Selected habitat: tropical rainforest Flashcards
What percentage of earths land is covered by tropical rainforest?
10%
What is the climate like in tropical rainforest
Relatively stable over a long time periods
What has a stable climate Allowed for in tropical rainforest
Species have adapted for the local abiotic and biotic factors
What is the problem with being adapted to relatively stable conditions
Make species vulnerable to extinction as a small change in the environmental conditions may move them outside of their range of tolerance
What are photosynthesis rates in tropical rainforests?
High due to high light levels
Why is it good to have a high photosynthesis rate?
Providing a lot of food energy to support a rich food web
Are there seasonal changes in tropical rainforest
No there are constant warm temperatures and regular high rainfall
What Is the benefit for species due to the lack of seasonal change
Reliable food supplies are available to animals for all the year and there’s no need to hibernate or migrate
What migratory species are present in the tropical rainforest
Migratory species often of come from other areas that have fluctuating seasons
Is there any need for species to evolve in tropical rainforests
No because the abiotic conditions have been stable for a long time and do not fluctuate seasonally and the biotic factors have been adapted to
What is the main survival pressure in tropical rainforests
Biotic factors: getting food, avoiding being eaten, and evolving better inter-species relationships
What competition is there between plants?
Competition for light
How have plants evolved to to get to light quickly?
Have a tall trunk (but this requires a lot of energy)
How do smaller plants need to adapt?
Evolve methods of utilising lower light levels
What sort adaptions to plants have for low light levels?
Denser chlorophyll or additional pigments to absorb wavelengths of light that pass through taller plants
What are epiphytes?
plant that grows on another plant
What are the characteristics of epiphytes?
have no attachment to the ground or other obvious nutrient source and are not parasitic on the supporting plants
What is an example of an epiphyte?
Tiger orchid
Spanish moss
What are the layers of the rainforest from top to bottom?
Emergent layer
Main canopy
Understory
Shrub layer
Ground layer
Why might epiphytes struggle?
Less reliable water and nutrient supplies
Why do the stable conditions reduce competition for animal services (plants)?
Plants don’t have to flower or produce seeds or fruit at the same time so less competition for seed dispersal
How is animal survival increased by the stability of conditions and lack of seasonal change?
Food in the form of nectar,seeds or fruit is available to animals throughout the year
What is the common tree type in tropical rainforests?
Deciduous so they lose their leaves
Do all trees in the tropical rainforest shed their leaves at the same time?
No they do it at different ties in the year
Why is it important that trees don’t all lose their leaves at the same time?
As an animals that feed on vegetation with have a reduced or no food supply at all.
Does high biodiversity on its own make an area important
No
What does higher biodiversity Increase the chances of
Finding species that are useful to humans
What type of species are useful to humans
New food species, medical discoveries, biomimetic applications
What adaptations of plants have to protect themselves
Most commonly done by producing toxic chemicals such as alkaloids
How can humans benefit from the toxic chemicals produced by plants and animals
Alkaloids which are produced by plants may have medical value for humans
Animals also produce medically viable chemicals to avoid predation
In what ways do animals produce medically valuable substances
 Those that want to avoid predation especially those that can’t protect themselves with teeth and claws
Those that use venom to catch prey
