Tiaga Forsersts Flashcards
Describe the location of Taiga
It is located between 50° and 70° latitude mostly onto the Northern Hemisphere.
Describe features of the Taiga climate
Short, wet summers.
Long, cold, dry winters.
Low precipitation below 20mm for 5 months.
Describe and explain 2 ways in which animals have adapted to living in the Taiga
Many mammals have thick oily hides to help retain body heat and to provide waterproofing.
Because food is hard to find many animals hibernate.
Describe and explain 3 ways in which plants have adapted to the Taiga
Cone shaped trees help shield winder snow.
The branches are flexible and bend downwards to shield show without breaking.
Needles like leaves are protected by a waxy coating which protects from frost damage and reduces water loss in dry periods.
Why is deforestation of the Taiga less of an issue that rainforest destruction?
The biome is really large so deforestation doesn’t affect a large enough area.
Describe 2 impacts of tar sand extraction on the Taiga
Tar sand is a mixture of fossil fuels and sediment that can be mixed and heated to separate oil
Mining uses 2-4 tonnes of water for every tonne of oil produced, plus natural gas to heat water into steam.
It destroys the forests and creates toxic waste.
Describe 2 impacts of the James Bay HEP project on the Taiga
11,000km² has been flooded during construction.
the roads, dams, reservoirs and electricity pylons have disrupted the migration routes of caribou.
Define wildfire
An uncontrollable fire burning through a forest, grassland or scrub.
These fires can ‘jump’ roads and rivers and travel at a high speed.
Explain three natural causes of wildfires in the Taiga? Explain why wildfires are important in the Taiga
-The pine needles are perfect tinder
-Summer storms produce lightning strikes
-Conifer trees contain resin which burns easily
this allows forests to regenerate and creates biodiversity
Describe and explain the threat from 2 names pests in the Taiga
-Spruce bark beetle. In Alaska’s Kenai peninsula, 2.5 million hectares of Spruce trees destroyed by the beetle.
-Mountain pine beetle. In British Colombia, the beetle has destroyed 16 million hectares of lodge pole pin forest.
Describe 2 ways in which acid rain threatens biodiversity in the Taiga
-Lakes and wetlands became acidic, fish and aquatic life die.
-trees become weaker. Acidic soils damage tree roots. Damaged soil contains less nutrients, weaker roots take up less nutrients.
Explain how national parks in the USA and Canada differ from those in the UK.
National parks usually exceed 100 hectares, have legal protection whereas the National parks in the UK are different to those in the USA and Canada, they are much smaller and most land is privately owned
Describe the UNESCO biosphere reserve model.
The UNESCO model has 3 regions the core which is the protected human less area. The buffer limited settlement and use, and the transition with normal economic activity
What are RAMSAR wetland and World Heritage Sites?
-RAMSAR wetland – a site designated to be of international importance
World heritage sites – areas with legal protection by an International convention
Explain why logging in Finland can be seen as sustainable, whereas in Canada or Russia it is not.
-In Finland they primarily use selective logging where they only remove large, valuable tree and left some of the forests intact. It’s also seen as renewable because they replace all logged areas with bio-diverse trees.
Whereas in Russia and Canada, they use clear-cutting logging where larger areas are deforested. Unfortunately, this leads to soil erosion and destroys mosses and lichen and other plants on the forest floor.
