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16 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Biome |
A world scale ecosystem that has distinctive flora and fauna and similar climatic conditions. |
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Altitude |
The height of something above sealevel expressed in metres. |
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Biosphere |
The living part of the earth (e.g. plantsand animals) |
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Ecosystem |
Thecommunity of plants and animals in a given habitat together with theirnon-living environment. |
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Latitude |
The position of a place north orsouth of the equator, expressed in degrees.
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Tropical Rainforest |
Found either side of the equator. The sun rays are at its hottest which causes moist air to rise and heavy rainfall. |
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Deciduous Forests |
Forests that grow in high latitudes where rainfall is high. The sun rays are less strong and the winter temperatures results in the leaves shredding. |
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Coniferous Forest |
Found 60 degree north of the equator. Temperatures are so cold that plants have needle for leaves so that no moisture or heat is lost. |
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Tropics |
Normally found near the equator. The temperature is hot and there is a lot of heavy rainfall.
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Tundra |
Cold desert and found in the Arctic Circle. The sun rays have little strength and temperatures are below freezing. |
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Effects of deforestation |
Decomposing leaves create the humus layer of the soil and add nutrients, so without trees the soil becomes less fertile. Soil erosion increases as there are no canopies to protect the soil from rainfall. Soil exposed to too much rain becomes leached of nutrients. Removal of wildlife. Removal of vegetation decreases transpiration rates and reduces rainfall. |
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What benefits do biomes provide? |
Habitatsto lots of different animals Providematerials that people rely on, including food, building materials and resourcesfor medicines. It regulates the gases that make up the atmosphere – plants absorb carbon dioxide and provide oxygen for us to breathe in. It regulates the water cycle – plants slow the flow of water to rivers and filter water to make it clean. |
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Geology and soils have an influence on biomes. For example limestone bedrock weathers to leave behind thin soil, which can store little water. Percolating water can also pass through the limestone rock relatively easily. As a result, in the UK trees are rarely found in limestone areas, due to limited water availability. |
Services Forests remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This reduces global warming. Forests give out oxygen – purifying the atmosphere. Reefs and mangroves provide protection from coastal storms. Reefs and rainforests provide attractive scenery for tourism. Forests protect from soil erosion and intercept precipitation – preventing flash flooding. |
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What affects the distribution of ecosystems? |
Temperature Precipitation Sunshine hours Humidity |
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Direct human impacts |
Deforestation Mining Quarrying Farming Overfishing |
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Factors affecting biomes |
Rock and soil type - this can affect how fertile different areas within a biome Altitude - Different plants grow at different temperatures and may not survive if they are not in the right conditions. The higher the altitude, the colder it gets. Rainfall - different types of plants and the amount of plants will only grow with a certain amount of rainfall. Inland areas are generally drier than coastal areas. Distance from the sea - this can affect temperatures and especially amounts of rainfall within the same biome. Drainage - swamps and bogs occur where drainage is poor. Fewer, more specialist plants grow in boggy areas. |
