Tropical rainforests (Brazil)

Question 1

What are the 7 causes of deforestation?

Answer 1

-commercial farming
-subsistence farming
-population growth
-road building
-energy development
-selective / clear cut logging
-mineral extraction

Question 2

Describe … commercial farming (1)

Answer 2

Commercial farming is when farmers clear forests to make space for agricultural uses to produce a product that can be sold and traded on a large scale such as cattle and grain production.

65% of brazil’s amazon deforestation is for commercial farming of cattle. cattle release methane into te atmosphere, which is a green house gas therefore contributing to climate change and global warming.

Question 3

Describe … subsistence farming

Answer 3

Subsistence farming is when poorer farmers clear a small area of forest to make space for their own produce that sustains them and their family. they slash and burn the area and use it until the soil is fully exhausted then move on.

Question 4

Describe … population growth

(1)

Answer 4

many people migrate towards areas that have jobs that exploit the area’s natural wealth in resources. they settle and continue to work these high paying jobs, replacing the rainforest with mineral extraction sites (for iron-ore) or poor quality housing.

in the Brazilian amazon, the population became 11% more between 2000-2010.

Question 5

Describe …road building

Answer 5

Trees have to be cleared to make roads, the Brazilian government depend on these roads to access economic sites to help development however, most of these unofficial roads become unusable in periods of high precipitation. the trans amazonian highway has already opened up huge parts of the rainforest and its permanence poses a great risk to the now accessible parts of the forest as it exposes these areas to development.

Question 6

Describe … energy development

Answer 6

Due to brazil’s abundance of water and river conditions, it has encouraged the use of HEP which supplies Brazil with great amounts of power which is also used towards the mining sector. Its instalment is very damaging as it requires the flooding of surrounding land, submerging forests making the water very acidic, therefore harms the rainforest and people’s water supplies and displaces them elsewhere as it is toxic. however it does supply the country with a cheaper and more accessible source of energy, promoting more efficient extraction work.

Question 7

Describe … selective / clear cut logging

Answer 7

Selective logging is when a specific species or quality of tree is harvested, leaving some of the forest behind which later can recover eventually. Clear cut logging is when trees are harvested despite quality and species, resulting in mass deforestation. This wood is then sold as timber of pulp, which are used in construction or in paper manufacturing.

Question 8

Describe … mineral extraction (1)

Answer 8

Lots of rare minerals happen to be under the Amazon rainforest, resulting in mass deforestation occurring to access these valuable minerals such as iron and gold which can be exported to other countries (like in Asia where most NEE’s and LIC’s are), this is a great contribute to deforestation as it is clear-felled, preventing the forest from having a chance of recovering. Additionally, the exportation of these minerals can lead to the exchange of foreign diseases which may spread to local communities affecting their social life as they miss work or school if they are sick, meaning they are unable to sustain a stable income.

Question 9

Where are most tropical rainforests located?

Answer 9

Between the tropics Cancer and Capricorn in the equatorial region. in regions such as central Africa, north of South America, south/ south east Asia

Question 10

Describe and explain tropical rainforest conditions (climate/soil/precipitation/plants):

Answer 10

rainforests are very hot (ranging between 20-28ºC) and humid due to their latitude on the globe, due to being on the equator, the region of land receives most insolation from the sun at a higher concentration and is one of the low pressured areas, resulting in a wetter climate as water evaporated due to the extreme heat, it condenses and forms clouds.

the climate is unvaried, being hot all year round with no definite seasons, it also rains a lot which makes perfect conditions for decay.

the soil is fertile on the thin surface layer due to its fast decaying leaves.

it rains a lot due to being located at a low pressure belt on the equator.

plants are evergreen since conditions are optimal annually. vegetation coverage is dense and many are adapted to compete for resources.

Question 11

Describe the steps of the rainforest nutrients cycle: (5)

Answer 11

1. trees shed their leaves which fall to the ground, these leaves contain nutrients
2. the leaves quickly decay due to bacteria and fungi and the help of humidity and heat, releasing their nutrients
3. the nutrients reach only the top layer of the ground (litter layer)…
4. … before being absorbed by the shallow roots of the vegetation
5. this helps the vegetation to grow and thrive.

Question 12

what are the 4 levels of the rainforest?

Answer 12

emergents
canopy
understory
forest floor

Question 13

what is deforestation

Answer 13

the large scale permanent removal of trees to make room for economic gain, rates of deforestation have increased since the Industrial Revolution however are globally slowing down, though some LICs and NEEs are contributing more.

Question 14

economic impacts of deforestation

Answer 14

dis:
logging contributes lots to brazil’s economy but also jeopardises resources that other economic sources require to function, for example without trees it damages the areas attractiveness, meaning their is less tourism.

adv:
It has helped Brazil’s GNI increase significantly, with it being the largest exporter of soy beans and earning $600 million from exporting beef in 2018

Question 15

social impacts of deforestation

Answer 15

dis:
the indigenous have lost their livelihoods to deforestation as their lifestyle no longer sustains them, they are forcefully displaced into cities and towns where they have fallen into poverty.

adv:
The mining industry generated many jobs, eg, in buenaventura 8000 people were employed.

Question 16

environmental impacts of deforestation

Answer 16

dis:
the Amazon is a carbon sink hole of 140 tonnes of carbon. clearing these trees releases this CO2 back into the atmosphere and prevents more carbon to be abosrbed, leading to high amount of greenhouse gases therefore worse global warming.

Brazil has lost 100+ tonnes of topsoil per hectare each year because of erosion, water has flushed out all the nutrients out.

Question 17

what are the 6 ways to sustainably use the rainforest

Answer 17

ecotourism
selective logging and replanting
international hardwood agreements
conservation
education
debt reduction

Question 18

explain selective logging and replanting:

Answer 18

selective logging is when only a small amount of trees are felled of only a specific species and quality, this leaved the rainforest with most of its structure, meaning there’s a high chance of recovery. Replanting new plants of this same species that were felled replaces what was taken and there are some laws that require companies to do so.

by doing this, it allows this economic opportunity to last in the future whilst supplying jobs now, therefore is economically sustainable. it is also environmentally sustainable as habitats and the rich diversity is preserved, unlike leaving the damage.

Question 19

explain international hardwood agreements:

Answer 19

these are agreements (like made by the forest stewardship council) which are enforced to prevent illegal logging and encourage the use of sustainably acquired hardwood furniture from sustainably managed forests.

Question 20

explain conservation:

Answer 20

these are designed to prevent the exploitation of resources in a specific area, providing many jobs in policing and observation for locals. additionally countries who want to preserve the environment send funds that can be invested by the country into the rainforest and other methods of sustaining it.

Question 21

explain ecotourism:

Answer 21

managing tourist groups in small quantities to ensure they obedience towards the environment, reducing rates of littering therefore limits water contamination and pollution. this provides jobs as tour guides and in other tourism supporting jobs, deterring people from taking up unsustainable jobs that would make this strategy inefficient.

Question 22

explain debt reduction:

Answer 22

many LIC’s are in debt as they borrow money from others to fund development schemes or the recovery from natural disasters. they pay this off through fast income jobs such as logging, farming and mining in the rainforests. reducing the debt would help countries focus their income on more sustainable sources of income, instead of always relying on the rainforest.

Question 23

State ways on how tropical vegetation are adapted for a tropical rainforest:

Answer 23

-buttress roots- large bases that have huge roots to transport nutrients from the soil, they are large to maximise its intake of nutrients and also supports the tree as it grows since it cannot ground itself into the forest floor.

-lianas- rooted plants that grow onto other trees to the canopy layer to receive sunlight through their leaves.

-drip tips- allows excess moisture to fall off the leaf preventing the growth of algae which prevents the leaves from absorbing sunlight that enables photosynthesis to occur helping the plant to grow as it synthesises its food.

-leaves with flexible bases-
-emergents- fast growing tall tress that outcompete other trees for the sunlight by being much taller.

-thin smooth bark- prevents epiphytes and other vegetations from gripping onto it, leading to less competition for light and resources.

-epiphytes- plants that grow on the branches of other successful trees feeding off of their nutrients and accessing sunlight easily.

Question 24

Describe the interdependence between climate and soil:

Answer 24

Since the climate is constantly humid, leaf decay is constantly high, providing nutrients to be recycled on the forest floor making the soil very fertile for producers to absorb and grow making vegetation abundant.

Question 25

Describe the interdependence between people and climate:

Answer 25

human intervention such as deforestation decreases the amount of CO2 that is absorbed by these carbon sinks, this enhances the greenhouse effect which alters the climate (rainfall patterns and temperature).

Question 26

Describe the interdependence between people, animals and plants:

Answer 26

people may use the rainforest as an economic opportunity (leading to deforestation), this decreases the amount of decay that occurs because trees can no longer intercept rainfall creating a humid environment for decay. this means the soil gets less fertile, plants grow slower and animals don’t have enough food.

Question 27

Describe the interdependence between plants and animals:

Answer 27

Plants pass their nutrients onto animals when consumed, the high abundance of vegetation causes high animal populations, forming symbiotic relationships as animals also excrete nutrients back into the environment.

Question 28

Evaluate biodiversity in rainforests benefits and disadvantages:

Answer 28

rainforests are located in the equatorial region experiencing constant high temperatures and volumes of rain annually, this has caused the development of an ecosystem hit in biodiversity.

in rainforests, conditions are very constant therefore life is productive due to the abundance of resources. however, this has caused many species to evolve very particularly to their environment meaning they are susceptible to any changes to their ecosystem, resulting them into being sensitive in the current climate changes.

rainforests also accommodate many species, having a high biodiverse population that are interdependent on each other, due to the causes of climate change from human development such as deforestation, many habitats have been destroyed, many contain specific species, making them endangered. this impacts the food chains inside the ecosystem risking it in becoming very unstable.

Question 29

State ways on how tropical species are adapted for a tropical rainforest:

Answer 29

-nocturnal- animals like sloths are nocturnal to avoid being eaten by their predators, this is because they are less active at night when it is much too dark to see and scavenge for food.

-skin flaps- these acts as parachutes that allow animals in the canopy to escape predators by fleeing distances from heights, avoiding them being eaten.

-camouflage- animals such as chameleons can change or have a specific pattern that imitates the environment they inhabit, this means that they are harder to hunt so they avoid being eaten.

-muscles that enable them to run/swim- this allows them to have enough strength to navigate through the dense vegetation to hunt, since there are many rivers and wet conditions, it is essential for them to adapt to the terrain to get their energy sources.

-brightly coloured- this acts as a warning sign to predators, presenting themselves as poisonous and toxic to consume, avoiding them from being eaten.