Global ecosystems Flashcards
What is an ecosystem
A community f living organisms and their non-living environment
What is the main factor influencing the distribution of ecosystems
Climate
How does altitude affect the distribution of ecosystems
Altitude:
-higher altitudes are colder so fewer plants grow there, and limits the number of animals
-not much organic matter so soil is thin or non-existent
How does soil type affect the distribution of ecosystems
.. type:
-more … rich soils can … more …
-the a…, d… and t… of soils vary
-this affects the … that can … there
Types of soil:
-p… soils
—>very …
—>only acid-… plants … eg c…
-c… soils
—>…, water can’t … easily
—>hard for … that need well-… soils to …
-… soils
—>don’t have enough … for large … to …
Soil type:
-more nutrient rich soils can support more plants
-the acidity, drainage and thickness of soils vary
-this affects the plants that can grow there
Types of soil:
-peat soils
—>very acidic
—>only acid-tolerant plants grow eg conifers
-clay soils
—>sticky, water can’t flow easily
—>hard for plants that need well-drained soils to grow
-thin soils
—>don’t have enough nutrients for large trees to grow
What are the different types of ecosystem
-t… f…
-t… f…
-b… f…
-d…
-t… g…
-t… g…
-t…
-tropical forest
-temperate forest
-boreal forest
-desert
-tropical grassland
-temperate grassland
-tundra
Tropical forest climate and characteristics
Climate:
-does …, always h… and r…
-day … is the … (… hours) all … round
Characteristics:
-p…:
—>almost all … are … (don’t drop …),
—>plants grow … quickly and are … to take in … light
-a…
—>dense … provides lots of … for different … and habitats
—>lots of … species of …
-s…
—>plants … leaves all … round
—>these … quickly so there is a constant … of … in the …
Climate:
-does change, always hot and rainy
-day length is the same (12 hours) all year round
Characteristics:
-plants:
—>almost all trees are evergreen (don’t drop leaves),
—>plants grow very quickly and are adapted to take in maximum light
-animals
—>dense vegetation provides lots of food for different animals and habitats
—>lots of different species of animal
-soils
—>plants shed leaves all year round
—>these decompose quickly so there is a constant supply of nutrients in the soil
Temperate forest climate and characteristics
Climate:
-have 4 … seasons
-… are warm winters are …
-… is very …, and is all … round
-days are …. in winter and … in summer
Characteristics:
-p…
—>fewer … than … forest, but more than … forests
—>forests are made of …-leaved trees that … their … in …
-a…
—>mild … and range of … provides … and habitats for …
-s…
—>plants lose their leaves … in … and the leaf … decomposed …
—>so soils are relatively … and …-rich
Climate:
-have 4 distinct seasons
-summers are warm winters are cold
-rainfall is very high, and is all year round
-days are shorter in winter and longer in summer
Characteristics:
-plants
—>fewer species than tropical forest, but more than boreal forests
—>forests are made of broad-leaved trees that drop their leaves in autumn
-animals
—>mild climate and range of plants provides food and habitats for mammals
-soils
—>plants lose their leaves quickly in autumn and the leaf litter decomposed quickly
—>so soils are relatively thick and nutrient-rich
Boreal forests climate and characteristics
Climate:
-have … summers and … winters
-extremely … winters and … summers
-… is low, most of it falls as …
-get lots of … during summer but … to none during …
Characteristics:
-plants
—>most … are e… so they can grown when there is enough …
—>… trees eg pine and f… are common
-animals
—>r… few … species compared to other … as there is … food …
-soils
—>the cool … climate means … from trees decompose … so soils are t…, n…-p… and a…
-ground is … for most of the …
Climate:
-have short summers and longer winters
-extremely cold winters and cooler summers
-precipitation is low, most of it falls as snow
-get lots of daylight during summer but little to none during winter
Characteristics:
-plants
—>most trees are evergreen so they can grown when there is enough light
—>coniferous trees eg pine and fir are common
-animals
—>relatively few animal species compared to other forests as there is less food available
-soils
—>the cool dry climate means needless from trees decompose slowly so soils are thin, nutrient-poor and acidic
-ground is frozen for most of the year
Desert climate and characteristics
Climate:
-… is very low, and might only … every few …
-temperatures range from very … to below … at …
-get more … in the summer than …
-there is little … cover so there are lots of … of … every day
Characteristics:
-plants
—>plant growth is … due to lack of …
—>plants that grown included … and thorn bushes
—>plants have a … life …, only appearing when it …
-animals
—>relatively … animal …
—>those that do are … to cope with the … climate eg snakes, …
-soil
—>sparse … means … leaf …
—>… climate means organic … is … to …
—>so soils are … and nutrient-…
Climate:
-rainfall is very low, and might only rain every few years
-temperatures range from very hot to below freezing at night
-get more daylight in the summer than winter
-there is little cloud cover so there are lots of hours of sunshine every day
Characteristics:
-plants
—>plant growth is sparse due to lack of rainfall
—>plants that grown included cacti and thorn bushes
—>plants have a short life cycle, only appearing when it rains
-animals
—>relatively few animal species
—>those that do are adapted to cope with the harsh climate eg snakes, lizards
-soil
—>sparse vegetation means little leaf litter
—>dry climate means organic matter is slow to decompose
—>so soils are thin and nutrient-poor
Tropical grasslands climate and characteristics
Climate:
-low …
-… dry and … seasons
-… are common during the … season
-temperatures are … just before the … season and … just … it
-are near the … so get lots of …
Characteristics:
-plants
—>mainly consist of …, s… and s… p… with few … trees
—>plants have … to recover … after a …
-animals
—>lots of … like grasshoppers, b… etc and larger … like lions, e… etc
-soils
—>grass … back or is … during the … season forming t…, nutrient-… soil
—>nutrients are … out of the … during the … seasons
Climate:
-low rainfall
-distinct dry and wet seasons
-fires are common during the dry season
-temperatures are highest just before the wet season and lowest just after it
-are near the equator so get lots of sunshine
Characteristics:
-plants
—>mainly consist of grass, scrub and small plants with few scattered trees
—>plants have adapted to recover quickly after a fire
-animals
—>lots of insects like grasshoppers, beetles etc and larger animals like lions, elephants etc
-soils
—>grass dies back or is burned during the dry season forming thin nutrient-rich soil
—>nutrients are washed out of the soil during the wet seasons
Where are tropical forests found
Low lying areas near the equator
Where are temperate forests found
In mid latitudes
Where are boreal forests found
In the high latitudes
Where are deserts found
Tropic of Cancer and Capricorn
Where are tropical grasslands found
Near the equator
Where are temperate grasslands found
Mid latitudes
Where are tundras found
High latitudes
Temperate grasslands climate and characteristics
Climate:
-have hot summers and very cold winters
-little rainfall
-amount of light they receive varies as they are found at mid-latitudes
Characteristics:
-plants
—>are … by g… and s… plant
—>… is too low to … large … so there are very few …
-animals
—>home to … animal …
—>mammals include b…, w… h… and r…
-soils
—>high … in summer mean that … happens …
—>soils are relatively … and nutrient-…
Climate:
-have hot summers and very cold winters
-little rainfall
-amount of light they receive varies as they are found at mid-latitudes
Characteristics:
-plants
—>are dominated by grasses and small plant
—>rainfall is too low to support large plants so there are very few trees
-animals
—>home to few animal species
—>mammals include bison, wild horses and rodents
-soils
—>high temperatures in summer mean that decomposition happens quickly
—>soils are relatively thin and nutrient-rich
Tundra climate and characteristics
Climate:
-temperature are … in … and very … in winter
-… is low and mostly falls as …
-near-…. daylight in the …, and little to … daylight in the …
-there is more … cover in the …
Characteristics:
-plants
—>cold … and lack of … in winter make it hard for … to …
—>… includes m…, g… and hardly any …
-animals
—>relatively … animal … like arctic h…, f… and lots of b…
—>some animals … for the …
-soil
—>sparse … produces … leaf …
—>… material … slowly in the …, dry … so soil is t… and nutrient-…
—>there are … of … (permanently frozen …) beneath the … which stops … from … away
Climate:
-temperature are low in summer and very low in winter
-precipitation is low and mostly falls as snow
-near-continuous daylight in the summer, and little to no daylight in the winter
-there is more cloud cover in the summer
Characteristics:
-plants
—>cold climate and lack of sunlight in winter make it hard for plants to grow
—>vegetation includes mosses, grasses and hardly any trees
-animals
—>relatively few animal species like arctic hares, foxes and lots of birds
—>some animals migrate for the winter
-soil
—>sparse vegetation produces little leaf litter
—>organic material decomposes slowly in the cold, dry climate so soil is thin and nutrient-poor
—>there are layers of permafrost (permanently frozen ground) beneath the soil which stops water from draining away
