Paper 3 - Forests Under Threats

Question 1

what is the highest layer of the tropical rainforest

Answer 1

emergent layer
- made of giant trees which stick up above the forest canopy -> trees receive most light, rain and wind

Question 2

what is the second highest layer of the tropical rainforest

Answer 2

canopy layer
- trees reach 50m, layers uneven with breaks in treetops allowing light through to the middle canopy

Question 3

What is the second lowest layer of the tropical rainforest?

Answer 3

Undercanopy layer
- densest layer -> only 2% of sunlight penetrates the middle canopy

Question 4

What’s the lowest layer of the tropical rainforest?

Answer 4

shrub layer
- supports few plants because the thick canopy of branches above cuts out the light -> consequently sparsely populated with tiny seedlings and shoots

Question 5

adaptation

Answer 5

The way a plant or animal changes its character characteristics to help it survive or live in its environment

Question 6

adaptation of drip tips

Answer 6

• have waxy leaves with drip tips -> these shed water quickly to prevent the leaves from rotting

Question 7

Adaptation of buttress roots

Answer 7

The stretch up from the ground to help to anchor the tree to the ground

Question 8

Adaptation of lianas

Answer 8

woody vines 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.

Question 9

adaptation of epiphytes

Answer 9

Grow upon other plants and evolved to get all nutrients from water and air rather than the soil

Question 10

Adaptation of sloths

Answer 10

• Huge claws allows sloths to hang upside down in the branches
• The fur grows away from their feet to help shed rain when they’re upside down
• Green algae growing in their fur helps to camouflage them from predators

Question 11

Adaptation of lemurs and monkeys

Answer 11

• Have evolved to live in the canopy layer where most of the food is
• Long tails used for balance
• Strong claws to grip trees and branches

Question 12

Adaptation of Jaguars/tigers/leopards

Answer 12

• all have camouflaged fur
• The dark and light fur patches blend in with the shade and sunlight on the forest floor

Question 13

Adaptation of Rainforest birds

Answer 13

• very loud calls because it’s easier to hear a mare than see them in the dense canopy
• Parrots and toucans have powerful beaks to break open nuts

Question 14

input

Answer 14

Something that is put into the system

Question 15

output

Answer 15

Something that is produced by a system

Question 16

store

Answer 16

Where something is kept

Question 17

flow

Answer 17

How something moves from one store to another

Question 18

Recycling

Answer 18

How material/ energy is used in the system

Question 19

What are the three main stores of a nutrient cycle?

Answer 19

• biomass
• soil
• litter

Question 20

In a nutrient cycle, what shows how nutrients move between the stores

Answer 20

nutrient transfers

Question 21

Where does the soil store receive and give out nutrients from?

Answer 21

receive: Weathering (the chemical breakdown rocks adds nutrients to the soil) and decay (litter decomposes returning nutrients to the soil)
Give out: leaching (nutrients are washed out of the soil as water moves through)

Question 22

Where does the litter store receive and give out nutrients from?

Answer 22

receive: fallout (dead plants and animals become litter on the soil surface) and precipitation (rainfall adds nutrients)
Give out: run-off (water washes litter away, removing nutrients) and decay (litter decomposes returning nutrients to the soil)

Question 23

Where does the biomass store receive and give out nutrients from?

Answer 23

Receive: Growth/ uptake (as plant grow, they take nutrients from the soil)
give out: fallout (dead plants and animals become litter on the soil surface)

Question 24

Normal nutrient cycle

Question 25

Tropical rainforest nutrient cycle

Question 26

Differences between regular nutrient cycle and the tropical nutrient cycle

Answer 26

• litter store is smaller in TRF -> climate allows for more decomposition and therefore litter transfers into soil
• Growth transfer bigger in TRF -> lots of rain and sun favours plant grow
• Bleaching output is bigger in TRF -> more rain causes more nutrients to be washed out of the soil

Question 27

Food web

Answer 27

Chain of name and arrows showing what animals feed on

Question 28

Producers

Answer 28

Organisms - either a green plant or bacterium which is part of the first level of a food chain

Question 29

Primary consumer

Answer 29

Eat plants exclusively and are all herbivores.

Question 30

Secondary consumers

Answer 30

Eat primary consumers. Can be classified into one of two groups. Carnivores (eat meat), Omnivores (eat meat and plants)

Question 31

Tertiary consumers

Answer 31

A carnivore at the topmost level in a food chain that feeds on other carnivores; an animal that feeds only on secondary consumers