Tropical rainforests Flashcards
(17 cards)
1
Q
How are marine ecosystems being degraded?
A
- Pollution - marine animals eat plastic waste - kills them
- industrial waste affects health of marine organisms
- Run off from farmland - eutrophication - algae grow rapidly - cut off oxygen and light - kills organisms - Damage to seabed - Dredging removes important nutrients from seabed - damages seabed plants - reduced food to organisms
- trawl nets damage seabed habitats
- marine infrastructure damages sea floor - harm organisms on seabed - Fishing - overfishing - popular species caught faster than can be rapleced - number of fish declines
- fewer fish to eat for other animals - trapped inside fishing nets
2
Q
What resources do marine ecosystems provide?
A
- Recreation - lesirure activities (Swimming, fishing)
- Energy - deep sea platforms drill for oil - fuel - natural gas extracted under seadbed - renewable energy
- Fishing - provides jobs - food
3
Q
Climate in tropical rainforests?
A
- Same all year
- Hot - 20-28 degrees - near equator
- Rainfall very high - 2000mm per year - rains every day
4
Q
Soil in tropical rainforests?
A
- Soil isnt very fertile - heavy rain washes nutrients away
- Decaying fallen leave provide layer of nutrients on soil surface - very thin - decay fast in warm moist condition
5
Q
Buttress roots?
A
Support trees - keep them stable - above ground - nutrients from soil surface
6
Q
Drip tip leaves?
A
Help plants shed water quickly - prevents waterlogging - growth of algae, fungi, bacteria
7
Q
Plants in tropical rainforests?
A
- Most trees are evergreen to take advantage of continuous growing season
- Lots of epiphytes (plants that grow on other plants)
8
Q
How are rainforests interdependent ecosystems?
A
- Biotic and abiotic factors are closely linked
- Warm and wet climate - plants grow quickly - dense leaf cover offers protection from wind/heavy rainfall - root systems hold soil together - stopes it being eroded
- Lack of wind near forest floor - plants rely on insects for pollination - symbiotic relationships popular
- Epiphytes get access to light by growing high up on trees - dependent on rainfall for nutrients/water
9
Q
Nutrient cycle in tropical rainforest?
A
- In tropical rainforests - most nutrients stored as biomass - transfer of nutrients rapid
- Trees evergreen - dead leaves fall all year round
- Warm moist climate bacteria and fungi decompose dead organic matter quickly - soluble nutrients released and soaked up by soil
- Dense vegetation and rapid plant growth - nutrients are rapidly taken up by plants roots
10
Q
Why do rainforests have a high biodiversity?
A
- Rainforests have been around for very long time - millions of years - without climate changing very much - lots of time for plants and animals to eveolve - form new species
- Layered structure of rainforest - lots of different habitats - plants and animals adapt to become specialised to their ecological niche - lots of different species develop
- Stable environments - hot and wet all year round - very productive due to high rate of nutrient cycle - animals dont have to cope with changing conditions - able to specialise
11
Q
Goods and services of tropical rainforests?
A
- Food - meat from animals - cocoa, coffee, bananas, sugars - originally came from rainforest ecosystems
- Medicines - chemicals found in rainforest plants - madagscar periwinkle - makes medicines fight cancer
- Timber - rainforests - most popular types of food e.g. mahogany - creates jobs in timber industry
- Recreation - beautiful places - tourism
12
Q
How is climate change affecting rainforests?
A
- Structure - plants adapted to moist conditions - hotter, drier conditions - grow more slowly or die - extinct - droughts lead to forest fires - destroyes large areas of forest
- Functioning - produce fruits at different times than normal - affects food supply for animals - litter decomposes slower - fewer nutrients in soil
- Biodiversity - climate changes reduces productivity of rainforests - less specialised plants/animals - as rainforests are interdependent - knock on effects
13
Q
Economic reasons for deforestation?
A
- Agriculture - clearence for commercial farms like cattle ranches
- Resource extraction - trees felled to make furniture - construction - mining for minerals
14
Q
Social reasons for deforestation?
A
Population pressure - trees cleared to make lands for settlements
15
Q
Governance ways Amazon are being managed sustainably?
A
- Central Amazon Conversation Complex (CACC) in Brazil - largest protected area in the rainforest - covers 60,000 km2
- CACC classified as World Heritage Site by the UN - protected by internation treaties - access to CACC restricted - strict limits on hunting, logging, fishing
- In other areas, local communities are involved in rainforest governance with support from NGOS
- Natutama is an organisation in Puerto Narino in Colombia - works with local community to protect river species - employs local people to teach others how to protect endangered river animals/habitats - report illegal hunting/fishing
16
Q
Commodity value ways Amazon are being managed sustainably?
A
- Selective logging - felling some trees so rainforest can regenerate - save logging company money in long term - dont need to replant so many trees
- Internation agreements - reduce illegal logging - promote wood from sustainable managed forests - Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) marks sustainably sources timber products with logo - sustainable products
- Precious Woods Amazon - logging company operating in Brazil - place limits on number of trees that can be cut down - ensure forest can regenerate. FSC certified
17
Q
Ecotourism ways Amazon are being managed sustainably?
A
- Yachana Lodge - ecotourism project in Ecuador - remote area of Amazon - local people rely on subsistence farming
- Project employs local people - gives them more reliable income + better quality of life - encourages conservation of rainforest so visitors continue to visit
- Tourists visit in small groups - harm to environment minimised
- Tourists pay entrance fees - brings in more money fpr rainforest conservation - profits invested into education projects - promote conservation in local community
