Tropical rainforest Flashcards
What are some ecological features of tropical rainforests?
Very high biodiversity
No seasons/temperature is stable all year round
High rainfall
High light levels
Many inter-species relationships
What do high light levels provide in tropical rainforests?
High photosynthesis rate which provides food for a rich food web
What do no seasons/same temp all year provide in tropical rainforests?
Reliable food sources as plants flower/seed or produce fruit at different times of the year
No seasonal fluctuations means no need to hibernate or migrate
Plants have less competition to be pollinated
Tropical rainforests have a stable temperature all year round, why is this bad in a way?
Stable temperature means the species have a low range of tolerance so even the smallest of changes can be out of their range
Why are tropical rainforests important?
High biodiversity
Forest resources
Climate maintenance: carbon sequestration and transpiration
Soil maintenance
Why is high biodiversity good for humans and animals?
Provides sufficient food for animals
Medicinal discoveries and biomimetics for humans
Why is soil in rainforests shallow?
Warm moist conditions makes the DOM decay rapidly so nutrients can be re-absorbed fast.
What forest resources do rainforests provide?
Timber
Food
Fibres
Medicine
Fuel
Oils/waxes
What are the threats to tropical rainforests?
Collection of wood for fuel
Timber
Clearance for subsidence farming/slash and burn.
Commercial agriculture, can cause soils to be infertile so recolonisation is difficult.
Mineral extraction
Reservoirs
Climate change
Tourism
Make a mind map on threats and explain why they are threats, use PG 56 for help
What are debt for nature swaps?
Where a country cancels debt of a country with tropical rainforests in exchange for them to protect their rainforests
