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Geography > P1 - Unit 1B - Ecosystems and Tropical Rainforests > Flashcards

P1 - Unit 1B - Ecosystems and Tropical Rainforests Flashcards

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1
Q

What’s a natural system made up of plants, animals and the non-living environment?

A

An ecosystem

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2
Q

What are the non living elements of en ecosystem called? And what’re some examples?

A

Abiotic

E.g. Soil, rocks, water, sunlight

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3
Q

What are the living elements of en ecosystem called? And what’re some examples?

A

Biotic

E.g. Plants, animals, bacteria

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4
Q

What’s a large scale ecosystem closely related to the climate called?

A

Biome

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5
Q

What’s an organism or plant that’s able to convert energy from the sun into carbohydrates, through the process of photosynthesis?

A

Producer

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6
Q

What’s an organism that breaks down dead organic matter, such as leaves, and returns the nutrients to the soil, which can then be absorbed by plants.

A

Decomposer

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7
Q

Name two decomposers:

A

Bacteria and fungi

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8
Q

How are organisms in ecosystems linked together?

A

By a food chain/ food web

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9
Q

Name a set of processes whereby organisms extract minerals necessary for growth from soil or water, before passing them on through the food chain - and ultimately back to the soil and water.

A

Nutrients cycle

-recycling nutrients and energy flow

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10
Q

State two routes by which nutrients input an ecosystem:

A
  • in litter layer, dissolved in rainfall

- in soil layer, from weathered bedrock

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11
Q

State two routes by which nutrients are lost from an ecosystem:

A
  • in litter layer, surface loss in runoff by rainfall

- in the soil, nutrients are lost by leaching

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12
Q

What sits on top of the soil and contains both dead and decaying plant matter?

A

Litter

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13
Q

Name the process by which rocks are broken down and add nutrients to the soil:

A

Chemical weathering

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14
Q

Name the process by which nutrients is dissolved in rainwater and are then removed from the soil:

A

Leaching

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15
Q

What’s the name of the thin, black layer of soil made up of newly decomposed plant and animal remains?

A

Humus

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16
Q

Where are tropical rainforests located?

A

Between 25° north and south of the equator

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17
Q

Name three areas of the world where tropical rainforests can be found:

A
  • amazon basin- South America
  • Congo basin- Africa
  • Indonesian islands- South east Asia
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18
Q

What’s the average temperature of a tropical rainforest all year round?

A

27°C

range between 20-28

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19
Q

What’s the average annual rainfall in a tropical rainforest?

A

2000mm, rains everyday

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20
Q

What type of rainfall occurs in tropical rainforests?

A

Convectional rainfall

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21
Q

How would you describe the humidity of the tropical rainforest?

A

High humidity

-rapid evapotranspiration

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22
Q

What’s the name of a tropical rainforest soil?

A

Latosol

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23
Q

List three characteristics of a tropical rainforest soil:

A
  • deep
  • infertile-leaching occurs due to high rapid rainfall
  • lots of chemical weathering of bedrock
  • rapid breakdown of leaf litter due to humid climate, thin layer of nutrients on the surface of the soil
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24
Q

Describe the growing season in a tropical rainforest:

A

Continuous (all year round), no definite seasons

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25
Q

Why does chemical weathering of the bedrock happen so quickly in a tropical rainforest?

A

Chemical weathering happens so quickly because of the hot, wet climate

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26
Q

Why does the nutrient cycle happen very rapidly in a tropical rainforest?

A

The hot wet climate

  • average at 27°C
  • 2000mm of rain per year
  • no definite seasons
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27
Q

Where is the major store of nutrients found in a tropical rainforest? Why?

A

Biomass
Because in a rainforest they have the biggest store of biomass which contains nutrients and the humid climate promotes plant growth

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28
Q

Why is the rainforest soil described as infertile?

A

There’s heavy rainfall everyday and the rain leaches the nutrients out of the soil

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29
Q

Name the four main layers of a tropical rainforest:

A

Emergents
Canopy
Lower tree canopy
Shrub layer

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30
Q

Why do rainforest trees have buttress roots?

A

They stabilise the tree to allow the tree to grow tall
Increase the surface area for gas exchange
Help transport water

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31
Q

Why do new trees grow quickly upwards?

A

So that they can get the maximum amount of sunlight

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32
Q

What’s an example and impact of commercial cattle farming as a cause of deforestation?

A

Example- southern margins of Amazonia

Impact- economic

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33
Q

What’s an example and impact of road building as a cause of deforestation?

A

Example- 6000km Trans-Amazonian Highway

Impact- political, economic

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34
Q

What’s an example and impact of settlement and population growth as a cause of deforestation?

A

Example- 25million landless people migrate from drought stricken areas, new roads become ‘growth corridors’
Impact- social

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35
Q

What’s an example and impact of energy development as a cause of deforestation?

A

Example- HEP station on Tocantins river generates power for Carajás mine
Impact- economic, political

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36
Q

What’s an example and impact of mining(mineral extraction) as a cause of deforestation?

A

Example- Carajás mine in Northern Amazonia Worlds largest source of iron ore
Impact- economic

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37
Q

What’s an example and impact of logging as a cause of deforestation?

A

Example- Hardwoods(such as mahogany, teak, rosewood), Japan uses 11 million cubic meters of Equatorial hardwoods per year
Impact- economic

38
Q

What’s an example and impact of commercial arable farming as a cause of deforestation?

A

Example- Soya grown in Amazonia is used to feed UK chickens

Impacts- economic

39
Q

What’s an example and impact of subsistence farming as a cause of deforestation?

A

Example- Slash and burn cleared small areas by indigenous tribes
Impact- social

40
Q

What’s the term for the absolute clearance of all trees from an area of forest?

A

Clear felling

41
Q

What’s the term for the cutting down of selected trees, leaving most of the trees intact?

A

Selective cutting

42
Q

List five local impacts of deforestation:

A
  • decline of indigenous tribes
  • soil erosion
  • river pollution
  • local climate change
  • conflicts
43
Q

List two global impacts of deforestation:

A
  • more carbon dioxide, global warming

- less biodiversity

44
Q

Which economic activity most threatens the indigenous people and why?

A

Logging, because the indigenous people lose there place to live

45
Q

How does deforestation cause river pollution?

A

Mining
Mercury is used to mine gold from the ground, this mercury is then washed into rivers, which poisons fish and people in nearby towns

46
Q

How does deforestation cause the soil to become infertile?

A

The nutrient cycle is disrupted, heavy rain leaches the soil of its nutrients

47
Q

What’s the difference between goods and the services of a tropical rainforest ecosystem?

A

Goods are things obtained directly from the rainforest.

Services are benefits that the rainforest can offer to people and the environment.

48
Q

List three goods that can be obtained from a tropical rainforest:

A
  • timber
  • native fruits and nuts
  • wild meat, fish
49
Q

List three services supplied by tropical rainforests:

A
  • wildlife habitat-biodiversity
  • air purification-absorbs carbon dioxide
  • employment opportunities-ecotourism
50
Q

What’s the term for development that preserves future resources, standards of living and the needs of future generations?

A

Sustainable

51
Q

On what two levels does rainforest management occur?

A
  • local level

- international level

52
Q

What does FSC stand for?, is it an example of international or local management?

A

FSC- Forest Stewardship Council

-international management

53
Q

List three international management strategies:

A
  • intergovernmental agreements on hardwoods(FSC)
  • debt reduction
  • conservation and education by NGOs
54
Q

What term means that natural resources can still be used, but only if used sustainably?

A

Conservation

55
Q

What term means that the environment should be untouched and humans should not interfere, so ecosystems can find there own balance?

A

Protection

56
Q

List six local management strategies:

A
  • ecotourism
  • conservation and education
  • selective logging
  • agroforestry
  • stopping illegal logging
  • replanting
57
Q

Give a named example of an ecotourism scheme in the Amazon rainforest:

A

Tambopata lodge - Peruvian Amazon

58
Q

What’s the total weight of all biotic organisms per unit area?

A

Biomass

59
Q

What’s an example of a small scale U.K. ecosystem?

A

Epping Forest in North East London

60
Q

How are plants adapted to the tropical climate?

A
  • drip tips- to allow excess rain water to run off
  • waxy leaves- to allow water to flow off, and to reduce evaporation
  • leaf angling- so the plant avoids shading its own leaves
  • stilt and buttress roots- to support the tree so it can grow tall above the canopy to get light
61
Q

What are examples of global ecosystems?

A
  • Grassland
  • Tundra
  • Temperate Deciduous Forest
  • Tropical Rainforest
  • Polar
  • Hot Desert
62
Q

What are the characteristic of a grassland ecosystem?

A
  • SAVANNAH GRASSLANDS (found between the tropics), distinct dry and wet seasons, average rainfall is relatively low, grass with a few trees for vegetation
  • TEMPERATE GRASSLANDS (found at higher latitudes), more variation in temperature and less rainfall, no trees just grasses
63
Q

What are the characteristics of a tundra ecosystem?

A
  • Found at higher latitudes
  • Winters are very cold, summers are brief and there is little rainfall
  • hardly any trees, have mosses, grasses and low shrubs for vegetation
  • there’s a layer of permafrost
64
Q

What are the characteristics of a tropical rainforest ecosystem?

A
  • Found around the equator, between the tropics
  • Hot and wet all year round
  • have lush forest, with dense canopies forming distinct layers
65
Q

What are the characteristics of a temperate deciduous forest ecosystem?

A
  • found mainly in the mid latitudes
  • have four distinct seasons
  • summers are warm and winters are mild
  • rainfall all year round
  • deciduous trees lose their leaves in the winter
66
Q

What are the characteristics of a Polar ecosystem?

A
  • found around the north and south poles
  • cold, icy and dry
  • not much grows, they remain dark for several months each year so the growing season is very short
67
Q

What are the characteristics of a Hot Desert ecosystem?

A
  • found 15° and 35° north and south of the equator
  • there’s little rainfall, hot in the day and cold at night
  • shrubs and cacti are sparsely distributed in the sandy soil
68
Q

What are features of plants in tropical rainforests?

A
  • evergreen (to take advantage of the continual growing season)
  • trees are very tall and vegetation cover is dense (very little light reaches the forest floor)
  • lots of epiphytes (plants that grow on other living plants)
69
Q

What are features of animals in tropical rainforests?

A
  • contain more animal species than any other ecosystem in the world
  • brightly coloured and make lots of noise
  • examples: gorillas, jaguars, anacondas, tree frogs, sloths
70
Q

What are features of people in tropical rainforests?

A
  • people who have adapted to life there over many generations
  • make a living by hunting and fishing and gathering nuts and berries and growing plants in small garden plots
71
Q

What type of ecosystem is the rainforest?

A

an interdependent ecosystem

72
Q

How are plants in the rainforest adapted?

A
  • tall trees competing for sunlight have buttress roots to support their trunks
  • plants have thick waxy leaves with pointed tips (drip tips channel the water so it runs off, so the weight of the water doesn’t damage the plant)
  • trees have smooth, thin bark as there is no need for protection from cold temperatures & increases runoff
73
Q

How are animals in the rainforest adapted?

A
  • many animals live their entire life in the canopy and so have strong limbs
  • some animals have flaps of skin to allow them to glide between trees
  • camouflage
  • some are nocturnal, so they are active when it is cooler at night (helps them to save energy)
  • some are adapted to low light levels on the forest floor, strong sense of hearing and smell
  • many rainforest animals can swim, to cross river channels
74
Q

what is biodiversity?

A

The variety of organisms living in a specific area

75
Q

How is population pressure a reason for deforestation?

A

as the population in an areas increases, trees are cleared to make land for new settlements

76
Q

How is energy development a reason for deforestation?

A

building dams to generate hydro-electric power floods large areas of forest

77
Q

What are the environmental impacts of deforestation?

A
  • soil erosion occurs because of the lack of trees so landslides and flooding can also occur
  • without trees to intercept and roots to absorb rainfall, more water reaches the soil (reducing the fertility as leaching occurs)
  • trees remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, burning trees also creates carbon dioxide (all adds to the greenhouse effect)
78
Q

What are the economic impacts of deforestation?

A
  • logging, farming and mining creates jobs
  • money is made from selling timber, mining and commercial farming
  • long term deforestation can destroy the resources that countries depend on
  • livelihoods of some local people are destroyed
79
Q

How is the rate of deforestation changing?

A
  • rate of deforestation is very high

- globally the rate seems to be slowing down, but their are still hotspots of deforestation (e.g. Borneo)

80
Q

What are the causes of deforestation in the amazon?

ORDER FROM MOST SIGNIFICANT CAUSE TO LEAST

A
  • commercial cattle ranching
  • small-scale subsistence farming
  • commercial farming (soy, rice, corn, sugar)
  • logging, including lots of illegal logging
  • mineral extraction, road building, energy developments and building new settlements
81
Q

What are the environmental impacts of deforestation in the Amazon?

A
  • Amazon stores 100 billion tonnes of carbon, deforestation will release this causing global warming
  • Brazil is loosing 55 million tonnes of topsoil every year because of soil erosion caused by soy farming
82
Q

What are the economic impacts of deforestation in the Amazon?

A
  • brough wealth to coutries that were extremely poor
  • farming makes a lot of money for countries in the rainforest (Brazil made $7billion from cattle in 2008)
  • mining industry creates jobs for local people (In peru 3500 people are employed in the industry)
  • logging contributes hugely to Brazil’s economy
83
Q

Why is it important to protect the rainforest?

A
  • to preserve its biodiversity
  • many products including rubber, coffee, chocolate and medicines
  • reduces the enhanced greenhouse effect
  • they help regulate climate and the water cycle
84
Q

What are some strategies to sustainable manage tropical rainforests?

A 
selective logging
replanting
ecotourism
international hardwood agreements
education
reducing debt
conservation
85
Q

How can selective logging be a strategy to sustainably manage tropical rainforests?

A
  • only felling some trees, less damaging because the main body of the rainforest remains, so it can regenerate naturally
  • least damaging forms are horse logging and helicopter logging, rather than using huge trucks
86
Q

How can replanting be a strategy to sustainably manage tropical rainforests?

A
  • new trees being planted to replace the cut down ones
  • means there will be trees for people to use in the future
  • same types of tree are planted as were cut down, to maintain the variety of trees
  • in some countries there are laws making logging companies replant trees when they clear an area
87
Q

How can ecotourism be a strategy to sustainably manage tropical rainforests?

A

TOURISM WHICH MINIMISES THE DAMAGE TO THE ENVIRONMENT AND BENEFITS LOCAL PEOPLE

  • only a small number of people in an area at one time
  • provides a source of income for local people, so they don’t have to log or farm to make money (less trees cut down)
  • been very successful in Costa Rica with it being the largest source of income for the country and over 20% of their country is protected from investment
88
Q

How can international hardwood agreements be a strategy to sustainably manage tropical rainforests?

A

HARDWOOD IS A TERM FOR CERTAIN TREE SPECIES (e.g. mahogany, teak) - used for furniture
-high demand for hardwoods from rich countries means that some of these trees are becoming rare, these agreements promote sustainable management

-Forest Stewardship Council (an NGO), mark sustainably-sourced timber products with their logo so consumers can choose their products with knowledge of their origins

89
Q

How can education be a strategy to sustainably manage tropical rainforests?

A
  • education of the international community about the impact of deforestation (encouraging people to buy products that are certified from sustainable sources)
  • some local people don’t know the environmental impacts of deforestation, so educating them can reduce the damage and show them other ways to make an income
90
Q

How can reducing debt be a strategy to sustainably manage tropical rainforests?

A
  • lots of tropical rainforests are in LICs
  • LICs often borrow money from HICs to fund development schemes, this money then has to paid back with interest (they normally allow logging, farming, mining to pay back the debt)
  • reducing debt means LICs don’t need to exploit their forest
  • conservation swaps are an effective way to exchange debt for money being spent directly on conservation
91
Q

How can conservation be a strategy to sustainably manage tropical rainforests?

A
  • many countries have national parks and nature reserves in rainforests (however lack of funds can make this difficult to police)
  • some countries set up funds which overseas governments and businesses can invest in, this money can then be used to enforce restrictions on damaging activities

Geography (14 decks)

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