Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

GEOGRAPHY > LIVING WORLD- tropical rainforests > Flashcards

LIVING WORLD- tropical rainforests Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
U.S. Geography flashcards World Geography flashcards
1
Q

definition of an ecosystem:

A
  • community of producer and animals that interact with one another and their environment
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

what is a biome?

A
  • global scale ecosystem
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

what are biotic factors?

A
  • living
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

examples of biotic factors:

A
  • insects
  • bacteria
  • fungi
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

what are abiotic factors?

A
  • non-living
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

examples of abiotic factors:

A
  • light
  • wind
  • temperature
  • rain
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

what is a micro-habitat?

A
  • a very small scale system such as a tree
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

what is a biosphere?

A
  • all of the living organisms in the world and their physical environment
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

what is a producer?

A
  • an organism that uses sunlight to produce food
  • convert energy from environment into sugars
  • eg. a banana tree
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

what are consumers?

A
  • get energy by eating other organisms
  • eg. monkey eats banana
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

what is a decomposer?

A
  • an organism which gets its energy from breaking down dead material
  • eg. bacteria and fungi break down banana peels
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

what is a carnivore?

A
  • something which only eats meat
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

what is a herbivore?

A
  • something which only eats plants
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

what is a food chain?

A
  • shows direct links between different organisms that rely on each other as a source of food
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

what is a food web?

A
  • shows all of the food chains within an ecosystem
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

where is Epping forest?

A

Essex
Northeast London

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

what are the key features of Epping forest?

A
  • several native tree species- oak, elm, ash, beech
  • lower shrub layer of grasses, brambles and bracken
  • many insects, mammals, amphibians and birds
  • over 700 species of birds
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

what factors influence the distribution/ location of biomes?

A
  • latitude
  • winds
  • distribution of land and sea
  • air pressure
  • warm and cold ocean currents
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

location of a coniferous forest:

A
  • roughly 60 degrees North
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

characteristics of a coniferous forest:

A
  • cold + dark winters
  • quite warm summers
  • coniferous trees are cone bearing and many are evergreen so that they can photosynthesise immediately after the winter
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

location of a deciduous forest:

A
  • roughly 50 degrees North
  • the natural ecosystem for the UK and much of Western Europe
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

characteristics of a deciduous forest:

A
  • trees shed their leaves in the winter to retain moisture
  • climate is more moderate, mostly mild and moist conditions and a few extremes of temperature
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

location of a desert:

A
  • 30 degrees north and south of the equator
  • close to the tropics of cancer and Capricorn
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

characteristics of a desert:

A
  • sinking air at these latitudes supress rain formation, leading to arid conditions
  • hot in the daytime and cooler at night due to lack of cloud cover, allowing heat to escape
  • plants and animals have become very well adapted to these conditions
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

location of a Mediterranean ecosystem:

A
  • roughly 40-45 degrees North and South of the equator
  • centred on the Mediterranean, isolated pockets in South Africa and Western Australia
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

characteristics of a mediterranean climate:

A
  • hot + dry summers
  • wet + mild winters
  • vegetation including citrus fruit trees, oaks and olives
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

where is a polar/ tundra located?

A
  • Arctic and Antarctic (polar) and high latitudes, such as Canada and Siberia
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

characteristics of a polar/ tundra:

A
  • extremely cold throughout the year
  • cold winters, quite warm brief summers in tundra regions
  • limited precipitation
  • tundra is very fragile and easily damaged by human activities such as exploitation
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

where are tropical rainforests located?

A
  • close to the equator
  • 5 degrees north and south
  • high insolation
  • wide spread across Asia, Africa and South America
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

characteristics of a tropical rainforest:

A
  • concentrated energy from the sun heats moist air which rises to produce heavy rainfall
  • this, combined with high temps means that the conditions are ideal for plant growth
  • cover 6% of the earth’s surface
  • over 50% of the world’s plants
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

where are Savannahs located?

A

between 15-30 degrees north and south of the equator

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

characteristics of a Savannah:

A
  • tropical climate in these low latitudes is characterised by distinct wet and dry seasons
  • fires are common in the dry season, usually ignited by lightning strikes
  • herds graze these areas, along with predators such as lions
33
Q

climate of tropical rainforests:

A
  • thrive in equatorial climate
34
Q

what temperature do tropical rainforests thrive at?

A

27 degrees celsius

35
Q

how much rainfall do tropical rainforests have?

A

over 2000 mm per year

36
Q

what do high temperatures and rainfall do?

A
  • create ideal growing conditions and accounts for lots of vegetation and growth
37
Q

what is water like in tropical rainforests?

A
  • most tropical rainforests experience an intense wet season- high rainfall lasting for months
  • this water will soak into the soil, dissolving and transporting (leaching) away nutrients
  • there is sometimes excess water on the ground, swelling local rivers and sometimes causing flooding
38
Q

are soils fertile in tropical rainforests?

A
  • no
  • nutrients are concentrated in the upper top soil and are very quickly taken up by the plants when they grow
  • trees and plants have very shallow roots
39
Q

what are people in tropical rainforests like?

A
  • traditional tribes live in harmony with nature
  • they hunt and gather only what they need to survive
  • this is sustainable
  • people are now exploring rainforests for commercial gain
  • chopping down trees for timber
  • this reduces biodiversity
40
Q

what is the emergents?

A
  • top of the rainforest- a small number of trees break through the general height of the rainforest
41
Q

what is the canopy?

A
  • 2nd highest layer
  • continuous, dense tree cover protects the ground from heavy rainfall and reduces the amount of light to areas below
42
Q

what is the unrestorey/ under canopy?

A
  • 2nd to bottom
  • woody plants and shrubs grow in humid, calm conditions with limited sunlight
43
Q

what is the ground/ shrub layer?

A
  • bottom layer
  • largely made up of decomposed material
  • scattered plants and fungi, used
44
Q

what are drip tips?

A
  • leaves with pointy tips so that water can run off of them quickly without breaking or damaging them
45
Q

what are buttress roots?

A
  • large roots have ridges which create a large surface area that help support large trees
46
Q

what are lianas?

A
  • woody vines- roots in the ground but climb up trees to reach sunlight
47
Q

what is a poison dart frog?

A
  • if they eat poisonous insets, they absorb toxins in their mucus
  • eat have extra- strong suction cups to climb and hold slippery branches
48
Q

what is a three-toed sloth?

A
  • extra vertebrae to be able to turn neck 270 degrees to check for predators above/ below
  • can swim in floods (high rainfall= surface runoff)
  • grown algae in fur to camouflage
49
Q

environmental importance of rainforests:

A
  • provides 20% of the world’s freshwater- comes from Amazon basin
  • contributes to 28% of the world’s oxygen
  • biodiversity- contain 50% of the world’d plants and animals
  • absorb carbon dioxide- act as a ‘carbon sink’- helps to set global warming
50
Q

what resources do rainforests supply?

A
  • rich in reserves of wood, nuts and fruit
  • bananas, cocoa, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon all come from rainforests
51
Q

how much medicine comes from rainforests?

A
  • 25% of medicines
  • more than 2000 plants have anti- cancer properties
52
Q

example of an indigenous tribe:

A
  • Achuar tribe in Peru
  • 11,000 people
53
Q

what energy could we put into tropical rainforests?

A
  • hydroelectric
54
Q

do rainforests create employment opportunities?

A
  • yes
  • tourism for guides and stewards, farming, construction and mining
55
Q

what are the threats of biodiversity in tropical rainforests?

A
  • lightening strikes (fires)
  • floods
  • disease
  • people
56
Q

CASE STUDY (causes):

A

Amazon case study: causes of deforestation

57
Q

Causes of deforestation:

A
  • Mineral extraction
  • energy development
  • road building
  • logging
  • settlement and population growth
  • substinence + commercial farming
58
Q

Mineral extraction:

A
  • Borneo has rich supplies of tin
  • Brazil, minerals such as gold, bauxite and copper are mined extensively- polluting rivers
  • 99% of Malaysia’s coal supply comes from Borneo
59
Q

Energy development:

A
  • high rainfall- ideal for hydroelectric power
  • Brazil- Belo Monte dam with block the Xingu river- flooding more than 40,500 hectares of rainforest and displacing more than 15,000 people
  • drilling for oil and gas has started in borneo
60
Q

Road building:

A
  • roads bring supplies and access to new mining areas
  • in Brazil, the trans- Amizonian highway stretches or 4,000 km through the rainforest
61
Q

Logging:

A
  • mahogany and teak are highly valued for furniture
  • smaller trees are used for fuel, pulped or made into charcoal
  • 80% of deforestation in Malaysia is logging
62
Q

Settlement and population growth:

A
  • settlements have developed to service developments in the Brazilian and Malaysian rainforests
  • farming and mineral extraction led to an increase in population
63
Q

Substinence and commercial farming:

A
  • accounts for 80% of deforestation in Brazil
  • palm oil and sugar cane
64
Q

what are the impacts of deforestation?

A
  • local climate change
  • soil erosion and infertility
  • river pollution
  • decline of indigenous tribes
  • climate change
  • biodiversity loss
65
Q

how is local climate change an impact of deforestation?

A
  • water cycle is disrupted
  • loss of trees means less evapotranspiration so less moisture is returned into the atmosphere
  • makes local climate drier
66
Q

how is soil erosion an impact of deforestation?

A
  • chopping down trees leaves the top soil exposed which is removed by heavy rainfall
  • this makes it hard for plants to grow
  • leads to further forest clearance
67
Q

how is river pollution an impact of deforestation?

A
  • Gold mining causes deforestation also leads to polluted waterways as mercury is used to separate gold
  • leaking mercury poisons fish
68
Q

how does deforestation cause a decline of indigenous tribes?

A
  • logging, construction of roads have push them out of land
  • threatens their homes, food supply and traditional way of life
69
Q

how is does deforestation impact climate change?

A
  • less trees
  • more carbon dioxide in air- less carbon dioxide absorbed
  • ## increases climate change rates
70
Q

how is biodiversity loss an impact of deforestation?

A
  • deforestation means a loss of habitat for many animals
  • could lead to more and more species becoming extinct
71
Q

strategies used to manage the rainforest sustainability:

A
  • small scale forestry
  • 2006 international tropical timber agreement
  • debt reduction
  • ecotourism
  • education and conservation
72
Q

what is selective- logging?

A
  • small- scale forestry
  • felling trees which are fully grown
73
Q

what is agroforestry?

A
  • small- scale forestry
  • growing crops and trees together
  • keeps biodiversity and allows natural recycling of nutrients
74
Q

what is replanting?

A
  • small- scale forestry
  • recreates forest cover that has been lost
  • happening on a large scale in tropical rainforests across the globe
75
Q

what is the 2006 international tropical timber agreement?

A
  • restricts trade in tropical rainforest hardwoods, making it more difficult to sell them and make
  • the agreement means hat all hardwood timber has to be marked with a registration number
76
Q

what is debt reduction?

A
  • countries reduce debt for other countries to stop cutting down trees
  • the USA agreed to allow Brazil to convert the £13.5 million it owed in debt into a fund to protect large areas of the Amazon rainforest
77
Q

what is ecotourism?

A
  • many countries have promoted their rainforest
  • small-scale tourism ad entirely local
  • Brazil, Costa Rica, Belize
  • Mashpi Lodge
78
Q

what is education and conservation?

A
  • supported by NGOs
  • protect ecosystems that are being seriously threatened
  • help to educate children on our ecosystems

GEOGRAPHY (8 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions