Ecosystems of the Planet (Congo Basin and Great Barrier Reef)

Question 1

What is an ecosystem?

Answer 1

A community that consists of living organisms and their habitats

Question 2

What are abiotic factors?

Answer 2

The non-living components of an ecosystem e.g. weather, climate, soil

Question 3

What are biotic factors?

Answer 3

The living components of an ecosystem e.g. plants, animals, humans

Question 4

What is interdependence?

Answer 4

The mutual reliance between two or more groups

Question 5

Polar regions - overview

Answer 5

Polar regions are mostly located on and around the poles. Temperatures stay below freezing due to the low amount of solar radiation received from the sun. It’s also very dry, only receiving as little as 250mm of rainfall per year

Question 6

Polar regions - flora

Answer 6

1. Small leaves to reduce transpiration
2. Bearberry is small and compact
3. Short roots
4. Plants close to the ground as these regions experience very high winds

Question 7

Polar regions - fauna

Answer 7

Polar bears have:
1. Large feet to spread its load on snow and ice
2. White fur for camouflage
3. Thick layer of blubber to insulate and store energy
4. Small ears to reduce heat loss

Question 8

Temperate forests - overview

Answer 8

Temperate forests are mainly found between the tropics and polar regions in areas such as North America, Europe and East Asia. it has warm summers and cool winters, receiving 750mm-1500mm

Question 9

Temperate forests - flora

Answer 9

Ferns:
1. Large leaves to absorb as much sunlight as possible
2. Grows early in spring with long, quick-growing leaves to take advantage of the available sunlight before larger trees block out the sunlight

Question 10

Temperate forests - fauna

Answer 10

Black bears:
1. Thick coat made up of many layers of fur to keep warm
2. 5 inch layer of fat for hibernating for winter
3. Long claws to climb up trees

Question 11

Hot deserts - overview

Answer 11

Hot deserts are found in between 15-30 N&S. They are very hot during the day, with temperatures up to 40C and sometimes below 0C in the night. They are also very dry, receiving less than 250mm of rainfall per year

Question 12

Hot deserts - flora

Answer 12

Saguaro Cactus:
1. 60cm tap roots to absorb water
2. Able to store up to 5 tonnes of water
3. Spikes to stop animals from eating it
4. Thick waxy cuticle to reduce water loss through transpiration

Question 13

Hot deserts - fauna

Answer 13

Camels:
1. Tough leathery lips to eat plants with spines to cope with the lack of food
2. Fat stored in humps so that they can go without food for a long time
3. Large feet so that it doesn’t sink in sand

Question 14

Temperate grasslands - overview

Answer 14

Temperate grasslands are normally located between 40-60 degrees N & S. Summers are very hot and winters are very cold and the average rainfall varies from 250mm-750mm

Question 15

Temperate grasslands - flora

Answer 15

Tussock grass reach heights of 2m and provides a good habitat for burrowing animals

Question 16

Temperate grasslands - fauna

Answer 16

Saiga Antelope:
1. Long lanky legs
2. Always give birth to twins
3. Large nose to smell fresh grass hundreds of miles away

Question 17

Tropical grasslands - overview

Answer 17

Tropical grasslands are found between 5 and 30 degrees N & S. 80% of rainfall occurs in the short summer season and it stays very dry in the long, dry season.

Question 17

Tropical grasslands - fauna

Answer 17

Grasscutter ants cut the grass for fungi, who in return, give the ants food

Question 18

Tropical grasslands - flora

Answer 18

Baobab trees:
1. Small leaves to reduce transpiration
2. Slick, shiny bark to reflect sunlight away
3. Up to 10m wide trees which can store 120,000 litres of water
4. Xerophytic (drought-resistant) and pyrophytic (fire-resistant)

Question 19

Tropical rainforests - overview

Answer 19

Tropical rainforests have a very wet climate with over 2,000mm of rainfall per year and an average daily temperature of 28C

Question 19

Tropical rainforests - flora

Answer 19

1. The tallest trees are known as emergents and can reach as high as 50m
2. The canopy is the next layer below the emergent layer and receives 70% of sunlight and 80% of rainfall. It’s approximately 30m high
3. The next layer is the under canopy, consisting of trees growing up to 20m
4. The shrub layer is the lowest layer where only small trees and shrubs surviveq

Question 19

Tropical rainforests - fauna

Answer 19

Gecko:
1. Green colour so that it can camouflage within its surroundings in the rainforests and treetops
2. Large, flattened toe pads with sticky scales on their undersides which helps them to grip onto the smooth trunks and climb vertically up trees

Question 20

Coral reefs - overview

Answer 20

Coral reefs are found within 30 degrees N & S of the equator in tropical and sub-tropical oceans

Question 20

Coral reefs - flora

Answer 20

Coral reefs are made up of thousands of polyps which live together in reefs or colonies. They build calcium carbonate structures which helps build the structure of the reef but they can take a long time to grow - 0.5cm-2cm per year

Question 21

Coral reefs - fauna

Answer 21

Coral reefs provide shelter for many animals including: 1. Starfish 2. Clams 3. Eels

Question 22

How are strangler figs interdependent in the Congo Basin rainforst?

Answer 22

1. Start out as tiny seeds which are deposited on branches by mammals and birds 2. They grow around trees and steal water and nutrients 3. Provide an important niche and food source 4. Home to thousands of invertebrates, rodents, bats, reptiles, amphibians and birds 5. Provides fig fruits for bonobos

Question 23

How is the moabi tree interdependent in the Congo Basin rainforest?

Answer 23

1. Key food source for elephants who distribute the seeds of the tree over large distances, allowing it to grow and prosper 2. Leaves and roots of the tree are used by Congolese people to make over 50 traditional medicines

Question 24

How does the planet benefit from the Congo Basin rainforest's biodivesity?

Answer 24

1. Helps the planet as biodiversity is important for evolution 2. Species being interdependent protects many others in the ecosystem 3. 10,000 species of tropical plants (30% being unique to CBR) 4. Endangered wildlife such as forest elephants, chimpanzees, bonobos and mountain gorillas 5. 400 other species of mammals 6. 1,000 species of birds and 700 species of fish

Question 25

How does the planet benefit from the carbon storing of the Congo Basin rainforest?

Answer 25

1. Rainforests around the world store 23 gigatonnes of CO2, equivalent to more than 10 years of humans' accumulated human output 2. Gives the planet more time to switch to carbon neutral and decrease our ecological footprint 3. The amount of CO2 stored is enough to increase global temperatures by over 0.2C within 5 years

Question 26

How do humans benefit from the Congo Basin's medicines?

Answer 26

1. 60% of medicines originate from species native to rainforests 2. International Cancer Institute has identified 1400 tropical forest plants with the potential to fight cancer with the moabi tree alone making 50 traditional drugs 3. More than 75 million people benefit from medicine harvested from plants native to the Congo Basin Rainforest

Question 27

How do humans benefit from the Congo Basin's people?

Answer 27

1. There are 150 different ethnic tribes living in the CBR who maintain the forest 2. They have rich cultural and traditional knowledge and sustainable agricultural methods as well as ways of making medicine 3. It provides a place of refuge in times of strife such as civil war

Question 28

How is logging a threat to biodiversity in the Congo Basin?

Answer 28

1. Congo Basin rainforest illegally logged for profit, agriculture and mining 2. DRC government allocated 15 million ha to be legally logged but 87% of logging in the DRC is illegal 3. The rate of deforestation is 0.2% per year with Central Africa losing 91,000 km^2 of rainforest from 1990-2000 4. 30% of the Congo rainforest will have disappeared by 2030

Question 29

How is mining a threat to biodiversity in the Congo Basin?

Answer 29

1. Resource extraction causing conflict 2. Resource curse hindering development 3. $20 trillion in untapped mineral deposits under the CBR 4. Children involved in dangerous activities and not in school 5. Mining areas being deforested and environmental degradation in proximity to the mines

Question 30

How is poaching a threat to biodiversity in the Congo Basin?

Answer 30

1. Lots of illegal poaching and trade 2. 2 million tonnes of bushmeat harvested per year 3. Poaching of African Forest Elephant causing them to occupy only 25% of their previous range 4. 400-600 gorillas killed by poachers each year 5. More than 32,000 animal species threatened with extinction

Question 31

What is Virunga National Park?

Answer 31

A solution to combat the illegal logging and poaching in the CBR. It covers 7800km^2

Question 32

What are the positives of Virunga National Park?

Answer 32

1. It creates 60,000 new jobs by 2025 2. Increases tourism 3. Ranger force and improved surveillance 4. Improved drinking water, health and education for 4 million by 2025

Question 33

What are the negatives of Virunga National Park?

Answer 33

1. 160 rangers killed in the last 2 decades 2. After the 1994 Rwanda genocide, many refugees have become dependent on the natural resources of the Congo Basin

Question 34

What is World Bank Funding?

Answer 34

A global partnership which, in this case, helps to stop illegal logging and poor agricultural practices

Question 35

What are the positives of World Bank Funding?

Answer 35

1. $40 million has been funded for 120,000 people in local communities 2. 100,000 ha of land protected 3. Improved quality kerosene stoves will be given to people in Kinshasa, helping to reduce deforestation 4. Alternative farming methods and reduced deforestation can lead to a reduction of 4.5 million tonnes of CO2

Question 36

What are the negatives of World Bank Funding?

Answer 36

1. Money is channelled through the government who has a poor record for corruption 2. Kerosene still produces harmful emissions 3. Focus is on Kinshasa when 60% of the DRC lives in rural areas

Question 37

How are zooxanthellae and coral interdependent?

Answer 37

1. Zooxanthellae live within the tissues of the coral polyp and are able to photosynthesise and provide energy and nutrients for the coral 2. In exchange, the algae benefit from having exclusive access to waste nutrients produced from the coral (nitrogen and phosphorus) 3. These waste products fertilise the zooxanthellae

Question 38

How are clownfish and anemones interdependent?

Answer 38

1. Clownfish are immune to the anemone stings so they are able to live inside the anemone's tentacles 2. They are also brightly coloured so that they attract predators and bring them into the anemone where they get stung 3. The anemone then brings the animal to its mouth for ingestion 4. The anemone benefits by having food, while the clownfish is given a space to live

Question 39

What is the value of the Great Barrier Reef to humans?

Answer 39

1. Huge tourist attraction bringing in $6bn AUD per year from 2.6 million tourists each year 2. 64,000 jobs reliant on the reef 3. Fishing and aquaculture industries valued at $160m AUD/year and $1bn AUD/year 4. Coral reefs provide $375bn/year around the world in goods and services

Question 40

What is the value of the Great Barrier reef to the planet?

Answer 40

1. Unparalleled location of ecological importance 2. Only 0.1% of the ocean floor is covered in coral reefs although 1 million species of fish, invertebrates and algae are found there 3. 10% of the world's fish species are found in the GBR 4. The reef acts as a natural barrier to coastal storms, stopping erosion and protecting the land and property behind it

Question 41

How much of a threat is climate change to the Great Barrier Reef?

Answer 41

1. Higher ocean temperatures with a temperature rise of 2-3C is believed to put 97% of the GBR in danger of bleaching 2. When temperatures rise, coral polyps get stressed and spit out the colourful algae living inside of them, leaving them white 3. Since the algae provide the coral with over 90% of its energy, the coral starves and dies 4. This has a ripple effect up the food chain 5. They require 10-15 years to regain their coral cover, meaning the reef may become extinct by 2030

Question 42

How much of a threat is over-tourism to the Great Barrier Reef?

Answer 42

1. The GBR is a popular tourist attraction with over 2 million international visitors each year 2. Tourists are carried to the reef system by over 500 commercial vessels, causing water pollution as well as noise pollution which can put fish and coral under stress 3. Tourists also walk on reefs, damaging the coral 4. Runoff from sunscreen containing chemicals such as oxybenzone can be absorbed by corals and kill them

Question 43

What is changing farming practices?

Answer 43

Farmers around the GBR are using different practices such as sediment traps which catch sediment from water in production systems to stop run-off and eutrophication

Question 44

What are the negatives of changing farming practices?

Answer 44

1. Systematic clear outs of pits do take time and money 2. Using less fertilisers may cause a decrease in crop yield and profit, but in the long term, it won't destroy the land

Question 45

What are the positives of changing farming practices?

Answer 45

1. Over 50% of farmers in the Mackay Whitsunday area are using these practices 2. 90% of water is recycled back onto the fields 3. The practices are cheap with no expensive machinery needed as farmers already have it 4. Water quality has improved

Question 46

What are guidelines and restrictions on tourism?

Answer 46

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Authority have made it so that: 1. Permits must be obtained for any tourist activities to reduce the impact of unlicensed and unregulated operators damaging the reefs 2. Maximum group and vessel size to limit the pollution in water affecting the reefs 3. Divers are being closely monitored when scuba diving to avoid damaging the reef 4. Tourist operators must be certified by an independent organisation - Ecotourism Australia

Question 47

What are the positives of guidelines and restrictions on tourism?

Answer 47

1. Smaller group and vessel sizes give more protection to the reef 2. Reduces the risk of coral destruction via tourism 3. In the long term, the reef is protected for longer

Question 48

What are the negatives of guidelines and restrictions on tourism?

Answer 48

1. Impossible to monitor everything so some type of illegal activities may be going on 2. Smaller group and vessel sizes may bring in less money 3. Some accidents like accidently standing on reefs can occur 4. Limit on people could drive up prices, making it less accessible