bells (spring before trees become denser)
Shrub layer: small trees. 20m tall.
Tree layer: trees (e.g. Oak) grow around 30m tall.
Temperate Deciduous Forest:
Soil:
Brown earth
Fertile
Slow rotting= nutrients stays in soil longer before taken up by plants.
Very deep.
Temperate Deciduous Forest:
Plant adaptions:
- drop leaves in autumn to reduce water loss when the soil is frozen. And to save energy as little light for photosynthesis.
- wildflowers grow in spring before leaves grow back so they have enough light.
