tropical rainforesets

• characteristics


  found along the equator, between the tropic of cancer and tropic of capricorn

  found in : south america, central africa and east asia
• soil


  red - due to high iron and aluminium content

  infertile

  thick layer of leaf litter and decomposing organic matter on the surface
• nutrient cycle

  • quick
  • hot, damp conditions allow dead plant material to decompose quick
  • this produces nutrients which are absorbed by the plants shallow roots. however they are in high demand so they don't stay in the soil for long and stay near the surface
  • leaching creates latosol (infertile, rich soil), soil washes away
• nutrient cycle

  1. trees shed their leaves
  2. decaying vegetation decomposes rapidly releasing nutrients
  3. nutrients enter soil surface but don't get a chance to sink in
  4. shallow roots quickly take up the nutrients
  5. the nutrients help the trees grow rapidly
• climate


  warm, wet conditions

  high rain - over 2000mm a year

  high temp- averaging 27'C per year
• animal adaptaitions


  tropical rainforest have the largest number of species of any biome

  huge biodiversity

  up to 1000 species in a single hectare

  birds=canopy

  mammals=trees

  deer, rodents=forest floor
• plant adaptations


  forest floor=dark

  A) undercanopy

  
• plant adaptations


  lianas

  buttress roots

  leaves with flexible bases

  thin smooth bark

  epiphytes

  emergent

  drip-tip
• importance of the rainforest


  ecosystem provides a lot of resources-food, timber, flood control, habitats, photosynthesis, nutrient cycle.
• deforestation


  the mass cutting down and clearing of forest enviornment
• madagascar


  houses made trees-takes around 300 trees to make one houses

  80%of its wildlife lives no where else

  trees cut down to grow rice-survive=food-rice is the main source of food in madagascar-have to flood fields

  only 500 bamboo lemurs left-one of the most endangered animals in the world-due to bamboo being cut down
• malaysia-location


  south east asia, above the equator, but below the tropic of cancer, surrounded by the south chinese sea, inbetween indian and pacific ocean
• malaysia


  60% of malaysia is tropical rainforest

  the natural vegetation is tropical rainforest

  600 or so species of birds

  25%of plant species are in penisular

  NEE
• malaysia


  rainforest are important- rich biodiversity

  850 species of orchid

  600 species of bird
• threats to malaysian rainforest- logging


  1980 -malaysia= biggest exporter of tropical wood.

  clear felling (all trees are cut) was common-led to destruction of forest habitats

  selective logging - only cut down tree's when they reach a certain height to maintain canopy + emergent layer -- less damaging but still reduces biodiversity
• mining


  tin and smelting(taking metals and making it into another)most common

  areas built on rainforest need to be cleared for mines and roads- pollution

  digging for oil
• fires


  natural=lightening

  slash and burn -so local people can clear land and grow crops

  habitats lost
• transmigration


  poor people in urban areas moved to countryside

  1956-1980=15000ha cut to make settlement
• hydro-electric power (HED)


  Bakun Dam 2012

  thousand of ha of land flooded - 250km2 rainforest cut

  100000 people forced to move - subsistent farmers(only farm for themselves) - made little money -- had to pay to be rehoused this resulted in alcoholism and depression
• commercial plantation


  farms covered a lot of land

  oil(palm)+rubber

  recently rubber farms have been shut down and abandoned

  1970 - palm oil = lots of trees cut down - wildlife threat
• Impacts of deforestation on the Malaysian Rainforest - why is it happening 


  Positives - HEP will provide cheap electricity and is renewable

  Negatives;

  • driven by profit, short term gains = long term impacts
  • soil becomes infertile as the canopy layer is removed, rain removes more of the soil
  • there is growing need for land to be used for product - rubber palm oil
  • The Bakun Dam flooded 230$km^2$ of rainforest
• impact of deforestation on the Malaysian Rainforest - resources 


  positives - 11371 species of tree grows here, tree roots bind soil together (soil takes thousands of years to form), timber is taken for markets in developed countries (valuable source of money)

  negatives - there is a growing need for land to be used for products - rubber, palm oil - medicine plants could be lost
• impact of deforestation on the Malaysian Rainforest - local


  positives - development of mining towns and tourism creates jobs, build new settlement, transmigration, tourist site, improvements to infrastructure

  negatives - some cattle ranches and settlement has been abandoned due to poor soil, loss of biodiversity to allow mine (+road), tree's give $H_2O$ during transpiration - when cut = drier climate, soil erosion, pollution in waterways = water shortages
• impacts of deforestation on the Malaysian Rainforest - global


  Positives - large companies use land to run cattle farms

  Negatives - greenhouse effect, oxygen supply decreases (1/3 comes from rainforests), temperatures rise, Fires = add $CO_2$ to the atmostphere
• sustainable management - barriers amazon rainforest


  combating illegal logging (size and expense)

  co-operation of many nations

  education - for those who live there

  size

  growing demand for food/farmland/palm oil is difficult to resist due to poverty
• what is sustainable development of the rainforest

  allowing the use of natural resources within the rainforest in a way that will preserve them for the future but also allows development and does not effect the health of the people who live there now
• sustainable management - strategies

  selective logging -

  only cut tree's when they reach a certain height/age - this allows younger tree's to grow, maintains the canopy layer and allows people to still get resources they need,

  slows down cutting rates
• sustainable management - strategies

  Agroforestry

  grow crops such as coffee underneath the canopy

  Provides greater biodiversity value and a higher productivity rate

  doesn't require big fields and additional fertilisers

  reduces the cost and maximises profits

  drawback - non-native species can cause problems
• sustainable management - strategies

  Forest reserves

  known as national parks

  large areas of protected rain forests where no logging can take place

  2002 - Brazil made the largest national park - 4 million Ha

  ecology is important - areas left unexplored

  home to jaguars, fresh water turtles

  some worry about political corruption - staff have low pay - open to bribery

  to counteract this - large funding -World Wildlife Fund + World Bank
• sustainable management - strategies

  Afforestation

  opposite of deforestation

  replant trees to maintain canopy

  Brazil's goal = replant 1 billion trees in 2013 - reduces greenhouses gases by 5% - funded by Gov and big companies

  take around 30 years
• sustainable management - strategies

  satellite

  involves satellite technology and arial photography to ensure that logging is legal and follows guid lines

  GIS analyse change in forests over time

  allows large areas of land to be assessed

  the Imosam scheme - rewarding tribes, farmers, companies working in rainforests - reduces deforestation by 70% in 2013 (compared to 2012)
• sustainable management - strategies

  sustainable tourism

  gives jobs

  uses trees to make lodges where people can stay

  small groups ; less litter, don't get lost, don't damage aything
• spider monkey adaptations


  long tail - swing through trees

  claws - dig into ground to get food
• bats adaptations


  nocturnal - avoid hot conditions of the day and avoid competition for food
• frog adaptations


  some camouflage - avoid predators

  some are brightly coloured - deters predators as they look poisonous

  some are poisonous - avoids being eaten
• toucan adaptations 


  long curved beak - can bury in the tree's to get food sources that would be unreachable