General Forests

• Abiotic components

  Non-living environmental factors that have influence over the ecosystem (e.g. climate, light exposure, soil type)
• Acid rain


  Rain with a pH of around 4, formed when chemicals from industrial processes react with water in clouds to form acids
• Adaptation


  An evolved trait of an animal or plant that helps them to cope with environmental stresses
• Biodiversity


  A large variety of animal and plant life living in the same ecosystem
• Biofuels

  Fuels produced from biomass (i.e. organic matter)
• Biomass


  Total mass of organisms in a set area
• Biome


  Also known as a global-scale ecosystem; a large, distinct region of the Earth with similar climate, soil, plants and animals
• Biotic components


  Living organisms that interact with the environment and other organisms within an ecosystem
• Buttress roots

  Large, thick tree roots that grow above the ground in tropical rainforests
• Camouflage


  An animal adaptation where animals purposefully look like their surroundings to hide from predators
• Canopy


  The layer of a tropical rainforest where the tops of trees touch, forming a dense area of vegetation
• Carbon sink

  Something that absorbs more carbon dioxide than it emits, causing a net loss of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
• Cattle ranching

  The rearing of cows on large areas of land, usually to produce meat to sell for a profit
• CITES

  (The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna & Flora) an international agreement that works to protect threatened wildlife from exploitation
• Clear felling


  A form of logging where all trees in an area are cut down
• Climate change


  A distinct change in global or regional patterns of climate, such as changes in temperature or precipitation patterns
• Commercial farming


  Agriculture that is intended to create surplus produce to sell for a profit
• Conifers


  Cone-bearing trees that are usually evergreen and have needle-shaped leaves, native to colder environments
• Conservation


  Taking action to ensure a resource or environment is not depleted and over-exploited
• Consumers


  Organisms that receive energy from consuming (i.e.eating) living organisms
• Debt-for-nature swaps

  Agreements where one country reduces the amount of debt owed by another country in return for the owing country putting efforts into environmental conservation
• Decomposers


  Organisms that break down organic material and release the nutrients back into the ecosystem
• Deforestation


  The permanent (and usually large-scale) removal of trees
• Drip-tip


  An adaptation of a leaf where the end of the leaf is tapered, allowing rainwater to drip off
• Drought

  A sustained period of abnormally dry weather
• Ecosystem


  A natural system in which a community of plants and animals interact with each other and their physical environment
• Ecotourism

  Tourism that aims to have reduced environmental impact and supports conservation efforts, making it sustainable
• Epiphytes


  Plants that live on the surface of other plants, receiving nutrients from these plants
• Food web


  A representation of the interactions between multiple producers and consumers within a specific ecosystem, shown through a series of different food webs
• Forest fire


  An uncontrolled fire that burns woodland and vegetation (also called a wildfire)
• Fossil fuels

  Fuels made up of the remains of organic material, such as oil, coal and gas
• Fuel wood


  Wood that is burnt to provide energy
• Growing season


  The time of the year when temperatures and precipitation levels are high enough that plants can grow
• Hibernation


  An adaptation where animals sleep through the entire winter by entering a state of extremely reduced activity to conserve energy
• Hydroelectric power (HEP)

  Energy harnessed from the movement of water
• Indigenous peoples


  The earliest known settlers in an area
• Interdependence


  The concept of multiple things depending on each other for survival
• Leaching


  A process in soils where minerals are washed away by water (usually rainfall)
• Lianas


  Woody vines found in tropical rainforests; their roots grow on the forest floor, but the vines stretch high into the canopy
• Litter


  Organic matter that falls onto a forest floor