Tropical Rainforests Glossary Flashcards
Biodiversity
A large variety of animal and plant life living in the same ecosystem
Buttress roots
Large, thick tree roots that grow above the ground in tropical rainforests
Camouflage
An animal adaptation where animals purposefully look like their surroundings to hide from predators
Canopy
The layer of a tropical rainforest where the tops of the trees touch, forming a dense area of vegetation
Carbon sink
Something that absorbs more carbon dioxide than it emits, causing a net loss of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
Cattle ranching
The rearing of cows on large areas of land, usually to produce meat to sell for a profit
Clear felling
A form of logging where all trees in an area are cut down
Commercial farming
Agriculture that is intended to create surplus produce to sell for profit
Debt-for-nature swaps
Agreements where one country reduces the amount of debt owed by another country in return for the owing country putting efforts into environmental conservation
Decomposers
Organisms that break down organic materials and release the nutrients back into the ecosystem
Deforestation
The permanent (and usually large-scale) removal of trees
Drip-tip
An adaptation of a leaf where the end of the leaf is tapered, allowing rainwater to drip off
Ecotourism
Tourism that aims to have reduced environmental impacts and supports conservation efforts, making it sustainable
Epiphytes
Plants that live on the surface of other plants, receiving nutrients from these plants
Hydroelectric power
Energy harnessed from the movement of water
Interdependence
The concept of multiple things depending on each other for survival
Latosol
An iron-rich, infertile soil found in tropical rainforests
Leaching
A process in soils where minerals are washed away by water (usually rainfall)
Lianas
Woody vines found in tropical rainforests; their roots grow on the forest floor, but the vines stretch high into the canopy
Logging
The process of cutting down trees for wood
Nutrient cycling
The movement of nutrients between organic and inorganic components of an ecosystem
Plantations
Farms where crops are grown in large amounts with the intention to sell it for profit
Selective logging
A form of logging where only certain trees are cut down to reduce the environmental effects of logging
Subsistence farming
Agriculture that is intended to produce only enough food for the farmer and their family to eat
Transmigration
A government scheme that aims to move people from overpopulated urban areas to underpopulated rural areas
Tropical rainforest
A warm, wet, biodiverse ecosystem located within the Tropics
Understory
The layer of a tropical rainforest that lies beneath the canopy but above the forest floor
