Paper 3 : Forests Under Threat Flashcards
Name all structures of the tropical rainforest
Emergents
Canopy
Under canopy
Shrub layer
Name characteristics of the emergent layer
Trees as tall as 60 metres
Animals - birds, bats and gliders
Receives lots of bright sunlight + plenty of rain
Name characteristics of the canopy layer
Deep layer of vegetation - fruits, seeds etc.
Animals - insects, birds, monkeys, frogs, sloths
Home to 90% of animals in the rainforest
Name characteristics of the under canopy layer
Warm , damp sheltered layer
Grows large leafed shrubs suited to warmth, shade and moisture
Low light conditions
Buttress roots
These stretch up from the ground and help to anchor the tree to the ground
Lianas
Woody vibes that start at ground level, and use trees to climb up to the canopy where they spread from tree to tree to get as much light as possible
Drip tips
Waxy leaves with drip tips - these shed water quickly to prevent the leaves from rotting
Epiphytes
Grow upon other plants and evolved to get all nutrients from water and air rather than soil
What are the main threats to the tropical rainforest?
Hydroelectric power Roads Mining Cattle ranching Crop farming Logging
What are the main consequences of drought?
Ecosystem stress
Forest fires
What are the reasons for deforestation?
Growing population Mineral extraction Construction of power and energy sources Logging and timber Farming and agriculture
Why are tropical rainforests at risk?
Economic development
Demand for resources
Poverty
Debt
Why is hydroelectric power a threat to the rainforest?
Needed to produce electricity
Also helps control flooding
Why are roads a threat to the rainforest?
Divide up parts of the forest and can cut off connections between different systems
Why is mining a threat to the tropical rainforest?
The Amazon includes bauxrite, iron, ore manages, gold, silver, and diamonds
Why is cattle ranching a threat to the tropical rainforest?
Brings money into the country and provides food and jobs for country’s growing population
Why is crop farming a threat to the tropical rainforest?
Provides food for rainforest communities and the landless poor of Brazil
Why is logging a threat to the tropical rainforest?
Tropical hardwoods such as ebony and mahogany can be sold for a good price abroad
Why is economic development causing tropical rainforests to be at risk?
Forests are cut down for roads, buildings, hydroelectric power dams and cities
Why is debt causing tropical rainforests to be at risk?
Cutting down forests can help countries to sell hardwoods for good money
Helps clear debt to rich countries
Brazil borrowed money to cut down forests - needs to pay back
Why is poverty causing tropical rainforests to be at risk?
People cut down parts of the forest to farm crops for food - survival
Only way to make a living
Why are demand for resources causing tropical rainforests to be at risk?
Tropical rainforests contain raw materials needed by countries
This involves part of the rainforest being destroyed
Resources used for everyday products
Land is needed to feed growing populations
Name two indirect threats to the tropical rainforest
Climate stress
Global warming
Explain how tropical rainforests are threatened by an indirect threat
Climate stress - rising temperatures from climate stress cause drought which can cause forest fires to break out, burning trees and litter, and releasing carbon dioxide
Major droughts are drying the leaf litter so decomposer organisms die out, threatening the nutrient cycle
Name the indirect threats to the Taiga
Wildfires
Acid rain
Pests
Why are wildfires a threat to the Taiga?
Summer storms generate lightning strikes
Pine needles which litter the floor is perfect tinder for wildfires to start
Coniferous trees have sticky resin which burns easily
Why is acid rain an indirect threat to the Taiga?
Fossil fuels are burnt in power stations to make energy - releases SO2 and NO into atmosphere
SO2 and NO react with water + oxygen to form acids + then fall as acid precipitation
When acid rain falls into lakes + soils, it kills insects + their eggs which reduces food supply for birds
Acid rain also kills the soil + means less nutrients enter the soil which makes plants less resistant to forest fires + disease
Why are pests an indirect threat to the Taiga?
Increase of pests:
Reduces commercial value of the forest, preventing it being sold as timber
They dramatically alter the ecosystem
They change the landscape to a more open landscape with fewer trees
Give one example of a particular pest that has affected Taiga
White pine blister rust - a fungal disease that attacks white pine trees, prevents them from regrowing
Explain how climate change has affected the biodiversity of the Taiga biome
Wildfires - caused by summer storms, generate lightning strikes, causing a reduce in biodiversity and stopping the regeneration of species
Pests - Taiga winters usually kill of pests but in recent years, an increase of pests has reduced the commercial value of the forest, preventing it being sold as well as dramatically altering the ecosystem
What type of trees are in the taiga forest?
Evergreen trees
What features of evergreen trees make them well-adapted to taiga forests?
Have needles instead of leaves - This reduces the surface area of the leaf and means that less water is lost from the tree
Cone shaped trees - The shape means that they do not store much snow on their leaves/branches. If too much snow built up on the trees then they could break
Taiga forest are highly….?
Interdependent
How are animals adapted to the Taiga forest?
Hibernation - Brown bears hibernate to save energy during the long winters in taiga forests
Migratory - Primary consumers migrate to where the plants are and secondary consumers migrate to where their prey is.
White winter coats for camouflage
Small size - being smaller helps conserves heat in cold climate
What is the term used to describe the sum of the variety of all the organisms living in an ecosystem?
Biodiversity
Why does decomposition happen quickly in tropical rainforests?
The climate is warm and moist
What are the two global actions plans for protecting Tropical Rainforests?
CITES
REDD
What is CITES?
The convention on international trade in endangered species
Ban cross border trade in certain species
What is REDD?
Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation
A United Nations project whose purpose it is to stop deforestation
What are the three methods of protecting the Taiga biome?
Creating a wilderness
National Park
Sustainable Forestry
Name strengths of creating a wilderness area to protect the Taiga
Has biggest level of protection - most human activity is banned
Usually covers a very large area - so large scale processes can still take place
Name weaknesses of creating a wilderness area to save the Taiga
Large/ remote areas are hard to police
Name strengths of creating a national park to protect the Taiga
Maybe established to protect certain species
Good access for tourists and recreational users
Unsustainable human activity such as logging/mining are no permitted
Name weaknesses of creating a national park to protect the Taiga
Pressures from companies to build roads
Name strengths of sustainable forestry to protect the Taiga
Selective logging means some trees remain
Name weaknesses of sustainable forestry to protect the Taiga
Limits placed on number of trees felled
Companies may be required to regenerate area after logging
Some countries struggle to enforce restrictions
Different groups may not agree with the rules/restriction on forestry
Explain why people want to protect the Taiga biome
Taiga forests store lots of carbon - deforestation will release this, which causes global warming
Many indigenous people e.g the Sami people of Scandinavia depend on the forest for their traditional way of life
Explain why people want to exploit the Taiga biome
Exploitation of the forest generates a lot of wealth for countries involved
The demand for resources is increasing - people need the wood, fuel + minerals that forests provide
Forest industries provide a lot of jobs e.g forests employs 25,000 people in Canada
Explain the conflicting views on managing the Taiga forest
Some people want to protect the Taiga biome - taiga forests store lots of carbon which deforestation will release, contributing to greenhouse emissions - global warming
Some people want to exploit the Taiga forest - exploitation generates wealth for countries involved - countries care more about economy than risk of global warming which will produce a global negative impact
Name advantages of CITES
Very large international influence - 181 countries have signed up to CITES
CITES targets the right problem - most trade in illegal species is international
Roughly 5,600 species of animals and 30,000 species of plants are protected by CITES against over-exploitation through international trade
Protect the biodiversity of the TRF which local people are dependant on for basic survival
Name disadvantages of CITES
Lots of money is required to check that all countries should be following the rules to protect against trade in endangered species
Extremely harsh penalties exist for poaching endangered animals or being caught smuggling them
Illegal trade in TRF products is increasing, not decreasing because demand remains high so it is worth it
CITES cannot monitor 181 countries at one time
CITES makes it harder and means a longer time to get permits for captive breed animals than wild animals which could encourage more poaching
Name advantages of REDD
Involves payments to developing countries that will prevent deforestation or degradation that would otherwise have taken place
Payments go towards actions that enable developing countries to conserve or sustainably use their forests e.g more appropriate harvesting of wood
Teaches local people new skills e.g disagreement between countries
Name disadvantages of REDD
Makes poor forest management, such as indiscriminate unenforceable logging, less profitable than the sustainable alternative
Stopping cattle ranches and soya farming could reduce the amount of food causing rising food prices
Requires that greenhouse gas emissions are monitored to show impact which can be expensive
What are the consequences of the cold climate in taiga forests in terms of nutrient cycling?
Decomposer and enzymes operate slowly
Rainfall does not transfer nutrients easily
How is global warming affecting new pests and diseases?
Global warming is resulting in new pests and diseases being able to survive in taiga forests
What is the main store of nutrients in tropical rainforests?
Biomass
Tropical Rainforests cover…..% of the Earth’s surface area
6%
Tropical Rainforests are home to……% of the world’s animal and plant species
50%
What are the main threats to biodiversity in rainforest ecosystems?
Deforestation
Construction and economic development
What do food chains show?
All food chains show which animals and plants are eaten by which animals
Why do we use complex food webs?
Because of rainforests’ climates, they can support complex food webs with lots of primary and secondary consumers
What are the ways of showing rainforest consumer relationships?
Food chain
Food web
Describe the climate of the taiga forest
Taiga forests are mainly in the Northern hemisphere.
Temperatures peak at 10oC in the summer and fall to -20oC in winter.
There is not much rain in taiga forests (30-85cm per year). A lot of this ‘rain’ is actually snowfall
Describe the plants in taiga forests
Most species of plants that live in taiga forests are evergreen (shed their leaves in all months of the year). This means that they can capture light for photosynthesis whenever it is available (days and sunlight hours are short in taiga forests).
The coniferous pine tree and coniferous fir trees are the most common plant in taiga forests. Moss is also common
Describe the soil in taiga forests
Permafrost is common in taiga forests.
Decomposition of any dead organic matter takes a long time because enzymes do not work very quickly in very cold temperatures.
The frozen ground and slow decomposition times mean that soil layers are thin and don’t have many nutrients in them
Describe animals in taiga forests
Life in taiga forests is difficult.
There is not much biodiversity and animals have to evolve special adaptations to survive the freezing winter temperatures.
Lynxes, wolves, elk, black bears, eagles, and weasels live in boreal/taiga forests
Soils in boreal forests are…..?
Nutrient-poor and thin
Describe the effects of taiga deforestation
Deforestation in taiga forests removes the shade that keeps permafrost frozen.
This melting process releases water. This can create floods, but also releases trapped carbon, adding more CO2 into the environment, worsening the greenhouse effect
Describe the trees, permafrost and plants in taiga forests
As well as providing food, plants and large coniferous trees provide shade in the summer and shelter in the winter.
The shade from the tree canopy and preserve permafrost all year round, giving plants a water source
What are the consequences of melting permafrost?
Flooding
Release of trapped greenhouse gases
Describe the social affects of Kilum Ijum Sustainable forest management
Sustainable management generally provides fewer jobs - locals won’t benefit
Describe the economic affects of Kilum Ijum Sustainable forest management
Economic benefits only seen in long term - do not benefit people straight away
Sustainable forestry is usually more expensive
Difficult to persuade companies to adapt these methods
Describe the environmental affects of Kilum Ijum Sustainable forest management
Even selective logging can damage lots of trees in the process of removing target trees
Trees replanted for logging in the future can be slow growing - companies may cut down more of the natural forest
Explain why wood Buffalo is still threatened even though it’s a national park
Mining of the national park could start as tar sands expand
Buffalo could wonder into tar sands when they migrate in winter months
Mining could pollute the rivers in national park
HEP dams could cut off water supply
What is the wood buffalo national park? Describe five characteristics
2nd largest national park in the world
Created in 1922 to protect mountain bison
Animals include : wolves, bison, moose and Canadian lynx
It is a UNESCO world heritage site
How does acid rain affect the rainforest?
Damage needles and their capability to photosynthesise
Acidic soil releases aluminium compounds which damage tree roots
Leads to less nutrients in the soil for plants
This weakens the plants and make them more vulnerable to disease and insect attack
Describe the nutrient cycle in rainforests?
Larger biomass store Smaller litter store and larger decay transfer Larger growth transfer Larger weathering input A larger leaching output
Why does the rainforest have a larger leaching output?
Heavy rainfall throughout the year brings in nutrients but the constant flow of water through the soil removes them
Why is there a small litter store and large decay transfer in the tropical rainforest?
In hot, wet conditions bacteria and fungi decay dead matter quickly, returning nutrients to the soil
Describe the nutrient cycle in the taiga
Precipitation is lower and chemical weathering is limited by cold temperatures
Most nutrients are in the litter because pine needles decay slowly in cold temperatures and release nutrients slowly
The biomass store is small because trees grow for only a few months each year
How does precipitation and temperature influence a biomass location?
Temperature - sunlight arriving in the Tropics is highly concentrated whereas at the poles it is spread more thinly
Precipitation/rainfall - the difference between the latitudes creates convection cells - this leads to belts of high pressure and low pressure
How does latitude affect biome location?
How far north or south a location on the Earth’s surface is from the Equator, measured in degrees. The latitude of a location affects its temperature and precipitation which can in turn impact the type of biome in that location
Explain two global actions which help protect the rainforest
CITES: rely on member countries to provide donations needed to conserve rainforests and biodiversity and ensure sustainability of habitats for animals
REDD: a company that helps to reduce deforestation by providing alternative sources of income e.g Juma SFK families are paid not to deforest trees
