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Geography > Section B: the living world > Flashcards

Section B: the living world Flashcards

1
Q

Define an ecosystem

A

A collection of plants and animals that interact with one another and physical environment

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2
Q

What is Epping Forest?

A

Epping Forest is an ancient deciduous woodland to the north-east of London

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3
Q

What is a producer?

A

They convert energy from the environment into sugars
E.g. grass

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4
Q

What is a consumer?

A

They get energy from sugars produced by the producers
E.g. caterpillar

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5
Q

What is a decomposer?

A

The breakdown, plant and animal material, returning the nutrients back into the soil
E.g. mushrooms

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6
Q

What is a carnivore?

A

A meat eater
E.g. a fox

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7
Q

What is a herbivore?

A

Only eats plants
E.g. a rabbit

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8
Q

What is the difference between a food chain and a food web?

A

Food chains show the direct links between different organisms food – who is eating whom
Food webs showed a complex hierarchy of plants and animals that rely on each other as a source of food within an ecosystem

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9
Q

What are two key features of Epping Forest?

A

It contains over 700 species of fungi, which are important decomposes in the ecosystem
It has several native tree species, including oak, Elm, ash and Beech

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10
Q

Where is Epping Forest?

A

In Essex

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11
Q

How do humans impact the ecosystem of Epping Forest?

A

Visitors, pick fruit and berries, helping to disperse seeds
Epping Forest has been managed for centuries, initially as a hunting forest for royalty, then for it’s timber, and now, for re-creation and conservation

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12
Q

Ecosystem interrelationships during spring in Epping Forest

A

Flowering bulbs such as bluebells, make use of the sunlight penetrating through the branches
The stored nutrients are used by the growing plants (producers) to produce fruit, berries and nuts that will feed consumers

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13
Q

Ecosystem interrelationships in summer in Epping Forest

A

The board tree leaves grow quickly in the spring
With a large surface area to maximise the suns energy to photosynthesise

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14
Q

Ecosystem interrelationships in autumn in Epping Forest

A

To conserve energy and moisture, the trees shed their leaves
This is a direct response to the U.K.’s climate, as the temperature and hours of sunlight decrease

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15
Q

Ecosystem interrelationships in winter in Epping Forest

A

Bacteria and fungi decompose the leaf litter, releasing in the nutrients into the soil

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16
Q

How might the proportion of nutrients, stored in biomass, litter and soil change over the course of a year?

A

SPRING - biomass larger
SUMMER- small litter and soil
AUTUMN - large litter
WINTER - large soil

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17
Q

What is nutrient cycling?

A

When dead material is decomposing, nutrients are released into the soil.
The nutrients are then taken up from the soil into plants.
The plants may be eaten by consumers.
When the plants or consumers die, the nutrients return to the soil.
The transfer of nutrients is called nutrient cycling.

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18
Q

What are the two main sources of nature is an ecosystem?

A

Rainwater and weathering of rocks

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19
Q

What are biomes?

A

Large-scale ecosystems

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20
Q

What are factors influence the distribution/location of biomes?

A

Climate
The distribution of land and sea
The pattern of surface winds
Warm and cold ocean currents

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21
Q

Give an example of how plants rely on the soils in tropical rainforests

A

The soil is the only way for the plants to get their nutrients

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22
Q

Give me examples of how people rely on plants and animals in tropical rainforests

A

Plants and animals are our source of nutrients

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23
Q

Give me example of how plants rely on the climate and water in tropical rainforests

A

The climate is wet and warm. This is ideal for plants as they require a lot of water to thrive and grow
The climate is able to survive with a sufficient supply water to call themselves, and they get a good amount of sunlight two – perfect, ideal conditions for photosynthesis

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24
Q

How can the removal of trees affect the rainforest environment?

A

When did the trees are removed, heavy rainfall hits the ground
This causes the soil to erode meaning, less plant growth and less animal life
The soil erosion increases the amount of sediment in rivers, which increases the cloudiness of water and leads to less animal life
The increasing amount of sediment in rivers can also increase the flood risk

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25
Q

What resources a species competing for tropical rainforests?

A

Condition for food – animals
Access to sunshine – plants

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26
Q

Lianas – how are they an adaptation to tropical rainforest conditions?

A

These are woody vines that have roots in the ground, but climb up to the trees to reach the sunlight
Their leaves and flowers grow in the canopy

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27
Q

Drip tips – how would an adaptation to tropical rainforest conditions?

A

Plants have leaves with pointy tip. This allows water to run off the leaves quickly without damaging or breaking them.

28
Q

Buttress roots – how are they an adaptation to tropical rainforest conditions?

A

Large roots have ridges which create a large surface area that help to support the large trees

29
Q

Outline one way that plants can be adapted to tropical rainforest conditions. (2 marks)

A

Tree trunks at all, and then to allow the treats to reach the sunlight. The bark on this trees, smooth to allow water to flow down the roots easily.

30
Q

Who are tropical rainforests occur between the tropic of _______ and _______?

A

Capricorn and cancer

31
Q

Give three examples of countries with tropical rainforests

A

Brazil
Indonesia
Dominican Republic of the Congo

32
Q

Name three common characteristics of tropical rainforests

A

Hot and wet
High annual rainfall
No real seasonal temperature differences

33
Q

What occurs between to Hadley cells that lead to tropical rainforest been created?

A

Warm air rises to create thick clouds because of the location of the equator, it has intense heating from the Sun which causes the air to rise.
Because the hot air rising creates cumulonimbus clouds, and there is more rain in this area, along with the intense sun, plants with thrive and create tropical rainforest

34
Q

In the nutrient cycle of a tropical rainforest, why are the few nutrients in litter store?

A

Because decomposes, thriving in the warm and wet conditions, quickly break down, dead leaves and branches

35
Q

In the nutrient cycle of tropical rainforest, why is there a large biomass store?

A

The vast majority of nutrients are stored in biomass, mostly trees

36
Q

In the nutrient cycle of a tropical rainforest, why does the soil store contain few nutrients?

A

Because any nutrients released by decomposers are quickly absorbed by the trees and plants or leached into the soil by the heavy rainfall

37
Q

How does the nutrient cycle for a deciduous woodland in the UK compared to the nutrient cycle of a tropical rainforest?

A

Audrey nutrient stores with the same size for the deciduous woodland. This is due to the nutrient transfers being the same in size. For tropical rainforests, the uptake for biomass is large, but there is little loss which means it will continue to get bigger.
In the deciduous woodland’s nutrient cycle, the uptake by plants balance by the littering due to significant changes of seasons, e.g. in autumn trees lose their leaves, but that is balanced by the released litter decomposes into the soil by plants all at the same rate

38
Q

How has the poison dart frog adapted to the physical conditions of the rainforest?

A

If they eat poisonous insect, they absorb the toxins in their mucus
Their feet have extra-strong suction cups to climb and hold the slippery branches

39
Q

How has the three-toed sloth adapted to the physical conditions of the rainforest?

A

Has extra vertebrae to be able to turn its neck, 270° to check for predators above/below
You can swim in floods (high rainfall = surface run-off)
It has grown green algae in fur to camouflage

40
Q

Explain how animals adapt to the characteristics of tropical rainforests. (4 marks)

A

Rainforests are very wet and full of many different plants and animals. Poison dart frogs have adapted to this by having extra strong suction cups on their feet, decline and hold slippery branches; as tree barks is smooth to allow the water to flow down to the roots easily, they also absorb the toxins of poisonous insect and then mucus if they eat any. This is useful if they come across a predator, they have protection against it

41
Q

How do tropical rainforests provide socio-economic values - medicine

A

About 25% of all medicines come from the rainforest plants
More than 2000 plants of anti-cancer properties
Less than 1% of rainforest plants and trees have been tested by scientists for their medical qualities

42
Q

How do tropical rainforests provide socio-economic values - energy

A

High rainfall totals in rainforests, create the potential for hydroelectric power
Electricity can provide much-needed, light and power for local people
Local micro-hydro schemes can serve isolated communities

43
Q

How do tropical rainforests provide environmental values - water

A

Rainforests are important sources of freshwater
About 20% of the worlds freshwater comes from the Amazon Basin

44
Q

How do tropical rainforests provide environmental values - climate

A

Known as the “lungs of the world”, rainforests contribute 28% of the worlds oxygen
Moisture emitted through transpiration feeds into the water cycle and prevents the climate becoming to dry and hot
Evaporation of water from rainforests, helps to cool the air (heat is extracted from the air during the process of evaporation)

45
Q

Why do plants grow quickly in tropical rainforests?

A

Because the hot, moist conditions help plants grow quickly

46
Q

Soil, quality is poor in rainforests because…

A

… the minerals are rapidly absorbed by the plants or washed out by the rainfall

47
Q

How many different species of plants and animals are in the Amazon in total?

A

15 million

48
Q

Suggest why rates of deforestation vary (2 marks)

A

Humans cause it
Different governments with different policies, cause higher or lower rates, depending on their rules

49
Q

DEFORESTATION CAUSES : commercial farming - crops

A
  • Large plantations have been created from cleared areas
  • Crops such as soybeans, palm oil, and sugar cane are grown
  • The land can only sustain crops for a short period, which leads to further deforestation
  • In Brazil, cattle ranching accounts for 80% of deforestation
50
Q

DEFORESTATION CAUSES: road building

A
  • Roads are required to access the Amazon Rainforest: bring in heavy transport and machinery, send goods to markets
  • Large swathes of rainforest have been removed - once a road has been constructed, it opens the rainforest for other uses
  • People settle alongside roads due to accessibility- leads to further deforestation as houses are built and crops are grown
  • Trans-Amazonian Highway, stretches for some 4,000km through the rainforest - allowed increase access to remote areas of the amazon rainforest
51
Q

DEFORESTATION CAUSES : logging

A
  • Trees like mahogany and oak are highly valued for furniture and other uses
  • Smaller trees - fuel, pulped, made into charcoal
  • Malaysia is one of the world’s largest exports of tropical wood
  • Much of it involves clear-felling, causing total habitat destruction
  • Around 80% of deforestation in Malaysia is for logging
52
Q

DEFORESTATION CAUSES : energy development

A
  • Unlimited supply of water and ideal river conditions - development of hydroelectric power stations
  • Constructing dams and reservoirs involves flooding vast areas of the rainforest - overtime, the submerged forest causes the water to become acidic as it rots
  • This causes turbines within the dam to corrode
  • In Brazil, the Belo Monte dam (opened in 2019) is the second largest hydroelectric power complex in the country. In damming the Xingu River, over 40,000 hectares of rainforest have been flooded and 20,000 local people displaced
53
Q

DEFORESTATION CAUSES : subsistence farming

A
  • Indigenous rainforest tribes practice subsistence farming. However, increasingly, land is cleared to make way for commercial farming
54
Q

DEFORESTATION CAUSES : settlement and population growth

A
  • Settlements have developed to service the developments in the Brazilian and Malaysian rainforests, such as farming and mineral extraction
  • This has led to an increase in population
55
Q

IMPACTS of deforestation: LOCAL CLIMATE CHANGE

A
  • It is harder to grow crops in a really hot climate and more water is needed to grow them. But LICs don’t have access to the sufficient water needed and therefore will affect the access to water in local settlements.
  • In the long term, there will be more droughts and they will be more deprived of water. This means more money will have to go in for water and the economy will go down and plummet
56
Q

IMPACTS of deforestation: SOIL EROSION and FERTILITY

A
  • It is an ongoing cycle, it greatly affects all aspects of ecosystem and wildlife in rainforests
  • In the long term, the farmers would keep abandoning the used land and eventually clear the forest entirely, leaving it with unused land and no life
57
Q

IMPACTS of deforestation: RIVER POLLUTION

A
  • At the extent humans are going, it is not only affecting the ecosystems in the rainforest, but also the people of nearby settlements - the damage we do, damages us
  • In the long term, there will be no access to clean water and all inhabitants of nearby settlements will be forced to move and most won’t have sufficient money so they’ll live in poverty/ famine
58
Q

IMPACTS of deforestation: DECLINE of INDIGENOUS TRIBES

A
  • We are forcing people out of their natural homes and environment and forcing them into cities where they are not qualified for jobs- creating homeless people which is bad socially and economically for our society
  • In the long term, no indigenous tribes will be left and we will be forced to invest money into they homeless indigenous tribes
59
Q

IMPACTS of deforestation: CLIMATE CHANGE

A
  • It will keep getting worse - not only is it stopping the rainforest to absorb CO2 and produce O2, but it creates even more CO2 by cutting/ burning them. It affects EVERYONE- no matter where you live
  • In the long term, climate change will reach an extreme where it will be too hot and kits of life will be lost due tot he extreme change
60
Q

IMPACTS of deforestation: BIODIVERSITY LOSS

A
  • we shut off with animals and we rely on plants and medical cures too- with the increasing drops of the biodiversity, we are ridding the Earth of life
  • in the long term, almost all biodiversity in rainforest will be lost and it will also risk our chances of survival as cures for life-threatening diseases are also lost
61
Q

Strategies used to manage the rainforest sustainability : SMALL-SCALE FORESTRY

A

How? - Although it is small, it creates a good balance e.g. Agoforestry - a balance of trees and crops. It also encourages natural growth to regrow the rainforest. This allows us to meet our current needs without risking them in the future.
What scale? - LOCAL
Issues/limitations? - It takes a lot of time for trees to grow and people impatient for the profit they want to make, so they might refuse to plant the trees along with their crops. We have to be constant with it because it is going to take very long time to regrow.

62
Q

Strategies used to manage the rainforest sustainability : 2006 International Tropical Timber Agreement

A

How? - it doesn’t allow illegal cutting down of hardwood trees without going unnoticed.
Scale? - NATIONAL
Issues/limitations? There are lots of trees, so it is hard to label every single one.

63
Q

Strategies used to manage the rainforest sustainability : DEBT REDUCTION- ‘debt for nature’ swaps

A

How? - it is a good way for LIC countries to pay off their debt by conserving the nature, rather than using it for crop growth.
Scale? - GLOBAL
Issues/limitations? - Some people wouldn’t want to invest that much money - they might keep it for themselves

64
Q

Strategies used to manage the rainforest sustainability : ECOTOURISM

A

How? - It all stays local and there is no economic leakage and the money generated has invested back into the conservation projects. This allows people to work with the environment to help the economy and the protection of the rainforest.
Scale? - LOCAL
Issues/limitations? - It relies on tourists coming, if it works too well, more will be made and it will disturb the natural lifestyle. If it doesn’t work, then it is a waste of money and will not work sustainably

65
Q

Strategies used to manage the rainforest sustainability : EDUCATION and CONSERVATION

A

How? - they raise awareness so people can choose to volunteer and help better it. They target schools and colleges - future generation - to encourage them to make the change
Scale? - GLOBAL
Issues/limitations? - If it doesn’t get big enough, the investment would be wasted

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