People and the Biosphere

Question 1

Biomes

Answer 1

Large scale global ecosystems with distinctive vegetation

Question 2

What determines the type of biome in an area?

Answer 2

The climate in an area

Question 3

Biomes

Answer 3

Tropical forest
Boreal forest
Temperate grassland
Tundra
Temperate forest
Tropical grassland
Desert

Question 4

Tropical forest climate

Answer 4

High temperatures(20-28C) since it’s near the equator where the Sun’s overhead all year round
Day length 12 hours all year round
Lots of sunlight
High rainfall(2000mm per hear)

Question 5

Tropical forest(plants)

Answer 5

Trees evergreen to take advantage of continual growing season dhe to warm and wet climate, plants grow quickly and are adapted to take in maximum light(evergreen plants don’t drop their leaves in a particular season)

Question 6

Tropical forest(animals)

Answer 6

Dense vegetation provides lots of food and habitats, meaning lots of different species of animal, insects and birds

Question 7

Types of animals in the tropical forest

Answer 7

Gorillas, jaguars, anacondas, tree frogs and sloths

Question 8

Tropical forest(soil)

Answer 8

Plants grow quickly and shed leaves all year round which decompose quickly, meaning a constant supply of nutrients in the soil.

Question 9

Biotic components

Answer 9

The living components of a biome
(plants,animals,people)

Question 10

Abiotic components

Answer 10

The non-living components of a biome(climate, soils, water)

Question 11

Tropical forest features(interdependent ecosystem)

Answer 11

The dense leaf cover protects the forest floor from wind and heavy rainfall
Root systems hold the soil together and stop it neing eroded
Plants rely on bees, butterflies and other animals for pollination due to lack of wind near forest flood
Rainforests have extremely high biodiversity(50% of the world’s species) as it’s been around for a long time witnout the climate changing.

Question 12

Plant adaptations(tropical rainforest)

Answer 12

Tropical rainforests have a layered structure(are stratified), which affects how much sunlight can reach the different levels of vegetation and provides lots of different habitats.
There are epiphytes(plants that brow on other plants) to get access to light.
Emergents are the tallest trees, with straight trunks and bramches and leaves at the top to get light, with buttress roots to support their trunks.
Shrub layers near the ground have large, broad leaves to absorb as much light as they can since near the ground it’s dark.
Root systems hold the soil together and stop it being eroded.

Question 13

Animal adaptations in tropical rainforest

Answer 13

Animals like flying squirrels have flaps of skin to glide between trees,
Animals are camouflaged(e.g. leaf-tailed geckos) to hide from predators.
Animals spend lives high in the canopy and have strong limbs to climb and leap from tree to tree

Question 14

Nutrient storage in ecosystem

Answer 14

Biomass(living organisms)
Dead organic material(litter)
The soil

Question 15

Nutrient transfer

Answer 15

1)Trees are evergreen, so dead leaves and other material fall all year round.
2)The warm, moist coimate means fungi and bacteria decompose dead organic material quickly, the nutrients released are soluble and soaked up by the soil,
3)Dense vegetation and rapid plant growth mean nutrients are quickly taken up by plants’ roots
4)Rocks are broken down under soil, which also releases nutrients into the soil.

Question 16

Losses in nutrient cycle

Answer 16

Runoff(surface flow) due to dead organic material.
Leaching(from soil), washing out any soluble chemicals not bound to soil particles

Question 17

Biodiversity

Answer 17

Variety of organisms living in a particular area