Section B - Tropical Rainforest Flashcards
What are the 5 Rainforest Structures?
Emergent, Canopy, Under Canopy, Shrub Layer, Forest Floor.
What is the Emergent?
This layer receives bright sunlight and plenty of rain and is also very windy
What is the Canopy?
The canopy, which may be over 100 feet (30 m) above the ground, is made up of the overlapping branches and leaves of rainforest trees. This is the richest habitat for life
What is the Under Canopy?
is the layer above the forest floor. This area is shady and cooler. There is very limited sunlight. The gap that is left in the canopy is quickly filled as new plants grow into it.
What is the Shrub Layer?
has dense vegetation. From ground level up these levels of vegetation are The shrub layer. It is dark and gloomy with very little vegetation between the trees. During heavy rainfalls, this area can flood.
What is the Forest Floor?
is the lowest layer where it is dark, hot, and damp. Only two per cent of sunlight gets through the thick canopy trees and understorey plants to reach the forest floor. Large-leafed shrubs and saplings (new trees) grow in the patches of sunlight.
What are the 4 Rainforest Characteristics excluding soil?
Very warm with an average daily temperature of 28°C. The temperature never drops below 20°C and rarely exceeds 35°C.
The atmosphere is hot and humid.
The climate is consistent all year round. There are no seasons.
Very wet with over 2,000 mm of rainfall per year.
What is the soil like in a RAinforest?
A thin layer of fertile soil that is red.
Nutrients are washed due to heavy rainfall.
Name and Explain the 5 Plant Adaptations to a Tropical Rainforest.
Lianas - woody vines that have roots in the ground, they climb up to reach the sunlight.
Tree Trunks - Tall and thin allowing trees to reach sunlight, and smooth bark to allow water to flow down.
Drip Tips - Pointy leaves on plants allow water to flow down.
Buttress Roots - Large roots with ridges for support.
Epiphytes - Plants that live on the top branches of trees to maximise intake of sunlight. (Fig Trees)
Give 4 examples of animals and explain how they are adapted to living in a Tropical Rainforest.
Sloth- uses camouflage and slow movements to escape predators.
Spider Monkey- has long, strong limbs to help it to climb through the rainforest trees.
The flying frog- has fully webbed hands and feet, and a flap of loose skin that stretches between its limbs, which allows it to glide from plant to plant
Toucan- has a long, large bill to allow it to reach and cut fruit from branches that are too weak to support its weight.
Amazon Case Study - Deforestation Activities- Explain Subsistence Farming
It is growing crops for own use. There are nearly 3 million landless people in Brazil alone. The government has cleared large areas of the Amazon Rainforest and encouraged people to move there. The scheme has not been successful. Farmers stay on the same land and attempt to farm it year after year. Nutrients in the soil are quickly exhausted as there is no longer a humus layer to provide nutrients. The ground becomes infertile, and nothing will grow.
Amazon Case Study - Deforestation Activities- Explain commercial/Arable Farming
Large plantations have been created from cleared areas of rainforest. Crops such as oil, pineapple and sugar cane are grown. The majority of clearance for commercial farming has occurred to make way for soybean cultivation. As with cattle farming, the land can only sustain crops for a short period, which leads to further deforestation
Amazon Case Study - Deforestation Activities- Explain Logging
commercial logging (cutting down trees to sell/use the wood) accounts for only 3% of deforestation. However, deforestation must occur before the other land uses occur. Where only high-value trees are removed, it is called selective logging. However, to access more valuable wood, it is often the case that other, less valuable, trees are also removed to improve access. These are commonly used as fuelwood or made into pulp or charcoal. Vast areas of forest are cleared at once. This is known as clear-cutting.
Amazon Case Study - Deforestation Activities- Explain Mining
The primary type of mining in the Amazon is for gold. However, other minerals are also extracted including iron ore, bauxite and oil. In 1999 10,000 hectares of land were used for mining. However, this had increased to 50,000 hectares by 2016. Mining causes complete devastation to the environment as trees are clear-felled, and the topsoil is completely removed to access the minerals underground.
Amazon Case Study - Deforestation Activities- Explain Road Building
Roads are required to access the Amazon rainforest bring in heavy transport and machinery and send goods to market, roads are necessary. Large swathes of rainforest have been removed making way for roads. Once a road has been constructed, it opens the rainforest to other users. People settle along roads due to accessibility, which leads to further deforestation as houses are built and crops are grown. The construction of the Transamazon Highway has allowed increased access to remote areas of the Amazon Rainforest.
