tropical rainforests-g6 Flashcards
What is the climate like in tropical rain forests?
The climate is the same all year round- there are no definite seasons.
- Its hot( the temp is generally between 20-28*C and only varies by a few degrees over the year). This is because the sun’s energy is more intense near the equator as it is overhead all year round.
- Rainfall is very high, around 2000mm per year, it rains every day.
What kind of plants are there in tropical rainforests?
- Most trees are evergreen to help them take advantage of the continual growing season
- Many trees are really tall and the vegetation cover is dense- very little light reaches the forest floor
- There are lots of epiphytes(plants that grow on other living plants and take nutrients and moisture from the air) e.g orchids and ferns.
What is the soil like in tropical rainforests?
The soil isn’t very fertile as heavy rain washes nutrients away. There are surface nutrients due to decayed leaf fall, but this layer is very thin as decay is fast in the warm, moist conditions.
What animals are there in a tropical rainforest?
Rainforest ecosystems are believed to contain more animal species than any other ecosystem. Gorillas, jaguars, anacondas, tree frogs, sloths and howler monkeys are all found here
Do people live in rainforests?
Many indigenous people have adapted to life in rain forests. They make a living by hunting and fishing, gathering nuts and berries, and growing vegetables in small garden plots.
What is biodiversity?
Biodiversity is the variety of organisms living in a particular area.
Do rainforests have high biodiversity?
Yes, they contain around 50% of the world’s plant, animal and insect species and may contain around half of all life on earth
Why are rainforests stable and productive environments?
Because their climate is constant, its hot and wet all the time. Plants and animals don’t have to cope with changing conditions and there is always plenty to eat
How is a rainforest an interdependent ecosystem?
- The warm and wet climate helps fungi and bacteria on the forest floor to decompose dead plant material rapidly. This makes the surface soil high in nutrients, meaning plants can grow easily.
- Plants pass on nutrients when eaten by animals. The dense vegetation provides lots of food, so animal populations are high. When the animals die, the nutrients are transferred back to the soil, making it richer and encouraging lots of vegetation.
- Many plants and animal species have formed symbiotic relationships.
read this about how humans are interfering with these ecosystems
Changes to one part of the rain forest ecosystem can have a knock on effects on the whole ecosystem. For example, cutting down trees(deforestation) can contribute to climate change.
- Trees intercept and take up lots of water, and release it back into the atmosphere, providing moisture for further rainfall. Reducing tree cover may increase the risk of drought, affecting the plants and animals that live in the rain forest ecosystem.
- Trees stablise soil with their roots and provide some nutrients when they drop their leaves. With fewer trees, the soil would have less production from heavy rainfall, the few nutrients present would wash more easily and plants would struggle to grow.
What adaptations do plants have?
Plants in the rainforest are adapted to high rainfall, high temperatures and competition for light.
- Trees compete for sunlight by growing tall.
- Plants have thick, waxy leaves with pointed drip tips. these channel rainwater to the point, encouraging runoff so the weight of the water doesn’t damage the plant. This also means there is no standing water for fungi and bacteria to grow in. The leaves’ waxy coating also helps to repel the rain.
- Climbing plants, such as lianas, use tree trunks to reach sunlight
- Many trees have smooth, thin bark as there’s no need to protect the trunk from cold temperature. The smooth surface also helps water to run off easily.
- Large, stable buttress roots support the tall tree trunks
- Plants drop their leaves gradually throughout the year, meaning they can go on growing all year round.
What are the 4 layers of rainforest?
Emergent trees, main canopy, undercanopy and shrub layer
Emergent trees only have branches at their crown, where the most light is available
Some undercanopy plants have large leaves to absorb as much sunlight as possible.
How are animals adapted to living in the rainforest?
- Many animals spend their entire lives high up in the canopy. They have strong limbs so that they can move around their habitat quickly and easily e.g monkeys
- Some birds have short pointed wings so that they can easily manoeuvre between the dense tangle of trees e.g eagles
- Suction cups help some animals climb e.g tree frogs. Others have flaps of skin that help them glide between trees
- Some animals are camouflaged
- Some animals are adpated to the low light levels on the rainforest floor
- Most animals are nocturnel, they feed at night when its cooler, this helps them to save energy
- many animals can swim
Where is Malaysia?
Malaysia is country in south east asia
It is made up of Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia
How much of Malaysia is covered by rainforests?
67% and the natural vegetation in malaysia is tropical rainforest
What is deforastation?
The cutting down of trees, often on a very large scale.
Deforastation means the land can be used for other profit making enterpirses, like cattle ranching, commercial farming, the production of rubber and plam oil. Timber is a highly valued export
The rate of deforestation is increasing faster than anywhere else in the world in Malaysia
