All The Living World

Ecosystem

All the biotic parts and the abiotic parts of an area

Producer

Uses sunlight energy to produce food

Consumer

Gets its energy by eating other organism. They can eat producers or other consumers

Decomposer

An organism that gets its energy by breaking down dead material. Bacteria and fungi are decomposers

What happens during the nutrient cycle?

1. Dead material decomposes and nutrients are released into the soil

2. The nutrients are then taken up from the soil by plants. They plants may be eaten by consumers

3. When the plants or consumers die, the nutrients are returned to the soil

4. This transfer of nutrients is called nutrient cycling

Food chain

Shows what organism eats what other organisms

Food web

Shows lots of food chains and how they overlap

Interdependence

The reliance of organisms on each other for survival

What happens if one aspect of the ecosystem changes?

It will affect all other parts of the ecosystem

Epping Forest - Where is Epping Forest located?

North east of London, it is all that remains of a larger forest

Epping Forest - How many different types of dragonfly are found in the forest?

20

Epping Forest - After what time period, did the larger forest begin to shrink?

Ice Age

Epping Forest - What native trees can be found in the area?

Oak, ash, elm, beech

Epping Forest - What is the lower shrub layer like?

Shrub layer of holly and hazel overlying a bracken field of grass, brambles and flowering plants

Epping Forest - How many bird species can be found?

38

Epping Forest - How is the forest interdependent?

Annual life cycle of trees, nutrient cycling, food web

Epping Forest - What is the biomass store like?

Large

Epping Forest - Why is the biomass store so large?

Due to the height of the trees and the dense undergrowth beneath them

Epping Forest - Why is the soil store large?

There is always plenty of humus

Humus

Decaying plant and animal matter

Epping Forest - Why does the forest lose a lot of nutrients every year?

Via leeching

Epping Forest - What is the climate like?

4 seasons
Temperate
18 degrees in July, 5 degrees in January - average

Epping Forest - How is the forest managed via recreation?

Recreation is controlled, leaflets are available on how to use the forest, forest keepers protect the forest

Epping Forest - What happens to keep deer safe?

Vegetation is cut back so deer are aware of traffic

Epping Forest - How does the reintroduction of cattle support the forest?

Grazing cattle support the growth of flora

How many major global types of ecosystem are there?

7

Where are tundras found?

High latitudes (above 60 degrees north). In northern Europe, Canada and Alaska

What are the seasons like in the tundra?

Winters are very cold, and summers are brief

How much rainfall is there in a tundra?

Very little

What vegetation is found in the tundra?

Mosses, grasses and low shrubs

What is the layer of permanently frozen ground in the tundra called?

Permafrost

What is a boreal forest also known as?

Taiga

Where are boreal forests found?

50 - 60 degrees north

What are the seasons like in a boreal forest?

Winters are cold and dry, summers are mild and moist

What are trees like in a boreal forest?

Trees are coniferous - they are evergreen and have needles

Where are TRFs found?

Around the equator

What is the climate in a TRF like all year round?

Hot and wet

What are the trees like in TRFs?

Lush forest, dense canopies of vegetation forming distinct layers

Where are hot deserts found?

15 and 35 degrees north and south of the equator

What is the climate like in a hot desert?

Very little rainfall, very hot during the day, very cold at night

What is the vegetation in a hot desert like?

Shrubs and cacti are sparsely distributed in sandy soil

What are the two types of grassland?

Savannah and temperate

Where are Savannah grasslands found?

Between the tropics

What are the seasons like in a savannah grassland?

Distinct wet and dry seasons, although rainfall is still relatively low

What is vegetation like in savannah grasslands?

Most of the vegetation is grassland with a few scattered trees

Where are temperate grasslands found?

Higher latitudes where there is more variation in temperature and less rainfall than in savannah grasslands

What is the vegetation like in a temperate grassland?

No trees, just grasses

Where are temperate deciduous forests found?

In the mid-latitudes

What are the seasons like in a temperate deciduous forest?

4 distinct seasons. Summers are warm, winters are relatively mild and there is rainfall all year round

What are the trees like in a temperate deciduous forest?

Trees lose their leaves in the winter to cope with the colder weather

Where are polar regions found?

Around the north and south poles

What are the seasons like in polar regions?

Dark for several months each year, so growing seasons are short, about 2 months

TRF - Deforestation

The removal of trees faster than forests can replace them

TRF Deforestation - Sustainability

Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs

TRF Deforestation - Sustainability

Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs

TRF Deforestation - Mining

The excavation of the earth for the purpose of extracting ore or minerals, particularly gold, iron ore, bauxite and oil

TRF Deforestation - Cattle Ranching

Raising herds of cattle on an extensive farm. The cattle/ beef exports are worth $4 billion to the Brazilian economy

TRF Deforestation - Slash and burn

A farming method involving the cutting of trees, then burning them to provide ash-enriched soil for crops

TRF Deforestation - Cash Crops

These crops are grown for export rather than for feeding the local population, such as palm oil, soybeans and coffee. High demand leads to over cultivation, stripping the soil of nutrients

TRF Deforestation - Population Pressure

When population per unit area exceeds the carrying capacity

TRF Deforestation - Hydro-electric power

Dams are used to generate HEP from rivers, flooding large areas of land to create reservoirs

TRF Deforestation - Trans-Amazonian Highway

A long highway that extends into the Amazon rainforest and gives access to logging companies

TRF Deforestation - With no trees to hold the soil together, what happens?

Heavy rain washes away the soil, this can then lead to landslides and flooding

TRF Deforestation - Without a tree canopy to intercept rainfall, what happens to the soil?

More water reaches the soil. This then leads to leaching and reduces soil fertility

TRF Deforestation - Why does deforestation lead to an increase in the greenhouse effect?

Trees removes CO2 from the atmosphere, also burning vegtation creates CO2. So deforestation means there is more CO2 in the atmosphere. Deforestation is responsible for at least 15% of global CO2 emissions

TRF Deforestation - What does logging, farming and mining create?

Jobs, money

TRF Deforestation - In the long term, deforestation can destroy the resources that countries depend eg timber. What does this then reduce the appeal for?

Tourism

TRF Deforestation - How does deforestation affect local people?

It can cause the loss of plants and animals which they depend on

TRF Deforestation - What is the rate of deforestation?

130 000 km²

TRF Deforestation - What area does the Amazon Rainforest cover?

8 million km²

Including parts of Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana

TRF Deforestation - How much of the Amazon has been destroyed since 1978?

750 000 km²

TRF Deforestation - Trees can store CO2, when trees are chopped down they release some of this contributing to what?

Greenhouse effect and then global warming

TRF Deforestation - Soy farming has caused Brazil to lose how much topsoil every year?

55 million tonnes

TRF Deforestation - How much money did Brazil make from trading cattle in 2008?

$6.9 billion

TRF Deforestation - How many people does the Buenaventura Mining Company in Peru employ?

3100 people

TRF Deforestation - What effect does deforestation have on local rubber tappers?

Lost their livelihoods as the trees have been cut down

TRF - What are the seasons like?

No distinct seasons - climate is the same all year round

TRF - What are the temperatures normally?

Hot - 20-28 degrees C

Why is it so hot in the TRF?

The suns energy is more intense near the equator as it is overhead all year round

TRF - What is the rainfall like?

Very high - 2000mm per year

TRF - Why are most trees evergreen?

To take adavantage of the continual growing season

TRF - Why does very little light reach the forest floor?

The trees are very tall and vegetation cover is dense

TRF - What is an epiphyte?

Plants that grow on other living plants and take nutrients and moisture from the air (e.g. orchids and ferns)

How have the indigenous people adapted to the TRF?

They make a living by hunting, fishing, gathering nuts and berries and growing plants in small pots

TRF - What is the soil like?

Very infertile

TRF - Why is the soil infertile?

Heavy rainfall washes nutrients away

TRF - Why is the layer of decayed leaf matter at the top of the soil very thin?

The conditions for decay are fast due to it being warm and moist

TRF - Biodiversity?

The variety of organisms living in a particular area

What percentage of the worlds species can be found in the TRF?

50%

TRF - Why is the rainforest a stable and productive environment?

The climate is constant - plants and animals don’t have to cope with changing conditions and there is always plenty to eat

TRF - What is likely to cause a threat to the biodiversity of the rainforest?

Deforestation

TRF - How has the number of threatened species increased since 2008?

From 630 in 2008 to 1200 by 2014

TRF - How does the warm, wet climate help fungi and bacteria?

Allows them to decompose dead material rapidly, making the surface soil very nutrient dense

TRF - Why are animal populations high?

Dense vegetation provides a lot of food

TRF - When animals die, how is their nutrients cycled?

Their nutrients are transferred back to the soil, making it richer and encouraging vegetation

TRF - An example of a symbiotic (dependant) relationship in the rainforest?

Agouti (a rodent) are one of the only animals who can open the hard pod of a brazil nut
Sometimes they bury the seeds, allowing new trees to grow
If the agouti became extinct, Brazil nut trees would decline

TRF - What can changes to an ecosystem cause?

Knock on effects to the rest of the ecosystem

TRF - How may deforestation increase chance of drought?

Trees intercept and take up water, before releasing it back into the atmosphere, providing moisture for further rainfall. Reducing tree cover may increase risk of drought

TRF - How will deforestation affect the soil?

Trees stabilise the soil and provide some nutrients when leaves drop. With fewer trees, the soil would have less protection from the rainfall, nutrients would wash away more easily and plants would struggle to grow

What are plants in the TRF adapting to cope with?

High rainfall, hgh temperatures and competition for light