Geo-ecology
HL Answer Template |
GEOECOLOGY EXAM QUESTIONS
Previous exam questions on Biome: (1-4 are same essay) (5-6 are the same essay)
- How have plants and animals adapted to specific climatic and soil conditions in a biome you have studied?
- Account for the type of climate in this biome and explain how the climate impacts on soils and vegetation within this biome.
- Discuss the characteristics of a biome you have studied under the following headings: climate, soils, flora and fauna.
- Discuss the influence of climate on the characteristics of one biome you have studied.
- Discuss how three activities can impact on biomes felling of tropical rainforest (deforestation, intensive agriculture, industrial development)
- How are biomes altered by human activities?
ESSAY 1: Discuss the influence of climate on the characteristics of one biome you have studied. |
Introduction
A biome is a unique natural world region which is controlled by climate. The biome we have studied the tropical rainforest biome. There are four key aspects to consider in any biome:
1. Climate
3. Vegetation
4.Animals
A biome is a unique natural world region which is controlled by climate. The biome we have studied the tropical rainforest biome. There are four key aspects to consider in any biome:
- _____________
- _____________
- _____________
- _____________
- These four aspects are_____________________with _____________ being the most important factor. Climate decides what type of soil forms, what plants grow there, and which animals inhabits it.
- Some examples of these regions are the _____________Basin, the Africa _____________ Basin, Indo-_____________and Australia.
- This biome occurs in the tropical zone between ____ degrees north and ____degrees South of the Equator
1. Climate
- The _____________ _____________ Biome covers ____% of the earth's surface. This biome occurs in the tropical zone between 23.5 degrees north and 23.5 degrees south of the Equator and so, Its latitude _____________ the climatic features here.
- This tropical rainforest’s climate lies within the _____________ cell of ________________ circulation where warm air rises from the equatorial region forming a __________ pressure area and sinks at the edges of the tropical zone forming a ___________pressure area.
- It is a tropical climate which means it is hot, wet and humid all year round and does not experience _____________.This is because sunlight strikes the Earth at roughly a ____-degree angle in the tropics and the region receives almost ____ hours of_____________every day.
- The heat is_____________with average temperatures of ____ degrees Celsius there is a small temperature range. Due to this intense heating large amounts of moisture _____________ from the ground and vegetation.
- As water vapour rises, cools and condenses it forms heavy _____________ rainfall on a daily basis. An average of __________mm to _______mm of rain falls in a rainforest each year this leads to high humidity levels, between ____and ____%
- Much of the precipitation comes from forest’s own _____________as each tree might release as much as ____litres of water every year by the process of _____________.
- The tropical climate is responsible for the great variety of living things (_____________) in the rainforest. _____of all living things on the planet occur in these regions.
- The _____________ is zonal soil associated with the tropical rainforest biome: that is a soil that develops in response to a particular climate.
- It is _____________or yellow in colour. Rapid deep chemical weathering and leaching (_____________play an important role in its colour and formation.
- Lateralisation is a form of intense _____________weathering and leaching that occurs in ____ climates. All the soluble minerals are _____________out of the soil by heavy rainfall and only insoluble ________ and _____________oxides remain, creating a red colour.
- Thousands of years of heavy rains wash the nutrients away here resulting in nutrient poor, (low_____________) inferior or infertile soil.
- Although nutrients are lacking in the soil they are present in the living plants and in the layer of decomposing plant material on the ground surface (known as _____________).
- In the Amazon, ____% of nutrients are held in the ______ _______of the forest floor. _______________such as insects, bacteria and fungi make quick work of the dead plant and animal matter in a process known as _____________.
- There are fewer nutrients deep in the soil (Horizon __ &___) as they have been _____________ by plants, who take up nutrients from the O Horizon the moment they are released. If they did not absorb them this quickly, they would _____________away by the heavy rains.
- Therefore, the rainforest have __________ nutrient cycle.
- Deforestation means that this nutrient source is disappearing as the removal of trees reduces plant __________. And so, the soil becomes depleted.
- Sometimes _____________ soils can develop- a hard, brick-like soil, impossible to cultivate even when wet. high temperatures bake the soil into a hard, _____________ material used for building blocks.
3. Vegetation
- There is a great variety of _____________ in the rainforest with the three largest rainforests: South A_____________, A___________ and A__________, all having different plant groups and different animal species also.
- As a result of the climatic conditions, the vegetation is a lush forest of tall trees know as a _____________.
- Typical trees include t_______, m_______________, _____________ oil and the Brazil nut tree which can take _____ years to grow large enough to fell.
- The warm, humid, sunny conditions means __________s of plants and trees grow side by side most with _________, thin barks as they do not need protection from _____________ loss or _____________temperatures.
- To avoid competition for light and moisture the plants have evolved a ___ layered structure consisting of:
- 1. _____________Layer: the tallest trees grow here eg mahogany reaching heights of 80m. They emerge from the canopy capturing the light. They have small _____________ leaves for protection against the _____________ of drying winds and heat.
- 2. _____________ Layer: Average height in the canopy layer is 40 m they have larger leaves as it is darker here leave shed water very easily and have _____ ________ or holes to allow run off branches are_____________to avoid snapping under the weight of the_____________ rain.
- 3. _____________layers: the lack of _________ limits growth here. Short, leafy, non-_____________shrubs, ferns and _____________ (vines) have adapted to_____________light and poor soil. Leaves are ____________ to repel water and fungal attack.
- 4. The ______ _______: with only ____% of light penetrating the forest floor, few plants grow here. However, plant litter is broken down by_____________.
- Each plant adapts to survive in a particular layer which allows multiple plants to survive. Animals have also adapted to live in each of these layers.
4.Animals
- A tropical rainforest contains more than ____different species of animal in each hectare.
- There are nearly ____million different insects species _______ bird species and _______ different fish species in the Amazon alone, making its_______________the greatest of any other biome in the world.
- Different rainforests have different species. For example you will find gorillas in ___________, orangutans in _____________ and Jaguars in__________ _____________but these animals are not found in the other rainforests.
- _____________ make up the largest group of animals. Brightly coloured _____________, camouflaged__________insects, beetles and ants have all adapted to the climate within the rainforest.
- Each species of animal has evolved to live in a particular__________, perhaps even on one species of tree. Most live in the _____________layer eg parrots, snakes, spider monkeys.
- Their tree-living lifestyle (_____________) means most animals are small e.g. sloth, black spider monkey.
- Most animals have evolved excellent_____________to survive. For example, the Giant Leaf _________ has green skin and an _____________ shaped body similar to a leaf, for resisting predators. The _____________ coat of the jaguar ensures it blends in and its ability to climb, allows it to obtain prey easily.
- The Green _____________ has green fur with _____________and mosses providing excellent camouflage. It also moves very slowly due to its slow ______________enabling it to survive on the low energy content of the leaves it eats. They have large eyes to see in the _____________conditions and their paws have hooked clause to allow them to hang easily from the three branches.
- The spider monkey has a _____________ tail that can curl around branches and gives extra support as the animal moved amongst the trees.
- Few move between layers and many never touch the _____________ at all eg the flying ________ and the tree frog.
- Animals may also be _____________ (awake during the night) to avoid predators/ hunt their prey and many have specialist ways of finding food.
ESSAY 2: Human activities on the biome
|
Introduction
A biome is unique natural world region which is controlled by climate we have studied the tropical rainforest biome. There are four key aspects in each biome: climate, soil, plants and animals. Human and economic activities have altered and impact on biomes in the following way:
Activity 1. Deforestation
Impact
Once the area of Forest is cut:
Activity 2. Intensive Agricultural Processes
Impact
a) Large scale __________ and __________of rainforest: In order to make a forest ready for farming, slash and burn techniques are used to clear land, predominantly in tropical and subtropical areas.
b) Addition of artificial fertilisers: Once cleared, forests are quickly planted and support _____________ growth for a few years.
Activity 3. Industrialisation and Economic Growth
(Paragraph 4- Only if they ask for a positive)
Activity 4: Ecotourism
A biome is unique natural world region which is controlled by climate we have studied the tropical rainforest biome. There are four key aspects in each biome: climate, soil, plants and animals. Human and economic activities have altered and impact on biomes in the following way:
Activity 1. Deforestation
- Deforestation is the _____________ removal of trees from a biome. No other biome in the world is more affected by deforestation than the _____________ _____________biome.
- Globally about ________ trees per minute are cut down in the world’s rainforests and it can take up to ____ years for a tree to mature.
- The Amazon Basin contains ______ million hectares of tropical rainforest with between 1 and 3 hectares been cleared annually.
- To extract valuable timber for_____________or for wood as a fuel source. If timber is sold for export the_____________receives a portion of the profits. A high demand for timber has led to illegal growing and selling particularly of _____________. ____% of Amazonian timber is said to be illegal timber.
- Are_____________to clear land for soya bean _____________ and _____________ranching in quickly developing countries like _____________. Here the need to repay i_____________ debt that has led to the increase in the production of cash crops for export. These cash crops are grown on deforested land.
- Mining and _____________have contributed to deforestation in the Amazon Basin. It is rich in resources like _____________ and _________ ore. Licences were given by the government to clear forest mine for metals.
Impact
Once the area of Forest is cut:
- 1. Natural _____________ for wildlife is severely reduced and species begin to become extinct. Many animals and insects in the rainforest have not yet been clearly _____________ and as more of the rainforest is destroyed, the opportunity to study and identify these animals is lost.
- 2. Effect on Global _____________ and _____________patterns: The vast _____________ rates from the rainforest have a global impact on rain and weather patterns. Prevailing winds often move this moisture to other parts of the world. Removal of these trees may result in increased _____________ which may lead to desertification in semi-_______ or hot climates.
- 3. The loss of many species of _____________ is a serious cause for concern as some contain chemicals that could one day lead to ___________for serious illness, such as _____________ and AIDS.
- We already get many common drugs from different tree species e.g. _____________. About _______of all the medicines we use come from the rainforest plant. Curare comes from a tropical vine and is used as an _______________and to relax muscles during surgery.
- 4. Destruction of_____________from the O Horizon. Removal of trees, removes plant_____________ from the O horizon. The Heavy day daily convectional rain quickly _____________ any remaining nutrients out of the soil making it infertile. The remaining latosol soil can be easily_____________away by heavy rain.
- This makes it difficult for secondary forest growth to occur which further intensifies the problem of soil _____________. In addition, the high temperatures in the tropical region bake the exposed soil into a hard, brick-like surface which cannot support plant growth. This is known as _____________ soil which is useless for farming.
Activity 2. Intensive Agricultural Processes
- _____________ agriculture has already had and continues to have a major impact on biomes across the world. Intensive agriculture often occurs as a _____________country tries to repay debt, to deal with population growth and to improve its economy.
- Intensive agriculture is a type of farming whereby large amount of crops or animal products are produced from an area of land to get high_____________from the land. An example of this is production of _____________beans in Brazil.
- Intensive farming uses large amounts of money, labour, artificial _____________, water and pesticides and completely disrupts the natural _____________ balance of the rainforest in the following ways:
- a) Large scale slash and burn of rainforest
- b) Addition of artificial fertilisers and illegal chemicals to river water
- c) Rainforest is replaced by scrub vegetation and cash crop monoculture
- d) Pest infestations
Impact
a) Large scale __________ and __________of rainforest: In order to make a forest ready for farming, slash and burn techniques are used to clear land, predominantly in tropical and subtropical areas.
- In many forested areas in the tropics the _______________ of mineral components in the ground after frequent agricultural use takes a very long time. As a result there is considerable pressure to find new, unused, _____________land to farm.
- Expanses of young forest are cut and cleared using this method. The cut wood is then burnt. After ____years of _______________, the mineral elements of the humus in the soil are extensively_____________. The growth of weeds increases and further cultivation cannot occur without a new _____________.
- Once land becomes exhausted and no longer suitable, it is often _____________. It could take ____ years for an area to become agriculturally _____________ again. Allowing the land to go _____________and the breakdown of_____________releases nutrients locked up in the vegetation and produces a layer of nutrient-rich material above the infertile _____________ soils of the tropical forest.
- _____________ tribes of always use this method of clearance but it had little impact because the area they clear is so small (______ hectares). In contrast_____________farming is on a much larger scale hundreds and thousands of hectares are cleared.
- The large scale _____________ used in intensive agricultural take up so much land that smaller farmers have little choice but to move into and clear more forest for their own __________ and farm land.
- Slash and burn has been criticised for destroying h_____________and e_____________ and reducing the v_____________ of species. Removal of trees also speeds up soil erosion which adds _____________ to river and increases the severity of seasonal_____________.
b) Addition of artificial fertilisers: Once cleared, forests are quickly planted and support _____________ growth for a few years.
- __________ % of land deforested in the Amazon ends up as cattle _____________. Initially each hectare supports one animal but after_____ years or so, nutrients are so depleted that large amounts of expensive fertilizers are required. After 6-8 years each animal may require _____ hectares.
- Fertilizers can wash into local _____________ affecting fish and Aquatic life.
- P_____________are also used to combat weeds on soya plantations. These chemicals wash or blow into other parts of the rainforest_____________streams and rivers. They are harmful to plant and animal life.
- The illegal cultivation of__________ plants (the active ingredient in cocaine) for the drugs trade is also polluting water in Colombia. Illegal dumping of chemicals like k_____________, s_____________ acid and a_____________ used to process coca leaves, is the biggest environmental concern after deforestation.
Activity 3. Industrialisation and Economic Growth
- Because Brazil is a _____________ _____________ _____________NIC), is has undergone rapid and expansive i_____________. Schemes such as the Import Substitution Industrialisation resulted in Brazil being in a lot of debt- for profit they looked to the rain forest.
- As one of the largest _____________ consumers in the world (_____kg pp p/year), Brazil has cleared vast areas of the rainforest for production of coffee beans and other raw materials used in industry for domestic use and for _____________.
- As the country industrialised, many people flocked to large cities looking for work. The massive growth of the cities R________ and Sao P_____________ has resulted in huge _____________. These are an embarrassment to the government, and so they have encouraged settlers to clear the forest and settle in rural areas.
- _____________ Brazil (Advance Brazil) is a plan made by the government in_______- it cost €____ billion and its aim was to cover much of the Amazon with _______km of _____________, HEP dams, power _____________, mines, _____________ and other industrial developments. It is believed that further _______________ projects may lead to a ____% increase in deforestation of the Amazon rainforest
- The government scheme to improve access to the rainforest is called the Trans_____________Highway. It is ____ ____km of road and has allowed massive industrial development in the heart of the Amazon. This road network is breaking up parts of the rainforest and_____________plant and animal species which effects _____________ ability and can lead to _____________ on the roads.
- As part of an urban development designed to bring development to the interior, many people were given homes for free in the new city called _____________. Deforestation even occurred on the edges of the city to accommodate temporary homes for those involved in _____________ yet they have remained there increasing the damage.
- The government also encouraged people to move to the region of the Amazon. The settlers were granted a_______hectare plot of land, six month’s _____________ and easy access to _______________ loans to provide the inputs to the growing food processing sector.
- Construction of _______ stations (______________ _____________ __________) required to power much of the industrial development in the interior has also had an effect on the Amazon. There are ______ schemes planned. This results in the flooding of large tracts of land and loss of the biome. eg The _____________ dam flooded 2500 km sq of land and _______ people lost their homes.
- Industrial activity in Brazil also produces _________ rain which has an impact on the soils and vegetation of the rainforest biome. Acid rain is polluted _____________that as has a pH of less than ______. It can occur with man-made _____________ such as _____________ dioxide and _____________oxides combined with moisture in the atmosphere. These two gases are produced by burning fossil fuels like oil, coal and gas in power stations, homes vehicles and factories. Car ownership in Brazil is growing at an _____________rate and this combined with the development of the Trans Amazonian Highway, is likely to cause serious damage to the leaf and the tree’s overall h_____________ and r_____________ ability.
(Paragraph 4- Only if they ask for a positive)
Activity 4: Ecotourism
- Eco tourists pay to see a country's _____________beauty not the destruction caused by short-run exploitation. Money spent directly in the local economy helps give economic value to forest preservation.
- ________ _____ is the world's most popular destination for rainforest tourism because of its biodiversity.
- In 2007 nearly ____ million tourists visited the country generating almost ____ billion in_____________ more than the combined income from _____________and ___________.
- Ecotourism can provide local people with economic assistance by offering them employment opportunities as wildlife _____________ and r_____________for parks, but also workers in the _____________sector such as, hotels and lodges.
- This employment provides an income often higher than what they would receive from selling small scale agricultural crops up _____________.
- With ecotourism, income is earned from _____________ the ecosystem and forest clearing is discouraged. Similarly ecotourism can reduce the need for _____________and hunting of forest animals for income. For example in West _____________, former poachers were hired as Park Rangers since they have intimate _____________of the local animal wildlife.
- A higher standard of living means more _____________. The workers children will have better chance of breaking out of their _____________ lifestyle and improving the livelihood.
- Finally local communities can earn_____________income from the fabrication of_____________eg sustainable wood carvings/ bracelets etc.
- To be sustainable, ecotourism requires careful planning and strict _____________. Short term development can be as dangerous to the rainforest as unsustainable _____________.
Quiz
- What are the 4 characteristics of a biome? (4)
- Give 3 examples of a rainforest, (3)
- What latitude is the tropical zone?
- What percentage of the earth is covered in rainforest?
- What is the atmospheric circulation of the tropics known as?
- What angle does sunlight strike the earth at in the tropics?
- How many hours of sunshine does it receive?
- What is the annual rainfall in the rainforest? (2)
- What is the average humidity level?
- What is transpiration?
- How many litres are released by a tree per year?
- What is the main type of rainfall? Explain (3)
- What is the zonal soil of the rainforest?
- What minerals give it its red/orange?
- What layer of the soil contains the most nutrients?
- 99% of nutrients are held in what mats?
- What is humification?
- What is laterite soils? (2)
- Name 3 trees found in the rainforest. (3)
- Which is the tallest layer of plants?
- What percentage of sunlight penetrates the forest floor?
- Where do most animals live in the rainforest?
- What are drip tips?
- What is the name given to tree-living animals?
- What animal has green fur covered with lichen?
- How many millions of acres are cleared annually in the rainforest?
- What percentage of Amazonian timber is sold illegally?
- What does semi-arid mean?
- Name 2 disease which may have cures in the rainforest.
- Name 2 cash crops.
- What is the name given to the practice of clearing rainforest which involves 2 parts.
- Why are artificial fertilizers necessary for agriculture in the Brazilian interior.
- What percentage of land is deforested for cattle rearing?
- How many acres does each cow need. (2)
- What quantity of coffee is consumed per capita in Brazil?
- What is Advanca Brasil? (2)
- What dam flooded 2500km2 in Brazil?
- How many ecotourists visited Costa Rica in 2007?
- What are 2 important jobs locally in Costa Rica for ecotourism? (2)