Tropical rainforests Flashcards
What is abiotic
Non-living things eg soil, sunlight
What is biotic
Living things eg plants, animals
What type of ecosystem of rainforests
Interdependent ecosystems
How are biotic and abiotic factors interlinked in rainforests
If … of them … both are …
Eg.
-warm and … climate means … grow …
-plant … systems hold the … together … it from getting …
If one of them changes both are affected
Eg.
-warm and wet climate means plants grow quickly
-plant root systems hold the soil together stopping it from getting eroded
Layers of the tropical rainforests
-e…
-m… c…
-u… c…
-s… l…
-emergents
-main canopy
-under canopy
-shrub layer
What are the emergents
-Are the … trees which p… out of the … canopy layer
-have … trunks with only … and leaves at the … of the tree to get …
-Are the tallest trees which poke out of the main canopy layer
-have straight trunks with only branches and leaves at the top of the tree to get light
What are buttress roots
-… roots that … the tree keeping them s…
-are … the ground to get … from the … on the soil …
-big roots that support the tree keeping them stable
-are above the ground to get nutrients from the layer on the soil surface
What adaptations do leaves have in rainforests
-… cuticle …
-… tips (… tips)
-so that water runs off the leaves to ensure water doesn’t damage the plant
-waxy cuticle layer
-pointed tips (drip tips)
-so that water runs off the leaves to ensure water doesn’t damage the plant
How are animals adapted to the environment in rainforests
-s… l…
—>lots of animals … and live in the c…
—>eg …
-c…
—>so they can … from p…
-m… b…
—>birds have beaks specially … to …
—>m… have short … beaks for n…
—>t… have long … beaks for f…
-m… w…
—>wings are adapted for … in the … canopy
-strong limbs
—>lots of animals clime and live in the canopy
—>eg monkeys
-camouflage
—>so they can hide from predators
-modified beaks
—>birds have beaks specially adapted to diet
—>macaws have short strong beaks for nuts
—>toucans have long light beaks for fruit
-modified wings
—>wings are adapted for flying in the under canopy
What is the nutrient cycle
The way nutrients move through an ecosystem
What are the 3 stores that nutrients are transferred between in an ecosystem
-l… o… (b…)
-d… o… m… (l…)
-the s…
-living organisms (biomass)
-dead organic material (litter)
-the soil
Nutrient cycle
-in .l. rainforests most … are stored as b… and the transfer of … is …
-this is because:
—>trees are … so dead … fall all year …
—>the …, moist … means that … and bacteria … the litter quickly, the … released are s… so are soaked up by the …
—>dense … and rapid plant … mean nutrients are rapidly … up by plant …
-in tropical rainforests most nutrients are stored as biomass and the transfer of nutrients is rapid
-this is because:
—>trees are evergreen so dead leaves fall all year round
—>the warm, moist climate means that fungi and bacteria decompose the litter quickly, the nutrients released are soluble so are soaked up by the soil
—>dense vegetation and rapid plant growth mean nutrients are rapidly taken up by plant roots
Why do rainforests have a high biodiversity
L… s…:
-provides lots of …
-… and animals become highly s… to their …
C…:
-very … and wet all year …
-this means … grow … which produces lots of b…
-so there is always plenty to …
Layered structure:
-provides lots of habitats
-plants and animals become highly specialised to their environment
Climate:
-very hot and wet all year round
-this means plants grow quickly which produces lots of biomass
-so there is always plenty to eat
Human uses of tropical rainforests
F…:
-provide … and lots of foods like c…, bananas, s… etc
M…:
-human medicines are …. from … found in rainforest …
T…:
-trees provide …
-used for … and fuel
A…:
-forests are … for their …
-to make space for … uses
Food:
-provide meat and lots of foods like cocoa, bananas, sugar etc
Medicines:
-human medicines are adapted from chemicals found in rainforest plants
Timber:
-trees provide wood
-used for building and fuel
Agriculture:
-forests are cleared for their land
-to make space for agricultural uses
How is climate change threatening tropical rainforests
S…:
-climate change is causing … and drier …
-plants are not … to these causing them to grow more … or die
-drought can cause … which destroy the …
F…:
-so plants produce … at different … from …
-this affects … supply for …
-leaf … decomposes more … in drier …
-so less … available for p…
B…:
-reduces the … of rainforests
-can’t s… as many specialised … or animals
-rainforests are … ecosystems, so the loss of a … has a …-on …
Structure:
-climate change is causing hotter and drier conditions
-plants are not adapted to these causing them to grow more slowly or die
-drought can cause fires which destroy the forest
Functioning:
-so plants produce fruit at different times from usual
-this affects food supply for animals
-leaf litter decomposes more slowly in drier conditions
-so less nutrient available for plant
Biodiversity:
-reduces the productivity of rainforests
-can’t support as many specialised plants or animals
-rainforests are independent ecosystems, so the loos of a species has a knock-on effect
Economic reasons for deforestation
A…:
-forests are c… to … more …
-most are cleared for huge … farms like … ranches or palm oil p…
R… e…:
-trees are f… for resources like t…
-used to … things like furniture or …
-materials like g…, copper and i… can also be found in rainforests, so … is needed
Agriculture:
-forests are cleared to grow more food
-most are cleared for huge commercial farms like cattle ranches or palm oil plantations
Resources extraction:
-trees are felled for resources like timber
-used to build things like furniture or buildings
-materials like gold, copper and iron can also be found in rainforests, so mining is needed
Social reasons for deforestation
P… p…:
-as population … trees are … to make room for new …
-… are used as …
Population pressure:
-as population increases trees are cleared to make room for new settlements
-trees ate used as fuel
What is the biggest to smallest stores of nutrients
- Biomass
- Soil
- Litter
