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Geography > Ecosystems of the planet (Congo basin and GBR case study) > Flashcards

Ecosystems of the planet (Congo basin and GBR case study) Flashcards

1
Q

What is an ecosystem?

A

Natural environment and includes the flora and fauna that live and interact within that environment

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2
Q

Where are deserts found?

A

In a discontinuous band around the tropics (around 15-30 degrees North & South)

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3
Q

Where are tropical rainforests found?

A

In a discontinuous band around the equator (around 0-15 degrees North & South)

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4
Q

Where are temperate forests found?

A

In a discontinuous band between the tropics and the poles (around 25-50 degrees North & South)

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5
Q

Where are tropical grasslands found?

A

In a discontinuous band between the equator and the tropics (around 5-20 degrees North & South)

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6
Q

What are the 5 reasons climate is different in different places?

A

Distance from the sea
Prevailing wind direction
Latitude (concentration of solar radiation)
Altitude
Ocean currents

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7
Q

How much rainfall does temperate forests receive?

A

750mm to 1500mm per year

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8
Q

How much rainfall does tropical rainforests receive?

A

> 2000mm per year

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9
Q

How much rainfall do deserts receive?

A

<250mm per year

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10
Q

How much rainfall do tundras receive?

A

<250mm per year

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11
Q

What adaptations do camels have to survive the desert?

A

Humps to store fat
Tough leathery lips to eat plants with spines
Large feet to not sink into sand

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12
Q

What adaptations does the Saguaro Cactus have to survive the desert?

A

Can store 5 tonnes of water
Long roots to absorb water

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13
Q

What are the adaptations of flora in tropical grasslands?

A

Small leaves to reduce transpiration
Slick, shiny bark to reflect sunlight away
Deep tap roots
10m wide and can store 120,000 litres of water

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14
Q

What are the adaptations of polar bears in tundras?

A

White fur for camouflage
Small ears reduce heat loss
Large feet spreads load on snow and ice

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15
Q

What are the 3 atmospheric cells called?

A

Hadley, ferrell and polar

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16
Q

Why is the equator the hottest?

A

Because it receives the most concentrated solar insulation

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17
Q

Which way does wind flow?

A

High pressure —> low pressure

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18
Q

What is relief rainfall?

A

Precipitation that occurs when the land varies in height. It occurs when moisture-laden wind blows in and is forced to rise over high land such as mountains or hills. As the air rises, it cools and condenses, forming clouds and rain

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19
Q

What is frontal rainfall?

A

Precipitation that occurs when a warm air mass and a cold air mass meet. It is common between the ferrell and polar cells. When a warm front advances and rises over the cold front, the warm air cools and condensation takes place, leading to the formation of clouds and rain

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20
Q

What is convectional rainfall?

A

Precipitation that occurs when the sun’s energy heats the Earth’s surface, causing water to evaporate and form water vapor. As the warm, moist air rises, it cools and condenses, leading to the formation of clouds and subsequent rainfall. It is most common around the equator

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21
Q

What is flora?

A

The plants

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22
Q

What is fauna?

A

The animals

23
Q

How much height do you need to gain for the temperature to fall by about 1°C

A

~150m

24
Q

What are the layers of the rainforest?

A

Emergent
Canopy
Under-canopy
Shrub layer
Ground layer

25
Q

What is evotranspiration?

A

The process by which water is transferred from the land to the atmosphere by evaporation from the soil and other surfaces and by transpiration from plants.

26
Q

What are the 3 major nutrient stores in the rainforest?

A

Biomass (largest)
Litter
Soil

27
Q

What is the rainforest nutrient cycle?

A

In the rainforest, nutrients cycle rapidly due to warm, damp conditions. Decomposers break down organic matter, providing nutrients for vegetation. The nutrients are quickly removed by the plants and being washed away by rainwater

28
Q

What % of Africa’s forest cover is the Congo basin?

A

70%

29
Q

How big is the Congo basin?

A

~500 million acres

30
Q

How many species of plants are in the Congo basin?

A

10,000

31
Q

What % of plants in the Congo basin are unique to the region?

A

30%

32
Q

How many ethnic groups live in the Congo basin

A

~150

33
Q

What is interdependence?

A

The mutual reliance between two or more groups

34
Q

What threats do the Congo Basin face?

A

Logging
Mining
Agriculture
Poaching (bushmeat)

35
Q

What % of logging in the DRC is illegal?

A

87%

36
Q

What is mined in the DRC?

A

Gold
Diamonds
Cobalt
Copper

37
Q

What % of miners in the DRC are children

A

~50%

38
Q

How much land across central and western Africa are either designated or under current oil palm cultivation?

A

2.6 million hectares

39
Q

How many animal species in the DRC are threatened with extinction?

A

32,000

40
Q

How much bushmeat is illegally poached annually?

A

1.7 million tonnes

41
Q

What is the deforestation rate in the Congo basin

A

Between 0.15 and 0.20% per year

42
Q

How much of the Congo rainforest is expected to disappear by 2030?

A

30%

43
Q

What are 3 management strategies to combat threats to the rainforest?

A
  1. The Virunga National Park
  2. Forest Stewardship Council Certification (FSCC)
  3. World Bank Funding
44
Q

What are the benefits of Virunga National Park?

A
  1. 60,000 new jobs
  2. Stopping illegal logging and poaching
  3. Improved drinking water, health and education for 4 million people by 2025
45
Q

What are the negatives of Virunga National Park?

A

160 rangers killed in the last 2 decades

46
Q

What are the benefits of FSCC?

A
  1. Can certify companies that are legally allowed to log in the Congo Basin rainforest
  2. 5 million hectares certified (protected)
47
Q

What are the negatives of FSCC?

A

A relatively small scale project with only a few production lines in the UK

48
Q

What are the positives of World Bank Funding?

A
  1. $40m funded for 120,000 people
  2. 100,000ha of land protected
  3. Improved quality cooking stoves for people in Kinshasa
  4. Key roads have been built around the rainforest
49
Q

What are the negatives of World Bank Funding?

A

Has to go through the government first, where it might not be spent responsibly

50
Q

Where are coral reefs found?

A

In a discontinuous band between the tropics, mostly near coastlines

51
Q

Where is the Great Barrier Reef located?

A

North-East of Australia

52
Q

What are examples of interdependency in coral reefs?

A

Low nutrient water, coral polyps + zooxanthellae
Coral polyps + zooxanthellae
Clownfish + anemones

53
Q

Explain the interdependency between the low nutrient water, coral polyps + zooxanthellae

A

The low nutrient water means that it is clear (large algae sheets can’t form in the water) which allows the zooxanthellae (inside the coral polyp) to photosynthesise. This produces nutrients for the coral polyps to survive (e.g. glucose, glycerol, and amino acids), and the algae also produces oxygen for the coral polyp. The coral uses these products to make proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, and produce calcium carbonate. The waste nutrients from the coral polyp are used by the zooxanthellae to photosynthesise and also stops nutrients entering the water, keeping it low in nutrients and sheets of algae that could cloud the water. The coral polyp also provides the algae with a protected environment.

54
Q

What would happen if there was a sudden increase in nutrients in the water?

A

Algae sheets would form, preventing sunlight and therefore photosynthesis from happening, killing a lot of marine flora and disrupting interdependencies, food chains and ecosystems as a result

Geography (3 decks)

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