The living world

Question 1

define ecosystem

Answer 1

all the biotic parts and antibiotic parts of an area

Question 2

define biotic

Answer 2

living parts e.g. animals and plants

Question 3

define antibiotic

Answer 3

non-living parts e.g. soil and climate

Question 4

define a producer

Answer 4

uses sunlight to produce food

Question 5

define a consumer

Answer 5

gets energy by eating other organisms like producers or other consumers

Question 6

define a decomposer

Answer 6

organism that gets its energy by breaking down dead material e.g. dead producers/consumers

Question 7

2 examples of decomposer

Answer 7

fungi
bacteria

Question 8

define food chain

Answer 8

shows what eats what

Question 9

define food web

Answer 9

shows lots of food chains and how they overlap

Question 10

conditions of tropical rainforest

Answer 10

hot + wet all year round

Question 11

conditions of Tundra

Answer 11

very cold winters
brief summers
little rainfall
layer of permafrost

Question 12

conditions of polar

Answer 12

very cold
icy and dry
2 months growing season

Question 13

conditions of hot desert

Answer 13

little rainfall
very hot in day
very cold at night

Question 14

why isn’t soil fertile in tropical rainforests?

Answer 14

heavy rain washes nutrients away

Question 15

list 4 things people do who live in tropical rainforests to make a living?

Answer 15

hunting
fishing
gathering nuts + berries
growing veg in small garden plots

Question 16

why does very little light reach the floor of a tropical rainforest? (2)

Answer 16

really tall trees
vegetation cover is dense

Question 17

define biodiversity

Answer 17

variety of organisms living in a particular area

Question 18

explain how humans are interfering with ecosystems (5 marks)

Answer 18

deforestation:
1. trees intercept and take up a lot of water and release it back out into the atmosphere providing moisture for further rainfall.
reducing tree cover may increase risk of drought affecting plants and animals that live there

2. trees stabilise soil with their roots + provide nutrients when they drop their leaves.
   fewer trees means soil has less protection from rainfall meaning nutrients are washed away making it harder for plants to grow

Question 19

how do trees compete for sunlight?

Answer 19

by growing tall

Question 20

why do plants have thick waxy leaves with pointed drip-tips in tropical rainforests?

Answer 20

channels rainwater to the point encouraging runoff so weight of the water doesn’t damage the plant.

Question 21

list 3 reasons why the Amazon is being cut down

Answer 21

• commercial farming
• subsistence farming
• commercial logging

Question 22

what is commercial farming?

Answer 22

where forest is cleared to make space for cattle grazing or for huge plantations

Question 23

what is subsistence farming?

Answer 23

where forest is cleared by small-scale farmers who need land to grow for food themselves/family

Question 24

what is commercial logging?

Answer 24

Amazon is full of valuable hardwood trees which makes logging tempting too legal and illegal businesses

Question 25

impacts on climate change from deforestation

Answer 25

trees remove CO2 from atmosphere so when trees are cut down they will release some of this CO2 back out

Question 26

impacts on soil erosion from deforestation

Answer 26

Brazil losing a lot of topsoil each year due to soil erosion which may lead to landslides and flooding in the future

Question 27

impacts on economy from deforestation

Answer 27

mining industry creates jobs for lots of people
logging contributes hugely to brazils economy but can destroy resources that countries depend on

Question 28

list 3 ways that tropical rainforests can be sustainably managed

Answer 28

• selective logging (only old trees are cut down)
• replanting (replanting trees where others were cut down)
• ecotourism (only few people;e are allowed in area at certain times)