Section B - The Living World Flashcards
What is an ecosystem
Includes all the living and non-living parts in an area
What is a producer
Uses sunlight energy to produce food
What is a consumer
Gets it energy by eating other organisms
What is a decomposer
Is an organism that gets its energy by breaking down dead material
What is the difference between a food chain and a food web
Food chain - shows what eats what
Food web - shows lots of food chains and how they overlap
Nutrient cycle
- Animals and plants die and decompose, returning nutrients to the soil
- Plants absorb nutrients from the soil and use them to grow
- Plants drop their leaves
4.animals eat plants, taking in the nutrients they contain
What are the four layers of plants in the rainforest from high to low
Emergent trees
Main canopy
Undercanopy
Shrub layer
How do some plants adapt to physical conditions in a tropical rainforests
Lianas use tree trunks to reach sunlight
Buttress roots support the tall trees’ trunks
Smooth, thin bark helps water to run off easily
Plants have thick, waxy leaves with pointed drip tips repelling the rain
Why are tropical rainforests valuable to people and the environment
Medicine is sourced from the rainforest
Ecotourism
Climate change could affect all countries not just the countries where deforestation is happening
Helps to regulate climate and water cycle
What are ways to sustain tropical rainforests
Selective logging
Replanting
Ecotourism
Education
How do fennec foxes adapt in hot deserts
Nocturnal animals stay Cool by sleeping when temp is the hottest
Have long ears, giving them a larger surface area to lose heat from
How do camels adapt in hot deserts
Store fat in their humps so they can survive without water for long periods of time
Triple eyelids, long eyelashes and ability to close their nostrils to keep sand out during sandstorms
Large,flat feet so they don’t sink into the sand
Adaptations of plants
Large,fleshy stems for storing water
Thick waxy skin to reduce transpiration
Long roots to reach deep water
Spines contain toxins to protect plants from predators
What are the development opportunities in the Sahara desert
Mineral resources
Oil and gas
Farming
Solar energy
Tourism
What are the challenges to development in the Sahara desert
Extreme temperatures
Inaccessibility
Limited water supply
What is desertification
The degradation of land, making it drier and less productive
What are human factors that cause desertification
Removal of fuel wood
Overgrazing
Over-cultivation
Population growth
What are physical factors that cause desertification
Rainfall
Temperatures
How can the risk of desertification be reduced
Water management
Tree planting
Soil management
Appropriate technology
What is a case study for deforestation
Amazon rainforest
What is a case study for hot deserts
Sahara desert
What are development opportunities in the Sahara
Mineral resources
Solar energy
Tourism
Oil and gas
Farming
What are the challenges
