Breen Wood, Deciduous Forest, Ballycastle, Co. Antrim

Question 1

What is the average temperature range in Breen Wood during winter?

Answer 1

4°C

The average temperatures in Breen Wood range from 4°C in winter to 15°C in summer.

Question 2

What is the annual rainfall in Breen Wood?

Answer 2

Around 1,600 mm

Breen Wood experiences quite high annual rainfall totals.

Question 3

What type of soil is found in Breen Wood?

Answer 3

Podsols

The podsols in Breen Wood are generally poor in quality due to the basalt parent rock.

Question 4

What is the pH level of the soils in Breen Wood?

Answer 4

Around 4.5

The soils in Breen Wood have an acidic pH of around 4.5.

Question 5

What factors contribute to leaching in Breen Wood?

Answer 5

High rainfall totals and sloping relief

These factors ensure that leaching is significant in Breen Wood.

Question 6

How is energy transfer characterized in Breen Wood?

Answer 6

Inefficient

The transfer of food energy is inefficient, leading to energy loss via excrement.

Question 7

What is a key characteristic of the 200-year-old oak trees in Breen Wood?

Answer 7

They are about half the size they would be in lower areas

This is due to the abiotic factors affecting their growth.

Question 8

What percentage of energy fixed by the first trophic level is available to primary consumers?

Answer 8

10%

This energy is used by herbivores that eat the vegetation.

Question 9

What types of herbivores are found in Breen Wood?

Answer 9

Insects, including around 15 species of butterfly and red squirrels

These herbivores consume the vegetation in the ecosystem.

Question 10

What are the three main layers of vegetation in Breen Wood?

Answer 10

Canopy layer, shrub layer, ground layer

The canopy consists of oak and birch, the shrub layer includes hazel and holly, and the ground layer has ferns, brambles, and mosses.

Question 11

What is the primary function of autotrophs in Breen Wood?

Answer 11

To fix solar energy via photosynthesis

Autotrophs are the producers in the ecosystem.

Question 12

What percentage of energy from trophic level 1 is available to secondary consumers?

Answer 12

10%

This energy is consumed by animals from the second trophic level.

Question 13

What types of animals comprise the secondary consumers in Breen Wood?

Answer 13

Birds, including omnivores such as blue tits and goldcrests

These birds forage for seeds and insects.

Question 14

What is the remaining energy passed on to the fourth trophic level?

Answer 14

About 0.1% of the energy fixed at trophic level 1

This energy is available for tertiary consumers.

Question 15

What types of animals are in the fourth trophic level of Breen Wood?

Answer 15

Carnivores and omnivores including sparrow hawks, buzzards, badgers, foxes, and stoats

These animals feed on smaller birds, earthworms, fruits, nuts, and other small animals.

Question 16

Fill in the blank: The _______ layer in Breen Wood consists of hazel and holly trees.

Answer 16

Shrub

The shrub layer is found below the canopy layer.

Question 17

True or False: The range of plants and animals in Breen Wood is larger than typically expected in a deciduous forest.

Answer 17

False

The range is smaller due to abiotic factors.

Question 18

What role do detritivores play in Breen Wood?

Answer 18

Detritivores such as earthworms, fungi, and maggots help decompose dead organic matter

This decomposition process is crucial for nutrient cycling within the ecosystem.

Question 19

What limits the work of detritivores in Breen Wood?

Answer 19

The acidic podsol soils limit the work of detritivores, resulting in slow decomposition rates

Acidic soils can inhibit the activity of soil organisms necessary for decomposition.

Question 20

What are the three main stores of nutrients in Breen Wood?

Answer 20

The three main stores of nutrients are:
* Biomass store
* Litter store
* Soil store

Each store plays a different role in the nutrient cycling process.

Question 21

Which nutrient store is the largest in Breen Wood?

Answer 21

The biomass store is the largest nutrient store

It consists of plants and animals in the ecosystem.

Question 22

What contributes fresh leaf litter to the litter store in Breen Wood?

Answer 22

Deciduous trees shed their leaves during autumn to contribute fresh leaf litter

This process helps maintain the litter store and supports nutrient cycling.

Question 23

How does the size of the litter store in Breen Wood compare to typical deciduous forests?

Answer 23

The litter store is larger than typical for a deciduous forest due to specific environmental conditions

Factors include acidic podsol soils and cool average summer temperatures.

Question 24

What is the average summer temperature in Breen Wood?

Answer 24

The average summer temperature in Breen Wood is around 15°C

This temperature influences decomposition rates and nutrient cycling.

Question 25

What is the efficiency of nutrient uptake by plants in a deciduous forest compared to a tropical rainforest?

Answer 25

The efficiency of nutrient uptake by plants in a deciduous forest is about 25% as efficient as in a tropical rainforest ## Footnote This lower efficiency affects the size of the soil nutrient store.

Question 26

What factors contribute to nutrient loss from the soil store in Breen Wood?

Answer 26

High rainfall totals, cool summer temperatures, and sloping relief contribute to nutrient loss ## Footnote These factors lead to increased leaching and runoff.

Question 27

What is the annual rainfall total in Breen Wood?

Answer 27

The annual rainfall total in Breen Wood is around 1,600 mm ## Footnote This high rainfall impacts nutrient cycling through leaching.

Question 28

What is the main nutrient input to Breen Wood?

Answer 28

The main nutrient input comes from precipitation ## Footnote The basalt bedrock does not release many nutrients via weathering.