Geography

• Ecosystem


  A natural system made up of plants, animals and the environment
• Local ecosystem


  An ecosystem on a small scale, known as a 'habitat' such as a pond or woodland
• Regional ecosystem


  An ecosystem on a medium scale, such as a moorland area
• Global ecosystem


  An ecosystem on a large scale, such as a Tropical Rainforest. Also known as Biomes
• Biotic


  Living components of an ecosystem
• Abiotic


  Non-Living components of an ecosystem
• Biome


  A large scale ecosystem, covering a large area of the Earth's surface
• Primary producer


  An organism or plants able to convert energy from the sun by photosynthesis
• Consumer


  Organism that eats herbivores and/or plant matter
• Primary consumer


  Plant-eating insects or animals, such as cows
• Secondary consumer


  Animals which feed on Herbivores, such as foxes or cats
• Top carnivore


  Animals which hunt and will eat other carnivores in the ecosystem, as well as herbivores. These include lions and wolves
• Decomposer

  An organism such as bacteria or fungus, that breaks down dead tissue, which is then recycled back into the environment
• Food chain


  The direct links between producers and consumers in the form of a line
• Food web


  The connections between producers and consumers in a complex way with several branches
• Biomass


  The total quantity or weight of organisms in a given area, or volume
• Biodiversity


  The variety of life in the world, or particular habitat/ecosystem
• Nutrient cycling


  A set of processes whereby organisms extract minerals necessary for growth from soil or water, before passing them on through the food chain and ultimately, after death, back into the soil and water
• Trophic levels


  Any of the sequential stages in a food chain, occupied by producers at the bottom and in turn by primary, secondary, and tertiary consumers. Decomposers are sometimes considered to occupy their own level. The rate at which energy is transferred from one level to the next is called the ecological efficiency
• Physical linkage


  A link between different parts of the ecosystem that are physical eg. Animals eating plants
• Chemical linkage


  A link between different parts of the ecosystem that are chemical e.g. Mild acids in rainwater speed up the decay of dead leaves
• Rainforests are all located between the latitude 23.5% (tropic of Cancer) and 23.5's (tropic of Capricorn). Tropical rainforests such as the Daintree, and Congo rainforests are located near the equator where the climate is warmer. Temperate rainforests such as the Tongass national rainforest and Valden rainforest are located at cooler, coastal areas at the north or south
• Tropical rainforests


  • Have very hot humid climates and high rainfall at 2000 mm a year. This affects the soil fertility as nutrients are getting washed away. However, the wet climate provides a perfect environment for plant growth and therefore rainforests have a wide range of animals and plant life. The average temperature for rainforests is 20-25 degrees Celsius and they consistently have heavy rainfall through the year with little variation
• Rainforest structure


  • The top layer of the forest where the trees receive the most light such as photosynthesis with the infrared radiation
  • The canopy layer below the top layer full of shade-tolerant plants
  • The understory layer below the canopy layer with smaller trees and shrubs
  • The forest floor which is the darkest of all layers with few plants
• Interdependence means 2 or more things relying on each other, the rainforests are massively interdependent as they rely on each other for food, nutrients, and survival. Interdependence is so important for the rainforests environment because everything including animal, plants, climate, soil are all linked together to help each other survive so the rainforest can thrive
• Biodiversity means the variety of plant and animal life in the world in a particular habitat, a high level of which is considered to be important and desirable. Tropical rainforests have huge amounts of biodiversity, this is because the hot wet climate is a perfect environment for many plants and species to thrive. Nutrients are rapidly recycled meaning plant growth is faster and animals are provided with food quicker
• 10% of Proven anti-cancer properties plants are only found in tropical rainforest. 1/4 of all medicine is from rainforests
• The main sources of energy development in rainforests are hydropower, oil, coal, renewables, natural gas, and nuclear power. Cutting down trees and transporting them is also a major source of energy
• Mineral extraction impacts the rainforest areas by damaging and polluting the water, and affecting local communities and indigenous tribes' food supply
• Commercial farming is the number 1 culprit of deforestation in the Amazon Forest, as the forest gets cleared to make room for plantations of crops like bananas, palm oil, pineapple, sugar cane, tea, and coffee
• Road building is needed to bring equipment and transport products to markets and settlements, but this leads to large sections of the rainforest being cut down to make the roads more accessible. This could also disrupt indigenous tribes
• Ecotourism lodges like Posada Amazonas are sustainable as they protect the environment, support local communities, recycle waste, use local guides, and respect local customs and traditions
• Sustainable management of tropical rainforests is important at the international, national, and local levels to protect the biodiversity and resources for future generations
• At the international level, agreements like the International Tropical Timber Agreement and CITES treaty aim to restrict the illegal trade in hardwoods and endangered species
• At the national level, governments can create protected areas, stop abuse by developers, and make environmental education compulsory, but they often face challenges like prioritizing economic development over conservation
• At the local level, sustainable practices like selective logging, stopping illegal logging, agroforestry, and replanting can help manage the rainforest
• The global impacts of deforestation include contributing to global warming through loss of carbon sinks, and loss of biodiversity. The local impacts include changes to the local climate and pollution
• Rainforest


  • Significant at a global level
  • Tree canopy absorbs carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
  • Clearing rainforests means carbon stored in the wood returns to the atmosphere
  • Deforestation is a main contributor to the greenhouse effect and global warming
• Deforestation means the biodiversity will be reduced, individual species will become endangered and then possibly extinct
• It has been estimated that 137 plant, animal and insect species are being lost every single day due to rainforest deforestation, amounting to 50,000 species a year