The Living World KO Flashcards
Ecosystem
A community of plants and animals that interact with one another and their physical environment
Abiotic
Relating to non-living things
Biotic
Relating to living things
Producer
An organism or plant that is able to absorb energy from the sun through photosynthesis
Primary consumer
Creature that eats plant matter. Also known as a herbivore
Secondary consumer
Creature that eats other animals, also known as a carnivore
Decomposer
An organism that breaks down dead plant and animal matter
Food chain
The connections between different organisms that rely on one another as their food source
Food web
A complex hierarchy of plants and animals relying on each other for food
Biome
A large global ecosystem with flora and fauna adapting to their environment
Water cycle
. Heavy daily convectional rain
. Trees intercept rain
. Some rain reaches the ground
. Trees take up water
. Water evaporates
(cycle repeats)
Nutrient cycle
. Trees shed leaves all year round
. decaying vegetation decomposes rapidly
. nutrients enter the soil
. shallow roots take up the nutrients
. trees grow rapidly
(cycle repeats)
Characteristics of tropical rainforests
. Along equator (Asia, Africa, South America)
. 6% of Earth’s surface
. 25°C-30°C and over 250mm rain per month
Characteristics of tropical grasslands
. Between equator and tropics
. 20°C-30°C and between 500-1500mm of rain per year
. Wet and dry seasons
Characteristics of deserts
. Tropics (Sahara and Australia)
. Over 30°C and less than 300mm per year rain
. 20% of land’s surface (earth maybe?)
Deciduous forests characteristics
. Higher latitudes (W Europe, N America, New Zealand).
. 5°C and 20°C and between 500-1500mm rain per year
. 4 distinct seasons
. Lose leaves in the winter to cope with the cold
Coniferous forest (taiga)
. 60°N (Scandinavia/ Canada)
. Cone bearing evergreen trees
. No sunlight for part of the year
Tundra
. Above 60°N (Arctic cycle)
. Less than 10°C and less than 500mm per year rain
. Cold, icy and dry means 2 month growing season
Effects of deforestation in the Malaysian Rainforest - Economic development
. Brings in jobs and income
. Destroys resources in the long term
. Livelihoods of locals destroyed
. Plants containing medical benefits could become extinct
. Hydro electric power provides cheap and plentiful energy
Effects of deforestation in the Malaysian Rainforest - Contribution to climate change
. Trees cut down change the water cycle and make it drier
. Rainforests are the lungs of the Earth, so when they’re deforested, there is more carbon dioxide in the air and less oxygen
. Burning also releases carbon dioxide
Effects of deforestation in the Malaysian rainforest - Soil erosion
. Land left unprotected from heavy rain leads to landslides and flooding
. Nutrients are washed away decreasing nutrients in the soil
. Rivers silt up
Effects of deforestation in the Malaysian rainforest - Others
. Loss of biodiversity - 137 species a day
. Loss of indigenous tribes
. tribal people moving to towns and cities and have drugs and alcohol issues
. Conflicts between developers and indigenous people
Causes of deforestation in the Malaysian Rainforest - Commercial farming
Malaysia is the largest exporter of palm oil in the world. Responsible for 60% of Malaysian deforestation. Ruins soil and nutrients
Causes of deforestation in the Malaysian Rainforest - Logging
The business of cutting down trees and transporting logs to sawmills. Selective logging and clear felling. Teak and mahogany worth the most
Causes of deforestation in the Malaysian Rainforest - Mineral extraction
The removal of mineral resources from the Earth. Tin, oil and gas. Pollutes rivers and air. Trees above are the mines and quarries are removed
Causes of deforestation in the Malaysian Rainforest - Substinence farming
A type of agriculture producing food and minerals for the benefit of only the farmer and his family or community. Small scale, often slash and burn
Causes of deforestation in the Malaysian Rainforest - Hydro-electricity
Dams, such as Bakun Dam in Sarawak have been built and large areas of rainforest destroyed by flooding
Causes of deforestation in the Malaysian Rainforest - Population Pressure
. In the past, people were encouraged to move away from shanty towns and into the rainforest
. Between 1956 and 1980, about 15000 hectares of rainforest were felled for settlers.
. They have been given land which has been cleared to allow farming
Causes of deforestation in the Malaysian Rainforest - Roads
Roads are constructed to allow access to mining areas, new settlements and energy projects, but this allowed illegal loggers in
Protecting the Malaysian Rainforest - Selective logging
Only fell fully grown trees. Mark sustainable trees for sale
Protecting the Malaysian Rainforest - Conservation & education
WWF (NGO) educate and train conservation workers. Buy threatened areas.
Protecting the Malaysian Rainforest - Ecotourism
Minimizes damage to the environment and benefits locals. This creates incentive to protect the forest.
Protecting the Malaysian Rainforest - International agreements.
Hardwood Forestry agreements- restricts trade in hard woods.
Protecting the Malaysian Rainforest - Debt Reduction
Malaysia is part of the ‘Debt-for-Nature’ swapping scheme.
Tropical rainforest - Animals
. Jaguars have spotted fur. This camouflages them in the dappled shade of the forest floor
. Parrot have strong, sharp beaks to help them crack open nuts
. Poison dart frogs are a bright color to warn predators away
Rainforest climate
Temperatures are high all year (28°C)
Rainfall is around 250mm per month
Ecosystem scales
.Ecosystems can be any size.
- Local e.g a pond or under a dead log. Also called a habitat.
- Regional e.g. the upland moorland of the Pennines in the north of England.
- Global e.g. tropical rainforest. Also called biomes.
Small scale ecoystems - Epping forest
. Epping forest is an area of woodland near Epping
. It is a former royal forest
. The soil is deep and rich because there is a thick layer of leaf fall
What conditions does something have to be to be defined as a hot desert
. Less than 250mm of rain a year
. Diurnal temperatures ranging from 50°C during the day to 0°C at night
.
Desert challenges
. Extreme temperatures
. Inaccessibility
. Water supply
Causes of desertification
Desertification is where land is gradually turned into desert, usually on the edge of a desert.
It is caused by overgrazing by cattle or trees being cut down for firewood. Population growth is a key factor.
Climate change will lead to more droughts that kill vegetation and cause the problem to spread.
Solutions for desertification
. irrigation - water from aquifers used to grow crops/vegetation
. National parks - conserve at risk areas
. Afforestation
. Crop rotation - keep nutrients in the soil by avoiding monoculture
. Appropriate technology - Use of suitable crops, magic stones, terraces
Desert opportunities - Mineral resources
Mineral resources - mineral resources from the earth can be used by industry or sold for export.
Desert opportunities - Oil and Gas
Oil and gas - oil is trapped in huge aquifers deep underground. It is an extremely valuable resource.
Desert opportunities - Solar energy
Solar energy - with 12 hours of cloudless sunshine every day, deserts are ideal locations for this form of electricity generation.
Desert opportunities - Tourism
deserts are remote, romantic and exotic locations for tourists.
Desert opportunities - Farming
only possible where there is access to water through irrigation.
USA - Western Desert - California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico - Opportunities
*Farming using water from aquifers. *Mineral extraction e.g. copper, uranium, lead.
*Energy. The Sonoran Solar Project will produce enough energy for 100,000 homes.
*Tourism includes the Grand Canyon (4.5 million / year) and Las Vegas (37 million visits / year).
USA - Western Desert - California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico - Challenges
*Temperatures reach up to 50°C.
*Lack of roads meant limited access until late 1800s.
*Water is limited and has to be transported from the Colorado River. *Over-extraction leads to conflict.
Desert plants
High temperatures should lead to rapid growth but this is not possible due to the lack of moisture. Vegetation is sparse and usually confined to water holes.
Lack of rainfall is the main limit on plant growth. Plants have thin leaves or spines to reduce water loss and long roots to reach deep underground water. The Cactus is a common desert plant.
Desert animals
The limited number of producers means the number of consumers is also low.
Animals need to be able to tolerate the range of temperatures in the desert. Many do this by staying underground during the day. They also need to find ways to cope with the limited availability of water. Some gain enough water from their food. Others extract water from air.
What are the trophic levels in order (smallest to largest) (start to end)
. Producers - solar energy
. Herbivores - Producers
. Primary carnivores - Herbivores
. Secondary carnivores - primary carnivores
. Omnivores - Several trophic levels
. Detritivores and decomposers - wastes and dead bodies of other organsims
Changes within ecosystems
If any component within an ecosystem is changed it will have a knock on effect on the rest of the ecosystem.
An example of where this happened was in Yellowstone National Park in the USA when they reintroduced wolves in 1995.
16 packs of grey wolves introduced. Each pack kills one elk a day.
Elk population falls from 20,000 to 10,000 in 8 years.
Reduction in grazing pressure. Aspen and cottonwood regenerate. There is more tree cover.
Increase in bank side trees stabilises river banks so there is less erosion. More woody debris in rivers creates pools and trout habitats.
