Topic 7 And 8 Flashcards
1
Q
Why are biomes located where they are?
A
- Tropical rainforests are located near the equator because there they can have long periods of daylight allowing for maximum growth of plants (as they can absorb more sunlight for photosynthesis).
- Deserts are usually located near the equator as well as there they are much higher temperatures than anywhere else on the planet.
- Taiga rainforests are usually located far away from the equator in cold locations
2
Q
How biotic and abiotic effect each other ?
A
- Soil type: the more nutrients the soil has the more vegetation in the area. Soil nutrient amount is determined by the temperature of the location as higher temperatures allowing dead plants and animals to decompose quickly
- Temperature will affect the abiotic as increased temperatures lead to more nutrients in the soil and therefore more plants whereas less temperatures will lead to an increased store of nutrients in leaf litter waiting to decompose.
3
Q
How local people rely on the rainforest?
A
- Local people can hunt animals for food and deforest little amount of trees either to sell for timber or to use as fuel/building material. The rainforest can also provide timber for subsistence farmers that require on deforestation for the survival of their family.
4
Q
How vegetation support the soil?
A
- Trees roots are able to bind the soil together to keep it stable and their leaf litter gives nutrients back to the soil
- They also absorb CO2 from the atmosphere and produce oxygen, this is highly beneficial to keep greenhouse gas stores lower. The largest CO2 store on earth is the taiga, if it is destroyed the co2 will flood the atmosphere
5
Q
How rising population and development effects the demand for resources?
A
- Rising population of the world has lead to an increasing demand for energy, this energy is at such a high demand that it is very hard to provide it using renewable energy and therefore fossil fuels are used to provide the energy.
- As countries develop and more people come out of poverty they will have more money to spend and require more resources, therefore increasing the demand for all resources such as food, water and energy
6
Q
Adaptations of the rainforest?
A
- Buttress roots: these roots provide steady support for the trees to grow extremely tall allowing them to overtake the height of other trees.
- Drip tip: this prevents water from covering the leaves surface and so maximum photosynthesis is achieved assisting in the race to reach the canopy.
7
Q
Patterns between plants and nutrients (where nutrients are stored)?
A
- The rainforest has constant high temperatures allowing for increased levels of decomposition and therefore high amounts of nutrients in the soil. These nutrients are then taken up by the vegetation and used for photosynthesis, over time these plants will die and their leaf little will then give back nutrients to the soil. In the rainforest most nutrients are stored in the vegetation as such a high diversity and amount of vegetation is supported there.
8
Q
Adaptations in the taiga?
A
- Needles: they have an increased surface area allowing for minimum water loss in high winds
- Cone shaped: this shape of the trees allows less water to settle on them and therefore producing maximum levels of photosynthesis
9
Q
How biotic and abiotic are interdependent?
A
- The biotic (plants and animals) require the nutrients from the soil (abiotic). Without nutrients plants cannot grow and therefore there will be no plants for the start of the food chain and so animals will therefore die as well. Without nutrients biotic cannot live.
- Plants also require sunlight and heat for photosynthesis biotic creatures rely on these as well.
10
Q
Ways to protect rainforest?
A
- Subsistence farmers are paid monthly to not deforest the area
- Conservation areas are set up to prevent human activity to allow for some species to he protected by hunters and have their homes destroyed by commercial logging companies
11
Q
Why is the taiga fragile?
A
- The taiga is very cold and so photosynthesis is done slowly, this means that if a large area is deforested it will take a long time to regrow.
- It also has a very low biodiversity meaning if a disease that targeted one species it would greatly effect the biome as all species contributed greatly and rely on each other, e.g. it only has 5 species of tree.
12
Q
Why the taiga has a low biodiversity?
A
- It has a low biodiversity because it has an extreme climate meaning few are adapted to live their. Unlike the rainforest there are no ‘layers’ to the biome meaning that there are few environments to live there, whereas in the rainforest species can adapt to live in the canopy or the forest floor.
13
Q
Reasons to deforest the taiga?
A
- Logging: commercial companies can deforest large areas of the rainforest and sell the hardwood for large profit
- Tar sands: it has been found that oil is located within the soil of the taiga in certain areas meaning fossil fuels can be extracted there. There are many tar sands in Russia and the USA aimed at achieving large profits and self sustainable, e.g. the USA does not want to be reliant on other countries for fossil fuels.
14
Q
Why commercial logging effects the rainforest?
A
- Commercial companies can exploit the land and deforest huge chunks of biomes to either use the land for agricultural purposes or for tar sands. This can lead to huge amounts of damage to the biomes that this is carried out. In the rainforest when areas are deforested on a mass scale like this species are threatened as their habitats are being destroyed.
15
Q
Howndo local factors effect biomes?
A
- Mountains: higher altitude lead to more rain and higher wind speeds also causing lower temperatures
- ## Rock type: impermeable and permeable rock can determine the path of water flow when it rains, areas of high impermeable rock leads to a higher risk of flooding and wet areas as it take the water much longer to drain than for permeable.
