Water and carbon cycle 7 - The Amazon Rainforest Flashcards
What is the amazon?
The world’s largest tropical rainforest
What does it cover
40% of South American land mass
What is the climate and vegetation like?
Very hot and wet climate and vegetation is very dense
Who lives in the Amazon
Many groups of indigenous people
Whats it home to
Over 1 million plant species, over 500 species of mammals and over 2000 species of fish
What endangered species live in the Amazon
Amazonian manatee, black caiman and a prarucu
What does the water cycle cause in the Amazon
Causes it to be very wet
Why is it wet
There’s a lot of evapotranspiration over the Atlantic Ocean and wet air is blown towards the amazon contributing to its high rainfall
What does the warm temperatures mean
That evaporation is high in the rainforest, increasing the amount of precipitation
What kind of canopy does the rainforest have
a dense one
What does a dense canopy mean
That interception is high
What happens as a result of this
Less water flows into rivers than might otherwise be expected and it does so more slowly
How does the water cycle affect the amazon environment
Its populated by species that are adapted to high humidity and frequent rainfall
