Sustaining Ecosystems Flashcards
What is an ecosystem?
The interdependence and interactions of plants, animals, soil, water, and climate
What examples of biotic and abiotic factors are there?
[3 each]
- Biotic: Plants, insects, birds
- Abiotic: Water, soil, gases
What is interdependence?
The idea that if one part of the ecosystem changes, it affects many other parts
Where are Polar regions found?
Around the North and South Poles
Where are Coral Reefs found?
Mostly between 30N and 30S of equator, a few miles off the coast
Where are Grasslands found?
At mid-latitudes(30N and 30S)
Where are temperate forests found?
Mainly mid-latitudes and 60N, between tropics and polar regions
Where are Tropical Rainforests found?
Around the equator, between the tropics(and ITCZ)
Where are hot deserts found?
Between 15 and 35N and S of the equator
What is a biome and what are the 3 causes of them?
- A biome is a large scale ecosystem
- Global circulation(cells)
- Latitude(solar insolation)
- Cloud cover, prevailing winds
Temperature, Precipitation, Seasons
What is the climate, flora, and fauna like in Polar regions? [4]
- Cold, less than 10C, with low rainfall
- Clearly defined seasons; cold summers and colder winters
- VERY FEW PLANTS; mosses, lichens, short, slow-growing grasses and even trees in warmer areas
- Polar bears, penguins, whales, seals
Temperature, Precipitation, Seasons
What is the climate, flora, and fauna like in Coral Reefs? [3]
- Warm, lots of sunlight, and shallow, salty water(16-30C)
- Coral and Algae present and dependent on each other for food
- 80% of all marine species like fish, shrimps, turtles
Temperature, Precipitation, Seasons
What is the climate, flora, and fauna like in Grasslands? [6]
- Temperate have up to 40C summers and down to -40C winters, and low precipitation, mostly in Spring.
- Grass and scattered trees; plants have adapted with wide-spreading roots to reach nutrients
- Bison, wild horses, and mole rats
- Tropical have up to 35C and down to 15C before and after wet season, and low precipitation
- Same plants as temperate(i.e. Acacia)
- Termites, lions, zebras, giraffes
Temperature, Precipitation, Seasons
What is the climate, flora, and fauna like in Temperate forests?[5]
- Warm summers and cold winters, and high rainfall
- Four distinct seasons
- Moist rich soil means excellent conditions for plants, so ferns, brambles, bluebells
- Broad-leaved deciduous trees
- Fish and mosquitoes, birds, insects
Temperature, Precipitation, Seasons
What is the climate, flora, and fauna like in Tropical Rainforests? [4]
- No seasons; same all year round
- Sun overhead all year round so hot, rain everyday so high precipitation
- Dense vegetation cover, so little light reaches the bottom, emergent trees with big roots for stability and growth
- Gorillas, anacondas, frogs, sloths
Temperature, Precipitation, Seasons
What is the climate, flora, and fauna like in Hot deserts? [3]
- Extreme temperatures with very low rainfall although very variable, can get very hot, and sub-zero in the night
- Lack of rain means sparse growth; cacti, thornbushes, far stretching roots to reach water
- Snakes, lizards, scorpions
What are the distinctive characteristics of a tropical rainforest? [4]
- Climate
- Nutrient Cycle
- Soil fertility
- Water Cycle
What is the nutrient cycle in a tropical rainforest like? [3]
- Trees are evergreen, so dead leaves and other materials fall
- Warm, moist conditions mean it decomposes quickly due to bacteria,releasing nutrients into the soil and dissolves into rainwater
- Dense vegetation means a large amount of nutrients are stored in biomass
- They drop their leaves and animals catch the plants, so the cycle repeats
What is the soil fertility like in a tropical rainforest? [2]
- Hot, wet climate means rapid chemical weathering, so a deep soil layer forms
- Thick leaf layer from decomposing leaves breaks down to form humus
- Due to fast growing plants rapidly absorbing nutrients they are leached, washed through soil, making it’s quality poor.
What is the water cycle like in tropical rainforests? [2]
- Most rain is intercepted by the canopy, so it returns to the atmosphere by transpiration
- Rain that reaches the soil is absorbed by trees, so if trees are cut down, it causes soil erosion and floods into rivers
What is interdependence in tropical rainforests like? [2]
- Leaf cover prevents soil erosion from the warm, wet climate
- Lack of wind on forest floor means plants rely on bees and insects for pollination
- Epiphthytes grow high up on other plants to get access to light, but are dependent on rainfall for water
Why are tropical rainforests so valuable to humans? [4]
- They store 15% of our CO2 emissions
- 60 million people live in areas with tropical rainforests
- 2/3rds of Brazil’s power is hydroelectric from rainforests and rivers within them
- They contain over 50% of all animal and plant species
- 25% of modern medicines come from rainforest ingredients
What impacts do humans have on rainforests? [3]
- Logging; contributes to climate change AND leads to soil erosion as there is no vegetation cover, and interrupts the water cycle. It is also becoming industrial, adding to climate change
- Agriculture accounts for 34% of deforestation and uses slash-and-burn, which releases CO2, reduces soil fertility like in logging, and threatens wildlife with fertilisers
- Mining requires heavy machinery and removal of trees, and uses toxic chemicals which wash into rivers and kill wildlife and pollute water sources
- Tourists may scare wildlife and damage vegetation with litter. May also require infrastructure, leading to clearing of trees.
What is the background to Costa Rica’s environment?[2]
- Began to experience rapid deforestation in the 1960s, with 32,000ha/yr cut down
- Now there are 28 national parks and 24% of national land area is protected