Sustaining Ecosystems Flashcards
What is an ecosystem?
A system in which organisms interact with each other and with their emvoironment
Abiotic
Non living, such as air, water, heat, rock
Biotic
Living, such as plants, insects, and animals
Flora
Plant life occurring in a particular region or time
Fauna
Animal life of any particular region or time
Food chains
how energy and nutrients move through an ecosystem
Nutrient cycle
animals and plants consume nutrients found in the soil, and these nutrients are then released back into the environment via death and decomposition.
Litter
Surface layer of vegetation, over time breaks down to become humus
Biomas
The total mass of living organisms per unit area
Distribution of tropical rainforests
Centred along the equator between the tropic of cancer and capricorn
Convectional rainfall
- Roots of plant take up water from the ground and the rain is intercepted as it falls
- As rain forest heats up, water evaporates into the atmosphere
3.finally, the water condenses and forms clouds to make the next day’s rain
Climate of tropical rainforest
Temps rarely fall below 20 degrees and temps rarely rise above 32 degrees due to clouds, at night temperature drops
Layers of rainforest
Emergent, canopy, U-canopy, shrub layer
Emergent layer
Highest layer with trees reaching 50m
Canopy layer
Most life found here as it receives 70% of sunlight and 80% of light