Topic 2 - Sustaining Ecosystems Flashcards
What is an ecosystem
a system in which organisms interact with each other and with their enviroment
what is biotic
living things such as plants, insects and animals
what is Aboitic
non-living things such as air , heat and rock
what is flora
plant life occuring in a particular region or time
what is fauna
animal life occuring in a particular region or time
what is a food chain
they explain ecosystems, they show one species at a particular level where energy is transfered up to the next
what is the nutrient cycle
a system where energy and matter are transferred between living organisms and non-living parts of the environment
what is a biomass
the total mass of living organisms per unit area
what is a biome
an area classified according to the species that live in that location
what are the different types of biomes
- tropical rainforest
- tropical grasslands
- hot desert
- temperature forest
- tundra
- coral reefs
- temperature grasslands
- coniferous forest
- deciduous forest
what are the layers of the rainforest
top layer:
- emergent (50 metres)
- canopy (recieves 70% of the light and most life occurs)
- U-canopy (trees 20metres)
- Shrub layer (small trees, adapted live in shad)
bottom layer:
what is the rainforest soil profile
top layer:
- leaf litter (decomposes in heat)
- top soil (mixture of organic matter and minerals)
- sub soil (is deep due to rocks weathering below)
- rock (weathers quickly at high temperatures to form sub soil
what is convectional rainfall
occurs when the heated air from the earth’s surface rises upwards along with the water vapour and gets condensed when it reaches a higher altitude
what is the climate like in a tropical rainforest
- evening temp rarely fall below 22*
- temperature rarely rise above 32*
- most afternoons have heavy showers of rain
- at night no clouds so temperature drops
what is the distribution like for tropical rainforests
- along the equator between the tropic of cancer and capricorn
- mostly found in south america, south east asia and central africa
- amazon rainforest (biggest)
what affects of human activity on the rainforest
- logging
- agriculture
- tourism
- mineral extraction
what adaptions are there to the rainforest
- moths: camouflaged to forest enviroment
- buttress roots: support tall trees and absorb nutrients
- drip tips: allows heavy rain to run off leaves easily
- lianas and vines: climb trees to reach sunlight and canopy
case study: sustainability rainforest managment in cost rica
- loaction & backround: small country in central america, 6% of the worlds biodiversity, 6 million yourists a year
- ecotourism: directed toward natural enviroments, popular destination
- advantages: 80 new buisnesses open in Monterverde, 400 full-time and 140 part time jobs related to tourism
- disadvantages: land prices increased, deofrestation to clear for tourism industry
what are some threats to costa rican rainforest
- cattle ranching and agriculture: clearing lands through slash and brun methods
- mining: large scale of soil and rock is being removed
how is the rainforest managing to protect the rainforest
- government created 28 national parks with 24% of country land protect
- laws that deforestation has fallen from 1.8 to almost zero by 2005
- agroforestry ecourages growing trees and crops together to create better farming conditions
- afforestaction has led to the replanting of trees to replace original trees
what is the disribution of the polar biome
- arctic: north region, 60*N aroundthe north pole
- Antarctic: a continent south of latitude 60*S around the south pole
what is the polar climate like
polar areas are very cold with temperatures rarely reaching above 0C,
winters: below -40C
summers: maimum 10*C
what are some land and sea features of arctic
- large areas of permafrost
- at sea most water is frozen over
- few plants
- mosses, grasses along coastal
what are some land and sea features of the antarctic
- large and thick ice sheets
- a mountain range
- few species (polar bears, penguins, whales, seals and walrus)
what is climate change like on polar regions
- global warming
- ice sheets and glaciers are melting
- sea levels are rising
- methan emmision are increaing
- creating big waves that are capable of causing coastal erosion
what is included in the arctic soil profile
top layer:
- active layer
- permafrost
- bed rock
bottom layer:
what are some effects of human activity in polar regions
- oil and gas exploration
- whaling
- tourism
- fishing
case study: small scale sustainable management: clyde river in Canada
- location and backrouns: northern canada on the coast of baffin island
- features: 12 miles out to sea cover 3360km,high biodiversity
- sustainable management: no hunting or fishing, local cumminites only hunt what they need
case study: global scale sustainable managment: antartic treaty system
- backround: signed by 50 nations in 1961, establashes freedom of scietific investogation and bans military activity
- basic principles: bans mining, promotes scientific reasearch and co-operation, protects the enviroemtns
deforestation removes trees from rainforests, why do we remove them?
- resources like paper and wood
- mineral extraction
what are two features of arctic flora
- short roots
- trees are configerous so the leaves dont shed in the winter
why are rinaofrest soils considered to be amongst the poorest in the world
becuase the rainforest is very dense meaning that all the nutrients are competed for leading that the water gets washed away meaning the soil dosent have enough time to absorb so it is poor
explain the importance of nutrient cycling in the rainforest
- otherwise plants will not grow aswell and not nearly as fast
- the nutrients cycle means that plants collect water and nutrients from the ground
deffinition of a hot desert ecosystem
harsh climate, low biodiversity, thin soils, plants with long tap roots
