Tropical Forested Landscapes and landforms Flashcards
with increasing elevation
moisture increases
condencastion increases
temperature deceases 6c/ 1km
Montane forest
- small trees (elfin forest)
- heavy mist and fog
- fewer lianas
- fewer butteresed treees
- forest stratification not pronounced
Tree biomass and height increase with
altitude
Tropical Cloud forest
- unique biota, golend toads, mosses, orchids and ferns
- staure of tree not as high as low elevation forests
- diminished sunlight fue to fog
- 7000mm/yr of rain
- decreased evap rat limiting nutirent uptake from soil, limits productivity
- ## soils saturated with water and acidic similar to peat lands
cloud forest conservation
- loss exceeds that of rainforest
- deforestation due to timber
- urbanizarion
- hunting, forest fires
- ## climate change
High elevation Tropical Ecosystems
- above tree line
- located within the topical belt but shows apline features
Tropical dty forests characterisics
- defined by dry szn which can vary upto six months
- mosture suffient for tree gtowth 1000mm/yr
- wet szn lush green
- dry szn dry brown
- high temp all year long
Tropical dty forests biota
- biota adapted for periodic dry szns
- deciduous lraves dropped
- less stratification
- lower diversity than rainforests
Mngrove forests
- found on lakes or ocean coasts in the tropics
- nuresuries for many fish
- ## protect form marine energy
where are mangrove forests found
- delta of large rivers
- brackishwater
Mangrove Trees
- short trees 3 to 6 m upt to 27 m
- evergreen, small tough leaves
- aerial roots
Mangrove rosest conservation
- being repaced by fish farms and rice paddies
- protect shore line form storms
Types of mangrove
- red mangrove
- black mangrove
- White
- Buttonwood
Red mangrove
- reddish bark
- stunted growth due to p
Black mangrove
- shallow tall roots
- able to survie under anxioc consitions
- can grow to 20m
White mangrove
- Grows in higher elevation
- not as tolerant to salty conditions
Buttonwood Mangrove
- growns away form salt
- leas salt tolerant mangrove
half of all tropical regions used to be ______ now they are _____ and _____
foresrs , savanna desert
Origins of Tropical forests
Devonian 430 mya
- multi strata swamp forest
- dominated by seeless vascular plants vines and ferns
- warm, humid
Origins of Tropical forests
Carboniferous 350 mya
- dominated by , deep rooted veg, gymnosperms 40 m high, limbers and vines
- well drained soils
- C stored in swamp form Devonian
Origins of Tropical forests
Mezozoic 220mya
- dry equatorial forests
- domianted by monsoon climate
Modern Rainforests:Dominant Forest Types
Asia
- youngest forest , leaset infuenced by humans
- 75% of original rmains
- very high in biodiversity
Origins of Tropical forests
Cretaceous 70 mya
- wet climate
- dominated by angiospirm
- reminisent of modern tropical forests
- spread across larger part of the world than today
Modern Rainforests:Dominant Forest Types
Mainland Africa
- forest palms, low species diversity
Modern Rainforests:Dominant Forest Types
madagascar
isolated distinct fauna and lora
dry deciduous
Modern Rainforests:Dominant Forest Types
Central America
lianas
Highly diverse
Dissapring tropical forests
used to cover 14% of total global land surface
now cover 6%
in 40 years they will be gon
Average percentage of protected rainforesrt
20%
The Driving Forces of Destruction
Commerical & illegal logging
- largest contributer of tropical forest loss
- hardwood timber
- pult & paper
- fuelwood
- illegal logging
The Driving Forces of Destruction
Agricultural
- conversion to livestock pasture and crop lands often monocorping
- subsistence/individual farming
Govenment incentives
- increases gov insentive in the form of loans and infrastructure spensinf, including roads and dams
- scaled up private sector finace due to growing intrest in emerging markents and risnf gomestic wealth
Who consumes tropical hardwood
- japan 11milli m3/yr
- increasing global demand
- exporting counties have depleated thier resources and have become importers too
- phillipines, nigeria, ivory cost anf thailand
why arw tropical woods logged and which trees are logged?
- furniture, building mats, charcoal, wood products
- Teak, Mahogany and Rosewood
Teak
- large deciduos tree
- found in india, java, burma
- ## durable resistant to disease
Mohagany
- mexico to peru
- tallest tree in the neo tropics
- most traded tree
- ## maybecome endangered
Rosewood
Tropical AMERICA, se ASIA mADAGASCAR
30 m tall
sweet smell
uses:
- music industry furniture, flooring
Economic value of hardwood
- large economic value
- easty way for poor country to make profit
- most profits are made by multinatuonal companies and the governments they work with
illrgal logging
- high price demand for timber regardless of origin
- poor counties and ppl needing to make money
- great temptation due to high profits
Fuelwood and Paper Industries
- manufactured in develpong counties
- products are exported for profits
- charcoal used to produce steel
- pulp is global insustry for paper
pulp mills
- worlds largest pulp mill aracruz brazi;
- 500,000 tons /year
- first work counties by form here
LIVESTOCK PASTURES & CROPS
- land overstocked with livestock leading st sustainability issues
- priductive for 3-5 years
- ## land is then abandoned to become a secondart forest or a sananna )
