Sustaining ecosystems extras

• An ecosystem is a system in which organisms interact with each other and with their environment.
• Abiotic components of an ecosystem are non-living, such as air, water, heat, rock.
• Biotic components of an ecosystem are living, such as plants, insects, and animals.
• Flora is plant life occurring in a particular region or time.
• Fauna is all animal life of any particular region or time.
• Food chains are useful in explaining the basic principles behind ecosystems.
• A biome is a large geographical area of distinctive plant and animal groups, which are adapted to that particular environment.
• The climate and geography of a region determine what type of biome can exist in that region.
• Coniferous forest, deciduous forest, tropical rainforests, tundra, temperate grasslands, tropical grasslands, hot deserts are different types of biomes.
• The most productive biomes, which have the greatest biomass, grow in climates that are hot and wet.
• Biome’s climate and plants determine its location.
• Tropical rainforest is centred along the Equator, has hot all year (25-30°C) weather, very high (over 200mm/year) rainfall, tall trees forming a canopy, and a wide variety of species.
• Tropical grasslands are located between latitudes 5°- 30° north & south of Equator, have warm all year (20-30°C) weather, wet + dry season (500-1500mm/year) rainfall, grasslands with widely spaced trees, and are dominated by large hoofed herbivores and carnivores.
• Hot desert is found along the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, has hot by day (over 30°C) cold by night weather, very low (below 300mm/year) rainfall, lack of plants and few species, and is adapted to drought.
• If vegetation is removed, the soils quickly become infertile.
• Convectional rainfall occurs when the roots of plants take up water from the ground and the rain is intercepted as it falls.
• As the rainforest heats up, the water evaporates into the atmosphere.
• Finally, the water condenses and forms clouds to make the next day's rain.
• The Emergent layer is the highest layer in the rainforest, with trees reaching 50 metres.
• The Canopy layer is the most life-bearing layer in the rainforest, receiving 70% of the sunlight and 80% of the light.
• The U-Canopy layer consists of trees that reach 20 metres high.
• The Shrub Layer is the lowest layer in the rainforest, with small trees that have adapted to living in the shade.
• The Tropical Rainforest Biome is characterized by its rainforest soil profile, leaf litter, top soil, sub soil, underlying rock, and interdependence.
• Human activity on the rainforest includes logging, agriculture, mineral extraction, tourism, and mining.
• Adaptations to the rainforest include sloths, buttress roots, drip tips, lianas & vines, and rainforest inhabitants.
• Commonly used materials such as timber and rubber are found in the rainforest.
• The rainforest acts as a carbon sink by storing 15% of carbon emissions.
• Costa Rica is a small country in Central America, home to 6% of the world’s biodiversity and attracting 6 million tourists a year.
• Threats to the Costa Rican rainforest include cattle ranching, agricultural development, gold and other metal mining, and ecotourism.
• Advantages of sustainable rainforest management in Costa Rica include 28 National Parks with 24% of the country’s land protected.
• Temperate forest is located between latitudes 40°-60° north of Equator, has warm summers + mild winters (5-20°C) variable rainfall (500-1500m /year), mainly deciduous trees, a variety of species, and animals that adapt to colder and warmer climates.
• Tundra is found in the far latitudes of 65° north and south of Equator, has cold winter + cool summers (below 10°C) low rainfall (below 500mm/ year), small plants grow close to the ground and only in summer, and has a low number of species.
• Coral reefs are found within 30° north – south of Equator in tropical waters, have warm water all year round with temperatures of 18°C, wet + dry seasons, and have a small range of plant life which includes algae and sea grasses that shelters reef animals.
• Nutrient cycle in an ecosystem is when plants take in nutrients, build them into new organic matter, and then return them to the soil when animals die and the body is broken down by decomposers.
• Litter in an ecosystem is the surface layer of vegetation, which over time breaks down to become humus.
• Biomass in an ecosystem is the total mass of living organisms per unit area.
• Distribution of Tropical Rainforests is centred along the Equator between the Tropic of Cancer and Capricorn, and can be found in South America, central Africa and South-East Asia.
• Laws and enforcement had reduced differentiation from 1.8 to almost zero by 2005.
• Agroforestry encourages growing trees and crops together to create better farming conditions.
• Afforestation has led to the replanting of trees to replace original forest that have been lost.