Tropical rainforests

Question 1

What is the climate in tropical rainforests?

Answer 1

There aren’t really seasons in tropical rainforests. All year, the temperature is in the range of 21°C and 30°C. There is lots of rain/precipitation in tropical rainforests.

For example, there’s roughly 80 inches (2,000mm) of rainfall each year in the Amazon rainforest.

Question 2

What is the soil like in tropical rainforests?

Answer 2

Rainforests have up to 80 inches of rainfall each year. This heavy rain washes away minerals and nutrients from the soil, making it infertile (bad for crop growth). One layer of soil on the rainforest floor is fertile and nutrient-rich, but this does not extend deep into the soil further underground.

Question 3

What are the plants like in tropical rainforests?

Answer 3

The climate is almost the same in all months, so plants grow all year. Most plants in rainforests are evergreen. There is a battle for sunlight because trees put each other in the shade, leading to very tall trees (up to 46 metres high). There is interdependence between the vegetation on the forest floor, with plants called epiphytes being common.

Question 4

What animals live in tropical rainforests?

Answer 4

Rainforests are full of biodiversity. Mammals like Gorillas, Jaguars, and Sloths live in rainforests. Reptiles and amphibians like frogs, snakes, lizards, and crocodiles inhabit tropical rainforests. There are diverse insect and bird species, many of which have adapted through evolution and natural selection.

Question 5

What is life like in tropical rainforests?

Answer 5

The Uncontacted Indians are a tribe living in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil. They survive by hunting animals and eating fish, vegetables, pulses, and berries that grow in the rainforest.

Question 7

What does interdependence mean in tropical rainforests?

Answer 7

Tropical rainforests are highly interdependent, meaning all parts depend on one another. A change to one part affects all others.

Question 8

What is the interdependence between climate and soil in tropical rainforests?

Answer 8

Decomposition occurs rapidly due to the humid, warm, and moist climate, creating a nutrient-rich soil that allows for fast plant growth.

Question 9

How do plants and animals interdepend in the rainforest?

Answer 9

Animals obtain nutrition by eating plants or other animals that have eaten plants. Dense vegetation provides ample food for primary consumers, supporting larger animal populations.

Question 10

What are the effects of deforestation in rainforests?

Answer 10

Deforestation reduces the number of trees, leading to less carbon dioxide absorption, increased soil erosion, and diminished soil quality, which affects animal populations.

Question 11

How have plants adapted to tropical rainforests?

Answer 11

Plants have adapted to the tropical rainforest biome via evolution and natural selection, helping them survive heavy precipitation and lack of sunlight.

Question 12

What are buttress roots?

Answer 12

Buttress roots are specially adapted tree roots that spread out widely and go deep underground, allowing them to absorb more nutrients while competing with other plants.

Question 13

What is the purpose of a waxy coating on leaves in tropical rainforests?

Answer 13

A waxy coating helps plants resist rain, preventing leaves from becoming too heavy and being pulled off the tree.

Question 14

How do pointed leaf tips benefit rainforest plants?

Answer 14

Pointed leaf tips funnel water off leaves in a single channel, preventing damage from heavy rainfall.

Question 15

What is the function of smooth bark in rainforest trees?

Answer 15

Smooth bark helps rain run off the tree easily, preventing excessive water absorption.

Question 16

What are climbing vines and their purpose?

Answer 16

Climbing vines, like lianas, compete for sunlight by growing up other trees’ trunks, conserving energy and reaching sunlight for photosynthesis.

Question 17

How do plants adapt to different layers in tropical rainforests?

Answer 17

Plants adapt differently to the four layers of flora: the emergent layer captures the most sunlight, while the forest floor plants have a high surface area on leaves to absorb sunlight.

Question 19

How are animals in tropical rainforests adapted?

Answer 19

Animals in tropical rainforests are adapted to survive, get enough food, reproduce, and avoid predators.

Question 20

Where do howler and tamarin monkeys live?

Answer 20

Howler and tamarin monkeys live in the Amazon rainforest.

Question 21

How do monkeys avoid predation?

Answer 21

Monkeys avoid predation by living high in the trees.

Question 22

What adaptations do monkeys have for tree living?

Answer 22

Monkeys have evolved strong limbs and tails to climb and live in the trees.

Question 23

What unique adaptation do flying squirrels have?

Answer 23

Flying squirrels have evolved ‘wings’ made out of skin to glide between trees.

Question 24

Where do chameleons primarily live?

Answer 24

Chameleons mainly live in Madagascar rainforests.

Question 25

What is a unique ability of chameleons?

Answer 25

Chameleons can change the color of their skin to blend in with their surroundings.

Question 26

What is a notable behavior of sloths?

Answer 26

Sloths are nocturnal, sleeping during the day.

Question 27

How do sloths conserve energy?

Answer 27

Being nocturnal allows sloths to conserve energy by moving or hunting at night.

Question 28

What adaptation do anteaters have for low light levels?

Answer 28

Anteaters have evolved enhanced senses of hearing and smell.

Question 29

How do anteaters avoid predation?

Answer 29

Anteaters avoid being eaten by using their senses of hearing and smell.

Question 30

What is a unique feature of jaguars?

Answer 30

Jaguars have skin that camouflages them well in the jungle.

Question 31

What ability helps jaguars navigate their environment?

Answer 31

Jaguars are able to swim, which helps them cross rivers.

Question 33

What is biodiversity in an ecosystem?

Answer 33

The biodiversity of an ecosystem is how many different species of plant and animal life there are in an ecosystem.

Question 34

Are tropical rainforests biodiverse?

Answer 34

Tropical rainforests are very biodiverse.

Question 35

What percentage of the Earth's surface do rainforests cover?

Answer 35

Rainforests cover 6% of the Earth's surface area.

Question 36

What percentage of the world's animal and plant species live in rainforests?

Answer 36

Rainforests are home to about 50% of the world's animal and plant species.

Question 37

How many different species are estimated to live in Earth's rainforests?

Answer 37

Scientists estimate that there are between 3 million and 50 million different species living in the Earth's rainforests.

Question 38

What type of climate do rainforests have?

Answer 38

Rainforests have a similar climate all year.

Question 39

Why are rainforests considered stable ecosystems?

Answer 39

The consistent climate makes rainforests a stable ecosystem, avoiding extreme weather.

Question 40

What factors contribute to the productivity of rainforests?

Answer 40

The rich biodiversity, rainfall, and warm temperatures mean that rainforests are productive ecosystems.

Question 41

What are the threats to the biodiversity of rainforests?

Answer 41

Deforestation, construction, and economic development threaten biodiversity.

Question 42

What happens when the rainforest land area is reduced?

Answer 42

Reducing the rainforest land area threatens species with extinction.

Question 43

What is the status of mammal species in the Amazon rainforest?

Answer 43

In Brazil, 110 of the 700 species of mammals living there are endangered.

Question 44

What is an example of an endangered species in the Amazon rainforest?

Answer 44

The Black Spider Monkey has become an endangered species because of the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest.

Question 46

What is deforestation?

Answer 46

Deforestation describes trees being cut down and not replaced in forests.

Question 47

Why is deforestation happening quickly?

Answer 47

Deforestation is happening quickly due to factors like growing population, energy needs, mining, logging, and agriculture.

Question 48

What was the world's population in 1950?

Answer 48

In 1950, the world's population was 2.5 billion people.

Question 49

What was the world's population in 2019?

Answer 49

In 2019, the world's population was 7.7 billion people.

Question 50

How does the growing population contribute to deforestation?

Answer 50

Cutting down trees clears space for new housing and towns, and increases the demand for resources like metal and wood.

Question 51

What is the impact of renewable energy development on deforestation?

Answer 51

Deforestation can occur to create space for renewable energy developments like wind farms, hydroelectric power plants, and solar panel farms.

Question 52

How do wind farms contribute to deforestation?

Answer 52

Wind farms need space for turbines to spin, which can lead to deforestation.

Question 53

What role does mining play in deforestation?

Answer 53

Mining metals and minerals is vital for producing goods, leading to deforestation for resource extraction.

Question 54

What is a common use of steel in relation to deforestation?

Answer 54

Steel, made from iron ore, is commonly used in construction, leading to mining activities that can cause deforestation.

Question 55

How does logging contribute to deforestation?

Answer 55

Timber from cut trees can be sold for profit, and roads created for logging require cutting down even more trees.

Question 56

How does agriculture relate to deforestation?

Answer 56

Forests can be cut down to grow crops or create grazing land for livestock as the global population rises.

Question 57

What is subsistence farming?

Answer 57

Subsistence farming describes farmers growing their own crops to eat and survive.

Question 58

Environmental Impacts of Deforestation

Answer 58

Fewer trees mean less carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere by photosynthesis. Fewer trees mean that soil is bound together less tightly and that soil erosion is more likely to happen. This increases the probability of flooding and makes the soil less nutrient-rich. Soil is also more likely to be washed away if rainfall hits the rainforest floor more frequently. Often, deforestation happens using 'slash and burn' techniques. The burning of the trees releases a lot of carbon into the atmosphere

Question 59

Economic Impacts of Deforestation

Answer 59

In 2018, Brazil exported $28bn worth of metals. The mining industry creates jobs, exports and helps increase Brazilian people's standard of living. Similarly, hydroelectric power plants and cattle farms help to create jobs. A nation's tourism industry could be damaged if too much deforestation took place as tourists could stop visiting the rainforest.

Question 60

The Amazon rainforest area spans about _________ across ____ countries, making it the largest rainforest in the world. The tree coverage in 1970 was ____ km2. In 2018, it was _____m km2. Between 2001 and 2013, the causes of Amazonian deforestation were: Impacts of Deforestation in the Amazon ???? %

Answer 60

8,200,000km2 9 4.1 3.3 Pasture and cattle ranching:63% Small-scale, subsistence farmers = 12% Fire = 9% Commercial crop farming = 7% Tree felling and logging = 6% Other activities = 3%

Question 61

Environmental impact of Amazonian deforestation

Answer 61

Photosynthesis by trees in the Amazon absorbs 5% of the world's carbon emissions each year (2bn tons of CO2). 100 billion tonnes of carbon are stored in the wood of the trees in the Amazon. If the Amazon were completely deforested, it would release the 100bn tonnes and also reduce the amount of carbon dioxide taken out of the atmosphere by 2bn tons each year. Trees anchor soil in the ground, bound to their roots. Deforestation damages the topsoil and once this has happened, the fertility of the ground is seriously damaged.

Question 62

Economic impact of Amazonian deforestation

Answer 62

Deforestation has fuelled the economic development of poor countries. In 2018, Brazil exported $28bn worth of metals. The mining industry creates jobs, exports and helps increase Brazilian people's standard of living. Similarly, hydroelectric power plants and cattle farms help to create jobs. In 2018, Brazil became the world's largest exporter of beef. Rio Tinto, an iron ore mining company employs 47,000 people globally and thousands of these are in Brazil.

Question 63

The rate of deforestation in the Amazon

Answer 63

In 2015, the Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff claimed that the rate of deforestation had fallen by 83% and that actually Brazil was going to reforest the Amazon. However, the policies under President Temer and President Bolsonaro has reversed Rousseff's plan. In 2019, under Bolsonaro, the rate of deforestation was increasing again

Question 64

What is the Value of Rainforests? ( 5 points) Rainforests are important to both humans and the environment.

Answer 64

Source of useful products and antifragility Long-term economic benefits of rainforests Photosynthesis removes carbon dioxide from the air The water cycle and climate Moral perspective

Question 65

Source of useful products and antifragility

Answer 65

Avocado, cashew nuts, citrus, chocolate, rubber and ingredients that are only really used in medicines are often grown in rainforest climates. Over 7,000 drugs have been created from tropical forest plant species. Having more products and more biodiversity makes the world less fragile. Nassim Taleb calls it antifragile when something is resistant to changes over time. Preserving biodiversity makes humankind more antifragile. If we kill off lots of plant and animal species, we may not be able to use them for something really useful in the future.

Question 66

Long-term economic benefits of rainforests

Answer 66

Although iron ore mining and timber logging are economically profitable, as incomes rise, tourism becomes more popular. Eco-tourism, like the hotel Hix Island House in Puerto Rico could become a major source of income in the future for countries and local people.

Question 67

Photosynthesis removes carbon dioxide from the air

Answer 67

Having more trees on Earth means that they extract more carbon dioxide from the air, offsetting humans' carbon emissions. Photosynthesis by trees in the Amazon absorbs 5% of the world's carbon emissions each year (2bn tons of CO2).

Question 68

Water cycle and local climates

Answer 68

Rainforests have an impact on the water cycle and local climates. A smaller area of rainforest would increase the likelihood of serious droughts and floods.

Question 69

Moral perspective

Answer 69

We should try not to harm other animals' habitats or other living things unless it is absolutely necessary.

Question 70

What are Strategies to Manage Rainforests Sustainably? Replanting share Replanting means planting new trees to replace those that have been felled. Lots of businesses now try to do this to help people offset their carbon footprints.

Answer 70

Selective logging Conservation and education Ecotourism Economic development and debt forgiveness International hardwood agreements Replanting

Question 71

Selective logging

Answer 71

Selective logging involves only cutting down a certain species of tree or trees of a certain age. For example, in the Brazilian Amazon, only very old trees may be logged. Selective logging preserves the structure of the rainforest. This reduces soil erosion as there are still trees in the area, with their roots binding the soil and their leaves/canopy protecting the vegetation below.

Question 72

Conservation and education

Answer 72

In the USA, logging is banned in Yosemite National Park, Yellowstone National Park, and Zion National Park. Education in schools and businesses about the damage from logging, locally and for the whole world could improve the situation. Although education could help, economists call this a 'tragedy of the commons' problem. The world bears the cost of deforestation and climate change, but an individual person probably makes more money by continuing to do logging.

Question 73

Ecotourism

Answer 73

Ecotourism is tourism that has minimal impact on the environment and that helps support local communities. Eco-tourism, like the hotel Hix Island House in Puerto Rico could become a major source of income in the future for countries and local people. It also educates tourists and people internationally about their personal impact on the environment.

Question 74

Economic development and debt forgiveness

Answer 74

Lots of nations with rainforest have low per capita incomes. Therefore, they are incentivised to do logging and mining because it brings short-term financial benefits. In 2019, the Brazilian President Bolsonaro made this argument. NGOs like the World Bank and the United Nations could work together to reduce countries' government debts and try to lower the incentive to exploit natural resources. Lots of Germany's reparations debt after World War 1 and World War 2 was eventually forgiven. This could happen to encourage a reduction in deforestation.

Question 75

International hardwood agreements

Answer 75

Hardwood is a type of wood. Rich people like having teak or mahogany furniture in their houses. The 2006 International Tropical Timber Agreement has a hardwood agreement, trying to make any teak or mahogany sold to come from sustainably forested areas.

Question 76

Replanting

Answer 76

Replanting means planting new trees to replace those that have been felled. Lots of businesses now try to do this to help people offset their carbon footprints.