Topic 3b: Deciduous Woodlands (PAPER ONE) Flashcards
What are the Biotic factors of a Deciduous woodland?
- Humans manage many deciduous woodlands, having a big impact (conservation areas). However, deforestation for development threatens woodland.
- Deciduous tree species shed their leaves for several months to cope with reductions in light and lower temperatures. They have deep root systems to access groundwater and nutrients
What are the Abiotic factors of a Deciduous woodland?
- Soil has hummus-layer at the top where there is lots of biological activity in spring and summer that breaks down leaf litter from previous autumn. Deep roots of the trees break up bedrock and weathering of this rock and adds nutrients to the soil.
- Year round rainfall provides moisture for plants and animals. Not as much rainfall as TRF so less leaching occurs in the soil and it is nutrient rich
Explain the interdependence of Biotic and Abiotic factors in a Deciduous Woodland.
1) Climate results in moderate, year round rainfall, meaning the plants can grow
2) Plants provide food and shelter for animals
3) When animals root around for food, they mix up the leaf litter which aids in decomposition, releasing nutrients into the soil
4) Enriched soil supports plant growth
Why do Deciduous Woodlands have moderate biodiversity?
There are low-temperature conditions means that production of food in winter is slowed
How are plants adapted to Deciduous Woodlands?
Oak trees:
- Spread branches horizontally so their leaves capture as much available light as possible
- Leaves are wide, maximising solar energy the oak can access
- Enormous root system to anchor the tree during winter gales and to access ground water is drier conditions
- In autumn, water supply to leaves in cut off so it dies and falls off. So, the oak can survive through short days and weak sunlight in cold winter
How are animals adapted to Deciduous Woodlands?
Migration: Many birds move south for warmer winter conditions
Hibernation: Some animals spend winter in deep sleep in which their metabolic rate drops so they only require little energy to stay alive. e.g. Hedgehogs
Food storage: Grey squirrels bury their nuts to hide them from other nut-eaters/squirrels
What are examples of Goods that deciduous woodlands produce?
Timber: Used for building
Fuel: Used for wood-burning stoves. Some UK power stations are being converted to burn biomass so they use wood pellets from woodlands
What are examples of Services that deciduous woodlands produce?
Conservation: Forest areas often preserve rare plant and animal species by law
Recreation: Popular for walking, cycling and horse-riding e.g. new forest has 15 million visitors each year
What are the threats that climate change poses on Deciduous Woodlands?
Milder winters:
Plants and animals are adapted to cold winters, so a change in this results in…
- Pests and diseases that don’t survive cold winters spread if they become milder
- Key processes e.g. seed germination disrupted as they are triggered by cold temperatures
Increased drought risk:
- Would put stress on trees as they aren’t adapted to survive droughts
- This stress makes them more vulnerable to diseases
Increased fire risk
What are the economic causes of Deforestation?
- Deciduous woodland cut down to be replaced by coniferous forests as they produce softwood which grows faster than hardwood of deciduous trees. So, more money could be generated more quickly.
- Woodland cleared for farming
What are the social cases of Deforestation?
- Increasing population = more land to be cleared to build houses
- Increasing number of vehicles = land cleared to build relief roads, bypasses and service stations to reduce congestion
