ecosystems

• Ecosystem


  A natural environment where plants, animals and other living organisms live and interact with one another within that environment
• Biome


  An area classified according to the species that live in that location. Temperature range, soil type, and the amount of light and water are unique to a particular place and form the niches for specific species allowing scientists to define the biome
• Climate


  • A major factor in determining types of life that reside in a particular biome
  • Influenced by latitude, geographic features, and atmospheric processes disseminating heat and moisture
• Temperate deciduous forest


  Mainly found above the Tropic of Cancer in Europe, Asia and North America
• Temperate deciduous forest climate


  • Mild and wet which helps support photosynthesis
  • Summers are quite mild with only reaching an average temperature of about 21 degrees Celsius
  • Never get really hot but rains a lot throughout the year
• There are 1.5 billion deciduous trees in the UK
• Layers of vegetation in temperate deciduous forest

  • Ground layer (mosses, fungi, decaying)
  • Herb layer (plants such as bracken, wild garlic and bluebells)
  • Sub canopy (small bushes and trees - holly, hawthorn, small birds)
  • Canopy (taller and older trees, oak and horse chestnut wood)
• Adaptations in temperate deciduous forests

  • Deciduous trees lose their leaves in autumn and grow them back in spring to conserve resources and energy
• Tropical rainforest


  Found between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, in South America, Asia and Africa
• Tropical rainforest climate


  • Hot and wet all year round, creating a humid climate
  • High annual rainfall, rains almost every day
  • Constant temperatures, only a few degrees difference all year round
  • No seasons
• Layers of tropical rainforest

  • Shrub layer (dense plant growth, shrubs, ferns, tree saplings)
  • Understory (young trees, short tree species, shrubs, soft-stemmed plants)
  • Canopy (denser layer of greenery about 20 feet thick, full of leaves and branches, many animals live here)
  • Emergent layer (topmost layer, receives most sunlight and rain, very windy, home to huge trees up to 250 feet tall)
• Causes of tropical rainforest loss

  • Pastoral farming (increasing global demand for meat)
  • Arable farming (growing cash crops like soya beans)
  • Logging (cutting down valuable trees like mahogany for timber and paper)
  • Mining (extracting natural resources like iron ore, copper, tin, aluminium, manganese, gold)
  • Road construction (for farmers, loggers, miners)
  • Hydroelectric power (flooding large areas to create reservoirs and dams)
  • Population growth (clearing land for houses and infrastructure)
• Impacts of tropical rainforest loss

  • Soil erosion (nutrients washed away, soil no longer fertile)
  • Logging and replanting (selective logging preserves canopy, allows forest to recover)
• Hot desert


  Located around the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, found in Africa, North and South America, Oceania and Asia
• Hot desert climate


  • Very little rain and very intense heat causing a lack of vegetation
  • Very hot in some months reaching over 35 degrees, much cooler in others dropping down to 12