Forest under threat

Question 1

Define abiotic components

Answer 1

Non-living environmental factors that have influence over the ecosystem (e.g climate, light exposure, soil type)

Question 2

Define acid rain

Answer 2

Rain with a pH of around 4, formed when chemicals from industrial processes react with water in clouds to form acids

Question 3

Define adaptation

Answer 3

An evolved trait of an animal or plant that helps them to cope with environmental stresses

Question 4

Define biodiversity

Answer 4

A large variety of animal and plant life living in the same ecosystem

Question 5

Define biofuels

Answer 5

Fuels produced from biomass ( i.e organic matter)

Question 6

Define biomass

Answer 6

Total mass organisms in a set area

Question 7

Define biome

Answer 7

Also known as global-scale ecosystem; a large, distinct region of the Earth with similar climate, soil, plants and animals

Question 8

Define biotic components

Answer 8

Living organisms that interact with the environment and other organisms within an ecosystem

Question 9

Define buttress roots

Answer 9

Large, thick tree roots that grow above the ground in tropical rainforest

Question 10

Define camouflage

Answer 10

An animal adaptation where animals purposefully look like their surroundings to hide from predators

Question 11

Define canopy

Answer 11

The layer of tropical rainforest where the tops of trees touch, forming a dense area of vegitation

Question 12

Define carbon sink

Answer 12

Something that absorbs more carbon dioxide than it emits, causing a net loss of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere

Question 13

Define cattle ranching

Answer 13

The rearing of cows on large areas of land, usually to produce meat to sell for a profit

Question 14

Define CITIES

Answer 14

(The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna & Flora) an international agreement that works to protect threatened wildlife from exploration)

Question 15

Define Clear Felling

Answer 15

A form of logging where all trees in an area are cut down

Question 16

Define Climate change

Answer 16

A distinct change in global or regional patterns of climate, such as changes in temperature or precipitation patterns

Question 17

Define commercial farming

Answer 17

Agriculture that is intended to create surplus produce to sell for a profit

Question 18

Define Conifers

Answer 18

Cone-bearing trees that are usually evergreen and have needle-shaped leaves, native to colder environments

Question 19

Define Conservation

Answer 19

Taking action to ensure a resource or environment is not depleted and over-exploited

Question 20

Define consumers

Answer 20

Organisms that receive energy from consuming (i.e. eating) living organisms

Question 21

Define Debt-for-nature swaps

Answer 21

Agreements where one country reduces the amount of debt owned by another country in return for the owning country putting efforts into environmental conservation

Question 22

Define Decomposers

Answer 22

Organisms that break down organic material and release the nutrients back into the ecosystem

Question 23

Define Deforestation

Answer 23

The permanent (and usually large-scale) removal of trees

Question 24

Define Drip-tip

Answer 24

An adaptation of a leaf where the end of the leaf is tapered, allowing rainwater to drip off

Question 25

Define Drought

Answer 25

A sustained period of abnormally dry weather

Question 26

Define ecosystem

Answer 26

A natural system in which a community of plants and animals interact with each other and their physical environment

Question 27

Define ecosystem

Answer 27

A natural system in which a community of plants and animals interact with each other and their physical environment

Question 28

Define Ecotourism

Answer 28

Tourism that aims to have reduced environmental impact and supports conservation efforts, making it sustainable

Question 29

Define Epiphytes

Answer 29

Plants that live on the surface of other plants, receiving nutrients from these plants

Question 30

Define Food Web

Answer 30

A representation of interactions between multiple producers and consumers within a specific ecosystem, show through a series of different food webs

Question 31

Define forest fire

Answer 31

An uncontrolled fire that burns woodland and vegetation (also wildfire)

Question 32

Define fossil fuels

Answer 32

Fuels made up of the remains of organic material, such as oil, coal and gas

Question 33

Define Fuel Wood

Answer 33

Wood that is burnt to provide energy

Question 34

Define Growing Season

Answer 34

The time of the year when temperatures and perception levels are high enough that plants can grow

Question 35

Define Hibernation

Answer 35

An adaptation where animals sleep through the entire winter by entering a state of extremely reduced activity to conserve energy

Question 36

Define Hydro Electric Power (HEP)

Answer 36

Energy harnessed from the movement of water

Question 37

Define Indigenous Peoples

Answer 37

The earliest known settlers in an area

Question 38

Define Interdependence

Answer 38

The concept of multiple things depending on each other for survival

Question 39

Define Leaching

Answer 39

A process in soils where minerals are washed away by water (usually rainfall)

Question 40

Define Lianas

Answer 40

Woody vines found in tropical rainforest; their roots grow on the forest floor, but vines stretch high into the canopy

Question 41

Define Litter

Answer 41

Organic matter that falls onto a forest floor

Question 42

Define Logging

Answer 42

The process of cutting down trees for wood

Question 43

Define Migration

Answer 43

The seasonal movement of animals

Question 44

Define nutrient cycling

Answer 44

The transfer of nutrients through an ecosystem, from the decay of organic material into the production and energy of living organisms

Question 45

Define Nutrients

Answer 45

Elements or compounds that support the growth of plants and animals, such as phosphates, potassium, magnesium, and nitrogen

Question 46

Define Open-cast mining

Answer 46

A mining technique where an area is cleared and resources are mined close to the surface, rather than underground (also called strip mining)

Question 47

Define Plantations

Answer 47

Farms where crops are grown in large amounts with the intention to sell for a profit

Question 48

Define Producers

Answer 48

Organisms that convert energy from environment (mainly sunlight) into sugars (glucose)

Question 49

Define productivity

Answer 49

A measure of new plant and animal growth in a given time, usually measured in grams per square meter per year

Question 50

Define Pulp and Paper Production

Answer 50

The process of making paper from soft wood

Question 51

Define REDD

Answer 51

(Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation) a group of United Nations-run schemes with the aim to reduce the environmental impact of poorly managed forests

Question 52

Define replanting

Answer 52

Planting a tree after cutting down a tree, so that theoretically the environmental impact of deforestation is reduced

Question 53

Define Runoff

Answer 53

Rainwater that flows over the Earth's surface

Question 54

Define Selective Logging

Answer 54

A form of logging where only certain trees are cut down to reduce the environmental effects of logging

Question 55

What is slash-and-burn

Answer 55

A farming practice where plants and trees are cut down and then purposefully burnt to clear the area

Question 56

Define subsistence farming

Answer 56

Agriculture that is intended to produce only enough food for the farmer and their family to eat

Question 57

Define sustainability

Answer 57

Meeting to the needs of the present without compromising the needs of the future

Question 58

Define Sustainable forestry

Answer 58

Management strategies that work to reduce the environmental impacts of commercial forest use, allowing forestry to continue into the future at the same rate

Question 59

Define Taiga biome

Answer 59

A biome located at high latitudes, characterised by conifer trees and a cold climate

Question 60

Define Tar sands

Answer 60

An area with natural deposits of oil mixed with sediments and water

Question 61

Define Tropical rainforest biome

Answer 61

A biome located near the equator, characterised by very high precipitation and sustained warm temperatures

Question 62

Define Understory

Answer 62

The layer of a tropical rainforest that lies beneath the canopy but above the forest floor

Question 63

Define weathering

Answer 63

The breakdown of soil and rock through chemical or physical processes

Question 64

Define wilderness

Answer 64

An area that is untouched by humans, and therefore remains unaffected by human activity