Ecosystems And Rainforests

Question 1

What is an ecosystem?

Answer 1

All the biotic parts and the abiotic parts of an area

Question 2

Producers

Answer 2

Use sunlight energy to produce food

Question 3

Consumer

Answer 3

Gets its energy by eating other organisms. They eat producers or other consumers

Question 4

Decomposer

Answer 4

Gets its energy by breaking down dead material. Bacteria and fungi

Question 5

The Nutrient Cycle

Answer 5

1. When dead material decomposes, nutrients are released into the soil.
2. The nutrients are then taken up from the soil by plants. The plants can be eaten by consumers.
   3, when the plants or consumers die, the nutrients are returned to the soil.
3. This is called nutrient cycling

Question 6

A food chain…

Answer 6

Shows what eats what

Question 7

A food web…

Answer 7

Shows lots of food chains and how they overlap.

Question 8

If one part of an ecosystem changes…

Answer 8

It affects all the other parts in the ecosystem

Question 9

Tundra

Answer 9

Found at high latitudes in Northern Europe, Canada + Alaska. Winter are cold, summers are brief and little rainfall. Not many trees. Layer of permafrost.

Question 10

Grasslands

Answer 10

Savannah - dry + wet seasons, between tropics. Grasses.

Temperate - high latitudes, more variation in temperature, less rainfall. Just grasses.

Question 11

Boreal Forest

Answer 11

Winters cold and dry, summer mild and moist. Trees coniferous, evergreen and have needles

Question 12

Deciduous forest

Answer 12

Mid latitudes. Summers are warm, winter is mild, rainfall all year. Deciduous trees

Question 13

Tropical rainforest

Answer 13

Around equator, where it’s hot and wet all year round. Dense canopies of vegetation forming distinct layers.

Question 14

Hot Desert

Answer 14

Little rainfall, between tropics, hot during day, cold at night. Shrubs and cacti are sparsely distributed.

Question 15

Polar

Answer 15

North and south poles. Cold, icy, dry. Dark for months, short growing season of two months.

Question 16

Climate of tropical rainforests

Answer 16

Same all year. Hot, doesn’t vary. High rainfall (2000mm per year).

Question 17

Plants in tropical rainforest

Answer 17

Trees are evergreen. Trees are tall and vegetation cover is dense - little light reaches forest floor. Lots of epiphytes.

Question 18

Epiphytes

Answer 18

Plants that grow on other living plants and take nutrients and moisture from the air

Question 19

Soil

Answer 19

Isn’t very fertile as heavy rain washes nutrients away. Surface nutrients due to decayed leaf fall, but this layer is very thin as decay is fast in warm, moist conditions

Question 20

Animal species

Answer 20

More species than any other ecosystem.

Question 21

People

Answer 21

Indigenous people make a living here by hunting, fishing, gathering nuts and berries, and growing vegetables in pots

Question 22

Biodiversity

Answer 22

The variety of organisms living in a particular area.

Question 23

Biodiversity in rainforest

Answer 23

Very high - 50% of the world’s plant, animal and insect species (half of all life on earth!)

Question 24

Plant adaptations

Answer 24

1. Trees compete for sunlight by growing tall.
2. Thick, waxy leaves with pointed drip-tips - channel rainwater to the point, encouraging run-off so the weight of the water doesn’t damage the plant. No standing water for bacteria/fungi to grow in. Waxy coating repels rain.
3. Climbing trees e.g lianas use tree trunks to reach sunlight
4. Smooth, thin bark helps water to run off easily.
5. Buttress roots support the trunks
6. Leaves dropped gradually throughout the year, so they can keep growing.

Question 25

Animal adaptations

Answer 25

1. Strong limbs to move around quickly.
2. Short, pointed wings to manoeuvre between the dense trees.
3. Suction cups help animals climb or flaps of skin to help them glide.
4. Swimming to cross river channels
5. Nocturnal so they can feed at night when it’s cooler - helps them to save energy.
6. Increased sense of smell, detect predators without having to see them (anteaters)

Question 26

Why’s the Amazon being cut down?

Answer 26

Commercial farming (cattle ranching + grazing, soy. Subsistence farming (indigenous people, families). Commercial logging (mahogany is valuable). Mineral extraction (gold, iron ore and copper). Energy development (building hydroelectric dams). Population growth (people are being offered land when they immigrate). Road building (trans Amazonian highway)

Question 27

What are the impacts of deforestation in the Amazon?

Answer 27

CLIMATE CHANGE - Amazon stores 140 billion tonnes of CO2. Deforestation releases some CO2 (75% of brazils emissions).

SOIL EROSION - lose up to 100 tonnes of top soil every year - lead to landslides and flooding. Less interception, reduces soil fertility when water reaches the soil - nutrients are washed.

ECONOMIC - Farming brought wealth to Brazil. (600 million from beef). Mining creates jobs. Logging contributes, but destroys resources e.g timber.

Question 28

How can rainforests be managed?

Answer 28

Selective logging, replanting, ecotourism, education, reducing debt, conservation, international hardwood agreements