Tropical Rainforest

Question 1

Define ‘Biome’

Answer 1

a large geographical area of distinctive plant & animal groups that are adapted to that particular environment.

Question 2

What are the major biomes in the world?

Answer 2

Tropical rainforest, tropical grasslands, tundra & desert

Question 3

Where is the tropics located?

Answer 3

near the equator between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn

Question 4

What are the biomes in the tropics?

Answer 4

Tropical rainforest & tropical grasslands

Question 5

What is another name for Tropical Grasslands?

Answer 5

Tropical Savannah

Question 6

What are the 4 main characteristics of the tropical rainforest biome?

Answer 6

very high amount of rainfall, high average temperatures, nutrient-poor soil & high levels of biodiversity (species richness)

Question 7

Why do the tropics have high temperatures throughout each year

Answer 7

since the tropics is located near the equator and the equator receives direct sunlight, this steady flow of radiation produces consistently high temperatures

Question 8

Why are rainforest soils nutrient poor

Answer 8

because nutrients are not stored in them for a longtime

Question 9

True or False?
Tropical rainforests are areas of extremely high biodiversity compared to other ecosystems

Answer 9

true

Question 10

The tropical rainforest contains about __% of the world’s terrestrial plant & animal species

Answer 10

50%

Question 11

What are the characteristics of the Vegetation of the Tropical Rainforest?

Answer 11

structure

Question 12

Describe the structure of the Vegetation of the Tropical Rainforest

Answer 12

the vegetation grows in layers and is dominated by tall trees forming a canopy

Question 13

What are the 5 layers of the structure of the Vegetation of the Tropical Rainforest?

Answer 13

emergent, canopy, lower-story (understory), shrub layer & ground layer (forest floor)

Question 14

Which layer of the forest is the home of many birds and insects?

Answer 14

the emergent layer

Question 15

Describe the emergent layer of the forest

Answer 15

It consists of trees that grow up to 50m tall & are the tallest trees with mushroom shaped crowns. They benefit the most from sunlight and are the homes of many insects & birds.

Question 16

In which layer of the forest is MOST of the trees found?

Answer 16

The canopy layer

Question 17

Which layer of the forest intercepts 70% of the sunlight & 80% of the rainfall?

Answer 17

The canopy layer

Question 18

90% of the wildlife lives in this layer of the forest

Answer 18

The canopy layer

Question 19

Describe the canopy layer of the forest

Answer 19

It is where most of the trees are found and 90% of the wildlife live there. The trees below the emergent layer are packed more closely together and form almost continuous layers. Trees grow up to 30.40m & intercept 70% of sunlight and 80% of rainfall. The branches grow up the trunk and on them grow epiphytes & lianas.

Question 20

In which layer of the forest do palms and cocoa trees grow?

Answer 20

the understory (lower story)

Question 21

Describe the understory of the forest

Answer 21

There is less light here, it’s humid and trees grow up to 10-20m. There are younger trees here and some grow to become apart of the canopy. Th trees are adapted to moist & shady conditions and some of these are palms and cocoas

Question 22

Why don’t young trees grow quickly in the shrub layer?

Answer 22

because there isn’t enough light there for photosynthesis

Question 23

Describe the shrub layer of the forest

Answer 23

Only 1%-2% of sunlight reaches here so young trees don’t grow quickly since there isn’t enough light for photosynthesis. The air is still & humid. The trees grow up to 5m & trees such as rubber are found here and ferns grow on the trees.

Question 24

Which layer of the forest is covered with a lot of leaves?

Answer 24

forest floor (ground layer)

Question 25

Describe the ground layer of the forest

Answer 25

Shade loving plants such as ferns that grow less than 1m grow on ground and the forest floor is covered with a lot of leaves. 90% of the sunlight is blocked out so there is very little undergrowth. There are some saprophytes such as mushrooms, bacteria, fungi .

Question 26

Name the tropical rainforest located in South America and the country it’s situated in

Answer 26

Amazon Basin in Brazil

Question 27

Name the tropical rainforest located in Central Africa

Answer 27

Congo basin

Question 28

Name 4 of the locations of the tropical rainforest

Answer 28

Brazil, Indonesia & Malaysia, Guyana & Trinidad

Question 29

Describe the seasonality of the tropics

Answer 29

there are no seasons as the temperatures are high all year round but the rainfall is heavy. Therefore plant processes occur all the time

Question 30

Name a small area in which which hundreds of species can be found

Answer 30

acre

Question 31

What type of trees are green all year round and do not lose their leaves

Answer 31

evergreen trees

Question 32

How do plants adapt to vegetation in the rainforest?

Answer 32

Trees are tall and canopy is wide to reach maximum light for photosynthesis.

Leaves have drip tips with curved ends to allow water to run off easily. leaves are also thick & leathery to protect them from strong sunlight.

The trunks of the trees are slender with thin, smooth barks. These allow for easy removal of rain water through transpiration.

Roots are referred to as buttress roots which are wide in order to support the weight of the larger trees. The roots are also above ground / near the surface . It rains all year round and the nutrients are readily available on the forest floor. Extra roots/radicles grow down from the branches to make the roots more stable.

Epiphytes use dead remains of plants that collect in the fork of the trees as a place in which to grow.

Lianas which are climbing plants use the trees as support and hang from the trees