Sustaining Ecosystems

Question 1

What is an Ecosystem?

Answer 1

> A unit that includes all the biotic parts and the abiotic parts in an area.

Question 2

What is a decomposer?

Answer 2

> An organism that gets its energy by breaking down dead material.

Question 3

What are the different Global ecosystems

Answer 3

> Coral reefs, Grassland, Temperate Forest, Polar, Hot Desert, Tropical Rainforest

Question 4

Describe the Polar ecosystem?
Include: Climate, Animals, Plants

Answer 4

Climate:
>Polar areas are very cold, temps usually less than 10.
>Low rainfall
Animals:
>Polar bears, penguins, marine mammals
Plants:
>Very few plants- some lichens and mosses
>Slow and short plants and trees

Question 5

Describe the Deserts ecosystem?
Include: Climate, Animals, Plants

Answer 5

Climate:
>Very little rainfall
>Extreme temps e.g. 45
Plants:
>Sparse plants due to rainfall
>Cacti and thorn bushes, log plant roots
Animals:
>Home to lizards, snakes, insects.
>Mammals tend to be small, they’re adapted to cope with harsh climates.

Question 6

Describe the Savannah Grasslands ecosystem?
Include: Climate, Animals, Plants

Answer 6

Climate:
>Low rainfall and distinct and dry seasons
Plants:
>Mostly grass and small plants
Animals:
>Lots of insects like grasshoppers.

Question 7

Describe the Temperate Grasslands ecosystem?
Include: Climate, Animals, Plants

Answer 7

Climate:
>Hot summers and cold winters. they receive 250-500 mm precipitation.
Plants:
>Dominated by grasslands and small plants, very few trees
Animals:
>Few animals species

Question 8

Describe the Coral reefs ecosystem?
Include: Climate, Animals, Plants

Answer 8

Climate:
>Most common in warm areas, receives a lot of sunlight
Animals:
>Coral is an animal, around 25% of all marine species live here
Plants:
>Underwater few plants
>Tiny algae live inside the tissue

Question 9

Describe the Temperate Forests ecosystem?
Include: Climate, Animals, Plants

Answer 9

Climate:
>High rainfall, 4 distinct seasons
Animals:
>Mammals a lot like foxes and squirrels
Plants:
>There are deciduous and coniferous forests

Question 10

Describe the Tropical Forests ecosystem?
Include: Climate, Animals, Plants

Answer 10

Climate:
>Climate is same all year
>It hot and high rainfall
Animals:
>Most animal species than any other ecosystems. e.g. Gorillas, Jaguars
Plants:
>Evergreen trees, dense vegetation,

Question 11

Explain the Water Cycle?

Answer 11

1)Water evaporates from water bodies and land- evaporation
2)Water vapour is moved by winds
3)The water vapour condensed
4)Water flows from one place to another in various ways and is also stored on the land
5)Water eventually ends up back in this river

Question 12

Explain the Nutrient Cycle?

Answer 12

> Trees are evergreen, so dead leaves and other materials fall all year round.
The warm, moist climate means that fungi decompose the dead organic matter, releasing nutrients
Rainwater soaks into the soil and the nutrients are dissolved into the water
Dense vegetation and rapid plant growth mean the nutrient rich water is rapidly taken up by plants’ roots.

Question 13

Describe how soils are effected in the Nutrient cycle?

Answer 13

> The hot, wet climate means that chemical weathering is rapid.
This means there is usually a deep layer of soil
The trees drop their leaves all year round, so there is a constant supply of dead leaves and twigs falling onto the soil surface.
This is quickly broken down to form humus which then gets mixed with the soil
Thin layer of humus is produced because high density and fast-growing plants

Question 14

What are goods Produced in Rainforests?

Answer 14

> Hardwoods e.g. mahogany
Products like rubber, coffee, chocolate.
Provide opportunities for farming and minin

Question 15

What are the services provided by the Rainforest

Answer 15

> Home to the highest diversity of animals and plants
Plants absorb 0.7 bill tones of CO2
They help regulate the water cycle

Question 16

How does Human Activities impact Rainforests?

Answer 16

> Logging:
.Removal of trees interrupts the water cycle which leads to some areas becoming very dry.
.Without trees to hold the soil together, heavy rain washes away the soil.
Tourists:
.Tourists may scare wildlife
.They may also damage vegetation and leave behind litter
.In order for infrastructure to be build vegetation has to be cleared.

Question 17

Explain a sustainable way people are trying to manage rainforests?

Answer 17

> Ecotourism:
Ecotourism is tourism that minimise damage to the environment and benefits the local people
1)Yachana Lodge is an ecotourism project in Ecuador, a remote area in the Amazon where local people rely on substinence farming to provide a living.
Advantages:
It employs local people, giving them a more reliable income+ better quality of life
Tourists visit in small groups so that harm to the environment is minimised and take part in activities to raise awareness.
Tourists have to pay entrance fees, which brings in more money for conservation.

Question 18

Compare climate in The Arctic and Antarctica?

Answer 18

The Arctic:
>Average summer less than 10 degrees and winter is -20 - -40

Antarctica:
>Is more colder, summer temps is -20 to -5, winter is -90.

Question 19

Compare Flora and Fauna in The Arctic and Antarctica?

Answer 19

The Arctic:
Fauna-Whales, seals, fish, polar bears
Flora-Low growing shrubs, lichen ,moss

Antarctica:
Fauna-Seals, penguins
Flora-moss, lichen and phytoplankton

Question 20

Compare the features of land and sea in The Arctic and Antarctica?

Answer 20

The Arctic:
Sea-Majority is made up of ocean and icebergs, sea extends further in winter.
Land-Mountainous regions, areas that are permanently covered with snow and ice.

Antarctica:
Land-99% land mass is covered with an ice sheet and a few mountains
Sea-Sea freezes in winter nearly doubling the size of the continent

Question 21

Describe how human impacts affect polar environments?

Answer 21

Tourism:
>Increases shipping and air travel, leading to water and air pollution
>Tourists can disturb breeding colonies of birds and seals
>Litter and waste disposal damages habitats and can harm wildlife.

Fishing:
>Over-fishing threatens many species existence
>Reduced fishing populations have knock-one-effects on other food chains.
>Other species can get affected.

Question 22

Explain a sustainable way people are trying to manage polar environments?

Answer 22

> Svalbard a group of island sin the Artic Circle is promoting sustainable tourism.
Different zones have different levels of protection
Cruise ships are required to tell passengers about the rules visitors have to follow.
The ships are only allowed to remain anchored for a few hours reducing pollution from diesel.
Big cruise ships aren’t available to visit as they release a lot of fuel.