Tropical rainforests 🧡 Flashcards
Where are tropical rainforests found?
Along the equator eg South America, central Africa, south-east Asia
What are the layers of the rainforest?
Emergent- 40m high to reach the sun
Canopy- 30m high- most dense
Understory- 15m high- dark and damp
Forest floor- very dark and covered I leaf litter
What are some plant adaptation in the rainforest?
.leaves have drip tips and a waxy surface to allow water to drip of the leaves quickly so they don’t get waterlogged and rot, also have a large surface area to maximise photosynthesis
.smooth branches and trunks enables water to flow down to the group easily
.buttress roots to support tall trees and help transport water from the soil
.lianas- vines which are rooted to the ground but twist around tree trunks to reach sunlight and also hang off branches so can be used be animals to climb trees
Epiphytes don’t have roots and sit on branches in the canopy to get maximum sunlight
What are some animal adaptations?
.birds have brights coloured feathers to attract mates, but strong beaks to crack open nuts and long sharp claws to grip branches
.poison arrow frogs have bright colours to warn predators they are poisonous and should be left alone
.sloths have long hooked claws to clip onto and hang from branches, moss growing in their fur to camouflage them and move slowly to avoid being spotted by predators
.monkeys have prehensile tails to grip onto things and balance
What are some causes of deforestation?
Logging- materials such as mahogany is very valuable to use for building materials, causes mass destruction of rainforests
Mineral extraction- large scale clearance, 50,000 hectares of land used for gold mining in the Amazon, Carajas mine is the worlds biggest iron ore mine found in the Amazon, destroys habitats as explosives are often used
Energy development- many large rivers in the rainforest are good for HEP, the development of new energy sources is good for NEEs such as Brazil, building HEP floods the rainforest causing trees to rot
Cattle farming- 80% of Amazon rainforests destruction, used to provide HICs with beef, cattle graze the land, however quality of grass quickly becomes degraded, so cattle farmers move to new areas, clearing more land.
Crop plantations- crops are grown for exports such as palm oil and coffee so there is many plantations, over cultivations strips soils of nutrients, so farmers move and chop down more forest
Road construction- opens up the rainforest for further exploitation as it makes it easier to bring in equipment and transport goods, 4000km trans Amazonian highway
What are some local impacts of deforestation?
.climate change- deforestation disrupts water cycle as there is less trees so less water is retained in the atmosphere so fewer clouds are formed so the local climate becomes warmer and drier- bad for local people and agriculture
.soil erosion- chopping down trees means the ground is not protected from heavy rainfall, so the soil begins to erode, and without the topsoil layer, it is very hard for vegetation to grow, this means farmers have to move to new areas, leading to further deforestation
River pollution- land is cleared for gold mining, and then mercury is used to separate the gold from the ground, the mercury then seeps into rivers, poisoning fish and supplies of drinking water
Indigenous tribes- tribes are forced out by logging, mining and road building, many are left displaced, meaning they end up in towns and cities where life is difficult to adapt to
What are some global impacts of deforestation?
.
Climate change- rainforests absorb huge amounts of CO2, chopping down trees releases it back into the atmosphere, makes greenhouse effect worse, fire is also used to destroy the forest which releases even more CO2
Biodiversity loss- deforestation leads to the loss of habitats, this causes individual species to become endangered and may lead to extinction, 50,000 species lost pre year, also caused cures for life threatening diseases to be lost
