Topic 8 - Forests Under Threat Flashcards
8.1a How biotic and abiotic characteristics are interdependent ( interact with and influence each other)
Biotic - Living Components ( plants, animals) and Abiotic - Non Living components ( water, soil)
Example: Bees and butterflies help to pollinate the flower so new plants can grow. These plants then help to feed other animals. (Symbiotic relationship)
8.1a Plant Adaptations
Emergents are the tallest trees - grow above the canopy to receive more sunlight for photosynthesis
Tall trees have buttress roots - support their trunks and absorbs nutrients from the top layer of soil.
Plants have thick waxy leaves with drip tips, allowing water to run off quickly avoiding damage + stopping bacteria from growing
8.1b Why TRF has a very high rate of nutrient cycling
The hot and wet climate means bacteria thrives, allowing for fast decomposition.
Dense vegetation and fast plant growth ( due to hot and wet conditions) mean that nutrients are taken up very fast.
8.1b How a quick nutrient cycle in TRF allows for increased biodiversity
- There are always plenty of nutrients readily available for plants and animals to use, supporting high levels of biodiversity
8.1a Animal adaptations in TRF
High biodiversity means there is lots of competition
Poisons and venoms
Spider monkey - long limbs and strong tails to clim tress, avoiding predators
Camouflage
Smaller size to ensure that animals can move through the dense vegetation easily
8.3a Causes of deforestation
8.1b Food webs
They show how energy is transferred through an ecosystem, from producers to the top consumers .
They are very complex as there are thousands of species interacting with each other
How does the TRF reflect the equatorial climate?
Lots of heat from sun, heat rises, cools, condenses, forms clouds, and rains. The climate is hot and wet all year round, average temps of 25- 30C
Lots of precipitation ideal for plant growth all year round.
How does the taiga reflect the subarctic climate?
Stretches across the north of Asia and America
- Very long and cold winters
-Low precipitation
- Taiga plant growth is limited to short summers
- Soil is low on nutrients due to slow decomposition of litter
- Low biodiversity overall
Nutrient Cycle in the Taiga
The biggest store is the litter store, made up of lots of pine needles that are slow to decompose. (Cold temps slows chem. weathering)
There are limited nutrients in the soil so cannot support a large biomass.
- Coniferous trees, mosses, and lichens (Smaller biomass due to short growing season)
How plants in the taiga have adapted
Tree roots are shallow but wide to support the tree, but avoid frozen ground below
Small surface area and waxy coating to lose less water
Conical shaped trees to shed heavy snow rather than accumulating it.
Taiga animal adaptations
The ability to hibernate - conserves energy and allows a fall in body temperature
Winter camouflage like white fur
Thick fur coats, smaller ears and tails to avoid frost bite
Comparing the TRF and the Taiga
Climate -
TRF has little variation (hot + wet all year round)
Taiga changes in summer w more wet and warm in summer
Food Webs -
TRF - very complex due to high biodiversity, with mini ecosystem in each layer of trees.
Taiga - much simpler due to less biodiversity, with a single consistent layer of trees at a similar height.
Threats to TRF (deforestation)
Commercial/subsistence agriculture
Commercial logging
Open cast mining
Road building
Fuelwood and charcoal due to pop. Increase
Threats to TRF ( Climate change)
Indirect threat
Conditions likely to be hotter and drier
Animal species would be unable to cope with heat, and plants unable to survive forest fires/drought
Increased plants adapted to hot drier conditions would compete w TRF species, so exposed to new pests and diseases.
