SectionB: Living World Flashcards
ecosystem definition
An ecosystem is a community of plants and animals that interact with each other and their physical environment
biotic
living
abiotic
non-living
biotic factor example
plants and animals
abiotic factor example
soil light and water
producer definition
an organism or plant that is able to absorb energy from the sun through photosynthesis
consumer definition
a creature that eats herbivores and/or plant matter
decomposer definition
an organism such as a bacterium or fungus that breaks down dead tissue, which is then recycled back into the environment, recycle nutrients back into the soil
food chain definition
the connections between different organisms that rely on one another as their source of food
food web definition
a complex hierarchy of plants and animals relying on each other for food
2things that happen as you go up the trophic levels
energy decreases
biomass decreases
case study ecosystem
freshwater pond
example of a food chain in a freshwater pond
algae, mayfly, caddis,fish, kingfisher
what would happen if a pond owner added a new predator, perch, into the ecosystem
amount of fish would decrease
heron would decrease as their food has decreased
increase in smaller creatures as there will be less predators
biome definition
a large global ecosystem e.g. desert, tropical rainforest
tropical rainforest distribution
close to the Equator
high temperature and heavy rainfall
South America
desert distribution
roughly 30 degrees north and south of the equator
Antarctica=largest cold desert
Sahara=largest hot desert
savanna grassland distribution
between 15-30 degrees north and south of the equator
wet and dry seasons
wildfires when dry
thunderstorms when wet
Mediterranean distribution
40-45 degrees of the equator
hot sunny dry summers
mild winters
olive trees and fruit trees grow here
biome formation
parallel to lines of latitude, this is due to the climate they need to be formed by global atmospheric circulation
temperate coniferous and deciduous woodland distribution
roughly 30-40 degrees north of the equator
deciduous shed leaves in the winter to maintain moisture
Europe
tundra distribution
60-70 degrees north from the arctic circle
low growing plants
northern canada and across northern europe
polar distribution
acrtic, antarctica and greenland. above the arctic and antactic circle
how does latitude influence the location of global ecosystems
between polar and ferrell- the suns rays are concentrated over a larger area so it is colder
hadley- suns rays are concentrated over a small area so it is hot
biomes listed from north to south
polar tundra t.d woodland mediterranean desert savanna grassland tropical rainforests
what type of climate does the rainforest have
equatorial
biodiversity definition
the variety of plants and animals species in a biome or ecosystem
how many of the world’s plants and animals live in the rainforest
over 50%
what is the soil like in the rainforest
heavy rainfall leaches away nutrients leaving an infertile iron-rich soil
what is the soil in the rainforest called
latosol
characteristics of the emergent layer
plants reach 60m in height
trees have buttress roots to stabilise them
animals=eagles,monkeys and bats
characteristics of the canopy
plants are 25-45m in height
leaves have drip tips
leaves are large to absorb light
characteristics of the under canopy
plants recieve 2-15% of sunlight
10m in height
lianas climb trees to get to sunlight
characteristics of the forest floor
plants only get 1-2% sunlight
air is damp and humid- little rainfall
3.5m plants
animals=cockroaches, beetles and earthworms
plant adaptation of height
tall to reach sunlight
plant adaptation of drip tips
to drip water to lower layers
plant adaptation of a straight trunk and little branches
as there is no room to fully grow
plant adaptation of lianas
to reach sunlight
plant adaptation of buttress roots
stabilise the tree
nutrients on the surface
plant adaptation of shallow roots
soil is latosol and is infertile
what are epiphytes
live on trunks and branches
get nutrients from other trees
search for sunlight
sloth adaptations
very slow so its unseen
strong long arms to climb
green algae to camouflage
sleep 15-20 hours a day to conserve energy
poison dart frog adaptations
bright colours to warn predators
secrete enough toxin to kill 100 humans
suction pods to cling to trees
deforestation definition
permanent destruction of forests in order to make the land available for other uses
where is deforestation happening the most
Brazil and Indonesia
they account for 40% of deforestation
6 causes of deforestation in Malaysia
logging mining hydro-electric power population pressure subsistence farming commercial
causes of deforestation in Malaysia- logging
log timber- build homes and pulp- to make paper
Malaysia became the world’s largets tropical wood exporter in the 1980’s
they have shifted to selective logging so only fully grown trees can be felled
causes of deforestation in Malaysia- mining
they mainly extract tin and metal
metals are extracted by smelting, bull dozing and chemicals to join metals
more recently in borneo oil and gas have been extracted
causes of deforestation in Malaysia- hydro-electric power
in 2011 they opened the Bakun Dam which was 205m, the highest outside of China
700 square km of farmland was flooded to build the dam
the benefits of HEP is that it is renewable energy and supplies energy for industrial Malaysia
causes of deforestation in Malaysia- population pressure
in the past it was encouraged to move to the countryside to ease pressure on the growing cities
between 1950-1980 37,000 sq/km acres of land cut down
infrastructure, roads,shops, schools and hospitals were developed to provide for the movement of people
causes of deforestation in Malaysia- subsistence farming
subsistence farming is poor farmers relying on clearing rainforest to the farm the land to feed families
slash and burn is felling then burning areas of rainforest which causes out of control fires
land is cleared for a few years then farmed, nutrients extracted through leaching
causes of deforestation in Malaysia- commercial farming
palm oil platations is to blame for 6 million acres lost in Borneo (39% of forests)
plantation owners are given tax insentives to encourage deforestation
palm oil is used for processed food, cosmetics and cleaning products
9 impacts of deforestation in Malaysia
global warming losing oxygen desertification loss of habitats lack of medicine homeless tribes loss of biodiversity shortage of food soil erosion
impacts of deforestation in Malaysia global warming
global warming has increased as there are less trees to photosynthesise
impacts of deforestation in Malaysia losing oxygen
the rainforest provides 20% of the global oxygen
impacts of deforestation in Malaysia desertification
as there is no vegetation to absorb rain so the ground is baked hard by the sun, farmers will lose their jobs as crops can’t be grown
impacts of deforestation in Malaysia loss of habitats
70% of the world’s plants and animals live in tropical forests and they are losing their habitats
impacts of deforestation in Malaysia lack of medicine
could mean the end of medical research and local populations who rely on the animals and plants in the forests for hunting and medicine
impacts of deforestation in Malaysia homeless tribes
tribes homes and hunting grounds will be destroyed, some tribes may be killed by the workers when defending their homes
impacts of deforestation in Malaysia loss of biodiversity
many plants and animals could become extinct e.g. Pandas
impacts of deforestation in Malaysia shortage of food
exotic foods will become rarer and more expensive
impacts of deforestation in Malaysia soil erosion
soil is now loos and therefore is prone to leaching and wind erosion, this dramatically reduces the likelihood of replantation
sustainable definition
actions to meet the demands of the present without comprimising the ability of future generations’ needs
why should rainforests be protected for future generations biodiversity
half of plants and animals live here
why should rainforests be protected for future generations water
20% of fresh water is from the amazon basin
why should rainforests be protected for future generations medicine
2000 plants could have healing properties
25% of all medicine has came from here
why should rainforests be protected for future generations uses of trees
natural resources
why should rainforests be protected for future generations global warming
so climate change is prevented
if trees are cut down then more carbon dioxide will be released which is a greenhouse gas so will contribute to global warming and produce effects such as the ice caps melting
why should rainforests be protected for future generations tribes
indigenous people could become extinct, they are currently harmless
sustainable management of deforestation international agreements- FSC
forest stewardship council
means it comes from legal, well-managed forests
is on everything from garden furniture and DIY materials to toilet tissue and stationary
sustainable management of deforestation international agreements-Debt reduction
countries can be encouraged to conserve areas of rainforest in exchange for a reduction of their national debt
2010 the USA signed an agreement to convert a brazilian debt of £13.5 million into a fund to protect large areas of tropical rainforest
sustainable management of deforestation selective logging
as opposed to clear felling, only the tallest fully grown trees are felled, this was introduced in Malaysia in 1977
sustainable management of deforestation conservation and education
the rainforest can be preserved in conservation areas such as national parks or nature reserves, these areas can be used for education, scientific research and tourism
recently large international businesses have supported conservation projects in exchange for carrying out scientific research or the provision of raw materials
sustainable management of deforestation ecotourism
through income generated by ecotourism, local people and government benefit from retaining and protecting the rainforest trees, this is a more sustainable option than cutting them down for short-term profit. It minimises environmental damage and employs local people
cold environment definition
cold environments experience temperatures which are at or below 0 degrees for long periods of time
example of a cold environment
Antarctica which experiences temperatures below zero throughout the year. In addition Northern Canada which experiences cold winters
what biomes consist of cold environments
polar and tundra
polar climate
winter below -50 degrees, low precipitation
tundra climate
winter -20 degrees
brief summers can be quite warm
precipitation (snow) can be high
polar soil
permanently covered by ice so will be frozen throughout the year
tundra soil
permafrost but will melt in the summer on the surface releasing carbon dioxide
water logged as water is trapped by the permafrost
polar plants
moss can be found on the edges of ice
tundra plants
low growing flowering plants such as bearberries
low bushes and small trees may grow in warmer regions
polar animals
polar bears are adaptated to retain heat with their thick fur
penguins lay eggs on land and bring up their young before returning to the ocean
tundra animals
more food options so arctic fox and arctic hares live here
birds and insects are more common in the summer
arctic fur adaptations
deep thick fur and short legs and ears to keep warm and reduce heat loss
white fur to camouflage
polar bear adaptations
42 teeth to hunt
large paws to swim
white fur to camouflage
4 inches of fat for warmth
cold environment case study
Svalbard
where is Svalbard
Norweigan territory in the Arctic ocean and the most northernly inhaibted group of islands in the world
located to the east of greenland and the north-east of the UK
longyerbyen population
2700
opportunities for development
mining
tourism
energy production
fishing
challenges for development
extreme temperatures
construction
services
accessibility
