Geography the living world

    Cards (59)

    • What is an ecosystem?
      A community of plants and animals that interact with each other and the physical environment
    • what is biotic?
      living things eg. Animals
    • What is abiotic?
      Non-living things eg. Water
    • What is an example of a small-scale ecosystem?
      A pond
    • Global - scale ecosystems
      • Eg. Tropical rainforests
      • These global ecosystems are called biomes
    • What is nutrient cycling?
      When plants or animals die, decomposers help to recycle The nutrients making them available once again for the growth of plants and animals
    • What do producers do?
      Convert energy from the environment (mainly sunlight) into sugars (glucose)
      Eg. Plants that convert energy from the sun by photosynthesis
    • What do consumers do?
      Get energy from sugars produced by producers
      Eg. Pond snail eats plants
    • what do decomposers do?
      Break down plant and animal material and return nutrients to the soil
      Eg. Bacteria
    • What is a food chain?
      It shows direct links between producers and consumers in the form of a simple line . It shows how plants and animals get their energy
    • What is a food web?
      Shows all the connections between producers and consumers in an ecosystem in a complex way
    • Threats to ecosystems
      • Extreme weather events eg. Drought caused by global warming
    • Yellowstone national park restoration
      • Wolves were reintroduced
      • They forced the deer to avoid certain areas and vegetation in these places started to regenerate
      • Birds, foxes etc. all increased in population size there
      • The behaviour of the rivers changed
    • What is a biome?
      • A large scale ecosystem
      • These are defined mainly by the dominant type of vegetation that grows there It is the distance from the equator that determines the type of vegetation that grows there Global ecosystems form broad belts across the world
    • Tropical rainforest
      • close to the equator
      • High temperatures and heavy rainfall due to low pressure conditions
      • Ideal conditions for plants to grow
      • Over half of all plants and animals live here
    • desert
      • roughly 30° north and south of the equator
      • sub-tropical high pressure belts
      • Clouds don’t form , resulting in high day temperatures and low night temperatures
      • Plants and animals are well adapted to survive
      • Low rainfall
    • Polar
      • Located at the Arctic and Antarctic
      • Cold air sinks at the north and south poles, resulting in very low temperatures and dry conditions
    • Deciduous and coniferous forests
      • Roughly 50° - 60° north of the equator
      • Deciduous trees shed their leaves in winter to retain moisture
      • Coniferous trees are cone-bearing evergreens , retaining their leaves to maximise photosynthesis during the brief summer months
      • Coniferous forests are better suited to cold environments
      • The UK’s natural vegetation is deciduous forest
    • Temperate grassland
      • Roughly 30° - 40° north and south of the equator
      • It is found inland away from coasts
      • Experiences hot, dry summers and cold winters
      • Grasses can tolerate these conditions and this land is mainly used for grazing animals
    • Mediterranean
      • 40° - 45° north of the equator
      • Hot, sunny and dry summers
      • Mild Winters due to high pressure belts migrating slightly north and south during the year
      • Vegetation includes olives, tomatoes and lemons
    • Savanna
      • Between 15° - 30° north and south of the equator
      • Distinct wet and dry seasons
      • Violent thunderstorms can occur during the wet seasons
      • Wild fires can occur during dry seasons
      • Large herds of animals graze on these grasslands
    • Tundra
      • From the Arctic Circle to 60° - 70° north eg. Canada
      • Low lying plants adapted to retain heat and moisture in the cold, dry and windy conditions
      • Fragile ecosystem
    • location of rainforests
      • Along the equator
      • In between the tropics
    • Tropical rainforest climate
      • The temperature is high and constant through the year
      • Rainfall is high because the global atmospheric circulation shows that rising air creates clouds and triggers rain
      • Rainfall varies throughout the year
    • Plants and animals in tropical rainforests
      • Huge biodiversity
      • Home to more than half of the worlds plants and animal species
    • Tropical rainforest adaptations
      • Many leaves have waxy drip tips that allow water to run off them, otherwise, moss would quickly grow over the leaf’s surface, cutting off its light
      • Spider monkeys have prehensile tails which functions as extra limbs to grab branches, they also have long ,strong limbs to help it climb through the rainforest trees
      • Epiphytes are plants that live on branches of trees high up in the canopy to get sunlight , they establish aerial roots that get their nutrients from the air and water rather than soil
      • Sloths are slow so algae grows on their fur for camouflage
    • Deforestation in Malaysia
      • Deforestation means that the land can be used for other profit-making enterprises like commercial farming and the production of rubber and palm oil
      • The rate of deforestation in Malaysia is increasing faster than in any tropical country in the world
    • Causes of deforestation in Malaysia
      • Transmigration has led to land being cleared for new settlements
      • Large companies use the land to run cattle farms
      • Development of mining, farming and tourism will provide jobs for people
      • The Bakun Dam that provided hydro-electric power has flooded 230 km^3 of rainforest
      • There Is a growing need for land to be used to grow products - palm oil and rubber
      • Road construction in rainforests to allow access for mining
      • 15000 hectares of land to build new settlements
      • Timber is exported to developed countries which is a valuable source of income
    • Local impacts of deforestation in Malaysia
      • Soil erosion - soil takes thousands of years to form
      • Deforestation is happening faster in the Malaysian rainforest than any other In the world
      • Loss in biodiversity
      • Improvement in infrastructure has led to increased tourism
      • HEP will provide cheap electricity
      • Soil becomes infertile because the canopy layers is removed and rainfall can erode more soil
    • Global impacts of deforestation in Malaysia
      • Direct effect on global climates, contributing to the greenhouse effect
      • has an impact on the worlds oxygen supply as one third is stored in rainforests
      • Fires from slash and burn can get out of control, damaging wide areas of rainforest and adding carbon dioxide into the atmosphere
      • The rainforest is used as a world tourist site and is protected as a world heritage site
      • Medicinal plants could be lost
    • Why should tropical rainforests be protected?
      • Biodiversity - tropical rainforests contain half of all the plants and animals in the world
      • Climate change - rainforests absorb and store carbon dioxide
      • medicine - 25% of all medicines come from rainforest plants
      • Resources - tropical rainforest trees provide valuable hardwoods and fruit, nuts etc.
      • People - indigenous tribes live in the world’s rainforests eg. The Achuar people
    • Selective logging and replanting
      • A more sustainable approach to logging because other trees and plants survive in the logging process and can allow the forest to recover overtime
      • Leaves some trees for future logging so is sustainable
      • In order to access the wood, the forest will have to be cleared to make way for machinery
    • Conservation and education
      • Conservation areas can be used for education, scientific research and tourism
      • potential to discover new medicines in plants
      • Costs money to protect these areas
      • Can be difficult to monitor that everyone is following the rules due to the vast areas
      • Some people may not be educated as to why we need to conserve them
    • Ecotourism
      • Can provide locals with job opportunities
      • Local communities can earn extra income from selling to tourists
      • Increases awareness of conservation
      • Deforestation would now be detrimental to the income from tourists
      • Locals can be exploited eg. For cheap labour
      • Local people can lose their traditional way of life
      • Destroying resources to make room for ecotourism
      • Companies who run ecotourism earn most of the profit
    • international agreements
      • Countries come together in peace
      • Raises awareness through media
      • Non-profitable
    • Cold environments
      • experiences temperatures at or below 0°c for a long period of time
      • Coldest place on Earth = Antarctica
    • Characteristics of tundra regions
      • Winter temperatures are less extreme, 20°c
      • Summers can be warm
      • Precipitation can be high
      • In winter, soil is frozen
      • In summer, soil partially thaws close to the surface (perma-frost)
      • The soil is infertile as the water drains nutrients
      • More food options allow for more animals such as : artic fox, artic hare
    • Characteristics of polar regions
      • Winter temperatures can be below -50°c
      • Very low precipitation
      • The soils are permanently covered by ice so soils are permanently frozen
      • Animals include : polar bears, penguins
      • Some plants such as mosses are found on the fringes of the ice
    • What plants can be found in tundra regions?
      Low-lying flowering plants
      Eg. Bearberry which is adapted by its:
      • 5-15 cm off the ground to enable it to survive the strong winds
      • Stems have a thick bark for stability
      • Waxy leaves help to retain moisture in this dry environment
      • Hairy stems help to retain heat
      • Bright red berries are eaten by birds and owls which helps to distribute the seeds
    • How are polar bears adapted?
      • Insulating layer of fat and thick fur to retain heat
      • a black nose and foot pads to absorb sunshine
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