Rainforests Flashcards
Where are Rainforests distributed?
Around the equater (With exceptions in Japan and Oceania)
What Climate is needed for a rainforest?
Warm Climate
What is the average yearly rainfall
80 inches
How much of the worlds surface do rainforests cover?
6-7%
What is the average temperature?
29 degrees Celsius
How much of the worlds animal and plant species live there?
50%
What is the ground level?
Forest floor, Damp and Warm
What is the under canopy?
Trees below the canopy, dark as there is less sunlight
What is the canopy?
Main area of trees, where most animals live
What are emergents?
Trees that grow tall to reach the sunlight
How is the Jaguar adapted to living in the rainforest?
Can swim, climb trees, long tails to help balance, sharp teeth and claws to catch prey, camoflaged
How is the Toucan adapted to living in the rainforest?
Long beak to catch prey, camoflaged with environment, strong claws to grip to trees, bright colours scare off predators
How is Devils Ivy adapted?
Can climb up tree trunks (Epiphite) to reach the light, has aerial roots to support itself, laef angling to avoid shading its own leaves, Drip tip leaves (allows excess water to drip off preventing algae growth)
How is the Swiss Cheese plant adapted?
Holes in leaves (disperses water quickly) (Enables sunlight to reach lower leaves) (Stops the leaves from being ripped apart by high wind speeds)
What does biodiversity mean?
The variety of plant and animal life in the world or a particular habitat
What is Deforestation?
The act of removing large areas of forest
What are the main reasons for deforestation?
MIning, logging for hardwood (legal and illegal), Cattle ranching, Subsistence and Commercial agriculture
What is the average height of most emergents?
60 metres
What does goods mean?
Physical things we can touch
What does services mean?
Ways/processes that take place in the tropical rainforests that maintain life. Often we can’t touch them, eg. the soaking up of Co2 by the plants.
Why should rainforests be protected?
Provide habitats for plants and animals, thay regulate our climate, home to indiginous people, more than 25% of medicines originate in the rainforest, many foods come from rainforests, help prevent soil erosion
What is sustainable development?
Meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
What is logging
Cutting down trees in rainforest (legal and illegal)
What is soil erosion
Removal of soil by wind and rain
