Tropical Rainforest

Question 1

What are epipyhtes?

Adaptation

Answer 1

Epiphytes are plants that grow on other plants.
In order to reach sunlight

Question 2

Soil fetility

Answer 2

Soil fertility is low in tropical rainforests because the heavy and frequent rain washes away the nutrients

Question 3

Tip drips

Adaptation

Answer 3

Allow heavy rain to drip off. This prevents algae growing, which could block sunlight and stop photosynthesis

Question 4

Butteress roots

Answer 4

Shallow layer of fertile soil, so trees only need shallow roots to reach the nutrience. However shallaw roots can’t support huge rainforest trees. These can strech from the ground to two metres or more to trunk

Question 5

Lianas

Answer 5

Liana roots are like woody creepers rooted to the ground but carried by trees into the canopy where they have leaves and flowers
(maximum sunlight recived)

Question 6

Flying lemur

Answer 6

Has a huge wingspan which allows it to glide between trees and isn’t acually a wing though more of growth skin. This way it consereves alot of energy in movement as it doesn’t need energy to reach food

Question 7

Tree frog

Answer 7

Have dry thumbs, so that in wet cinditions they can climb easily as they can grip on slipper surfaces. Large vocal sac

Question 8

Why is biodiversity so high in tropical rainforests ?

Answer 8

Biodiversity is so high in tropical rainforests because they have high rainfall and high temperature which leads to high humidity (perfect conditions for plants to thrive)

Question 9

Interdependence in tropical rainforests

Answer 9

Plants need water in order to grow
Plants contribute by evaportranspiration
(water cycle)

(water and plants)

Question 10

Issues related to biodiversity

Answer 10

Indigenous tribes being unable to survive their as they have to abandon their traditional lifestyle

Plants and animals species may become extinc - some before they have been discovered

Question 11

Why should tropical rainforests be protected?

Answer 11

28% of oxygen (lungs of the world)
Carbon sink
Medicine - 25% cancer fighting ingredients

Question 12

Climate of tropical rainforests

Answer 12

Same all year round
hot temperatures between 20-28 because the sun’s energy is more intense near the equator
rainfall is very high around 2000mm per year.
it rains everday

Question 13

Soil

Answer 13

The soil isn’t very fertile as heavy rain washes nutrience 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

Question 14

People

Answer 14

Many indigenous people have adapted to life in rainforests
They make a living by hunting, fishing and gathering nuts and berries
And growing vegetables in small garden plots

Question 15

Animal/biodiversity

Answer 15

Rainforest ecosystems are belived to contain more animals specoes than any other ecosystems
They contain 50% of the worlds planys animal and insect species
They dont have to cope with changing conditions and there is always plenty to eat

Question 16

Plants

Answer 16

Most trees are evergreen to help them take advantage og the continual growing season
Mant trees are tall and the vegeitation cover is dense- very little light reaches the forest floor