Paper 1 - Ecosystems, Biodiversity and Management Flashcards
Define Biome
An ecosystem on a global scale
What is an ecosystem?
The community of plants and animals that interact with eachother and their physical environment
State facts about the desert biome
- High temperatures
- Low rainfall
- Plants have water storing features and extensive root systems
State facts about the Temperate grassland biome
- Hot summers and very cold winters
- High rainfall
- Grassland with very few tress or shrubs
State facts about the Tundra Biome
- Low temperature
- Low rainfall
- Few plants, usually stunted
- Mosses and lichens
State facts about the Tropical Rainforest biome
- Hot all year
- Very high rainfall (but has dry season)
- Huge biodiversity, Trees dominate due to competition
State facts about the Boreal forest biome
- Warm summers, very cold winters
- Low rainfall
- Coniferous trees
State facts about the Temperate forest biome
- Warm summers, cool winters
- High rainfall
- Deciduous trees
State facts about the Tropical grassland biome
- Hot all year
- Very high rainfall
- Tall grasses, drought adapted trees and shrubs
Why are marine ecosystems important to the UK?
- Tourism brings money and makes jobs
- Fishing is important for food production and employment
- Widm turbines
How are marine ecosystems damaged?
- Oil spills
- Trawling and overfishing
- Litter and pollution
- Climate change
Describe the rainforest’s soil
- Shallow
- Easily saturated and leached, washing out it minerals and nutrients
- Autumn leave improve its quality
Define Biotic
The living parts of an ecosystem
Define Abiotic
The non-living parts of an ecosystem
What effects the Tropical Rainforest’s nutrient cycle?
- Biggest store is biomass
- Leaves drop into litter store and decompose quickly
- Competition for nutrients is high
- Thinness of the soil
- Leaching washes out nutrients
- Nutrients 》Biomass is very fast
State some adaptations of the trees in the Tropical Rainforest
- Leaves have large surface areas for as much photosynthesis as possible
- Buttress roots keep tree stable in such shallow soil - can access the sparse nutrients in the shallow soil with shallow roots
- Drip Tip leaves so that water doesn’t weight down branches and break them, or algae and most don’t block the light
State some adaptations of the trees in the Deciduous Woodland
- Deciduous soil has well developed layers of nutrients from leaf litter
- Deep roots access ground water and nutrients
- Trees shed leaves in autumn to prevent water loss in drier times if the year - other plants bloom whilst their competition for light has gone
- Leaves and acorns contain acid tannin that is poisonous to some animals (like horses) and taste bitter to deer - prevents grazing
Compare and contrast the nutrient cycles of the Tropical Rainforest and the Deciduous woodland
- Biomass is bigger in TRF
- Higher Rainfall in TRF
- Smaller soil store in TRF
- Less input from rock weathering in TRF
- Less Nutrients in TRF
- Less in soil store in TRF
- Smaller Litter store in TRF
[CASE STUDY: The New Forest] 1) How is the new forest being damaged?
- Air pollution from traffic
- Litter and noise pollution from people
- Walking and cycling causes erosion of the ground
- Overgrazing and overpopulation of animals
[CASE STUDY: The New Forest] 2) What problems do human cause in the New Forest?
- Visitor trample plants and erode grass
- Drop litter, have BBQs and start fires
- Cars, scare and sometimes hit, ponies and pigs
- Visitors scare young foals
- 50% of woodland is privately owned
- Non-naive trees
[CASE STUDY: The New Forest] 3) What management techniques hae been used in the New Forest?
- Cars parks prevent parking on the roadside
- Barriers stop access to specific places
- Leaflet ‘5 ways to love the New Forest’
- Hotels advice alternate transport, like walking, cycling or buses
- Cut down conifers and replant deciduous trees
