living world revision !!

Flashcards covering ecosystems, global ecosystems, tropical rainforests, deforestation, hot deserts, and desertification.

What is an ecosystem?

All the biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) parts of an area.

What are producers?

Organisms that use sunlight energy to produce food.

What are consumers?

Organisms that get their energy by eating other organisms.

What are decomposers?

Organisms that get their energy by breaking down dead material.

What is the nutrient cycle?

Plants absorb nutrients from the soil, animals eat plants, and dead material decomposes, releasing nutrients back into the soil.

What does a food chain show?

It shows what eats what in an ecosystem.

What does a food web show?

It shows lots of food chains and how they overlap.

What determines the type of ecosystem that forms in an area?

The climate.

What are the characteristics of the Tundra ecosystem?

Found at high latitudes with cold winters and brief summers, containing mosses, grasses, and permafrost.

What are the characteristics of the Boreal Forest (Taiga) ecosystem?

Found between 50-60° N with cold, dry winters and mild, moist summers, containing coniferous trees.

What are Savannah grasslands?

Grasslands found between the tropics with distinct dry and wet seasons.

What are Temperate grasslands?

Grasslands at higher latitudes with more temperature variation and less rainfall.

What are Temperate Deciduous Forests?

Found mainly in the mid-latitudes with four distinct seasons, deciduous trees lose leaves in winter.

What are Tropical Rainforests?

Found around the equator with hot and wet conditions year-round, dense canopies, and distinct vegetation layers.

What are Polar ecosystems?

Found around the north and south poles, very cold, icy, and dry.

What are Hot Desert ecosystems?

Found between 15° and 35° north and south of the equator with little rainfall, hot days, and cold nights.

What is the climate like in Tropical Rainforests?

Hot with temperatures between 20-28°C, and high rainfall around 2000 mm per year.

What are the plant characteristics of Tropical Rainforests?

Most trees are evergreen, dense vegetation cover, lots of epiphytes. Soil isn't very fertile due to heavy rain washing away nutrients

What is biodiversity?

Variety of organisms living in a particular area.

How are rainforests interdependent ecosystems?

Warm and wet climate decomposes dead plant material, dense vegetation provides food for animals, and nutrients are returned to the soil.

What is deforestation?

Removal of trees from forests.

What are the reasons for deforestation in the Amazon?

Commercial farming, subsistence farming, commercial logging, mineral extraction, energy development, population growth, and road building.

What are the environmental and economic impacts of deforestation in the Amazon?

Trees help remove CO2 from atmosphere. Deforestation releases CO2 causing global warming and soil erosion, and economic benefits like wealth to Amazonian countries.

How can tropical rainforests be sustainably managed?

Replanting, selective logging, ecotourism, education, conservation, reducing debt, and international hardwood agreements.

What is the climate like in hot deserts?

Very little rainfall (less than 250 mm per year) and extreme temperatures (high during the day, low at night).

How have plants adapted to the physical conditions of hot deserts?

Plant roots are long or spread wide, many are succulents, and some have small leaves/spines.

How have animals adapted to the physical conditions of hot deserts?

Nocturnal behavior, living in underground burrows, storing fat, and minimizing water loss.

What is desertification?

The degradation of land, making it drier and less productive.

What are the main causes of desertification?

Climate change (reduced rainfall, higher temperatures) and human activities (removal of fuel wood, overgrazing, over-cultivation, population growth).

How can the risk of desertification be reduced?

Water management, tree planting, soil management, and appropriate technology.