Geography - Ecosystems
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- Created on: 07-04-14 13:26
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- Geography - Ecosystems
- Biomes
- Ecosystems can be small-scale, covering a small area (such as a pond) or large-scale covering a large area (such as a tropical rainforest).The world is divided up into ten major ecosystems. These large-scale ecosystems are called biomes.
- An Ecosystem is a community of animals, plants and microorganisms, together with the habitat where they live.
- A biome is a large-scale ecosystem.
- Rainforests
- found near the equator in Central and South America, parts of Africa and Asia. They are hot and humid and contain a huge variety of plants and animals - around half of all the world's species. The trees are mostly hardwood. The climate is called equatorial.
- Diciduous Forests
- contain trees that lose their leaves and are found across Europe and USA. The weather is mild and wet. The climate is called temperate maritime.
- Coniferous Forests
- containing evergreen trees, are found in Scandinavia, Russia and Canada. They have a cool climate with moderate rainfall called cool temperate.
- Desert
- is the driest and hottest of areas. The world's largest desert is the Sahara in North Africa. Areas of scrub land that border the desert are called desert scrub.
- Desert Scrub
- is the driest and hottest of areas. The world's largest desert is the Sahara in North Africa. Areas of scrub land that border the desert are called desert scrub.
- Desert Scrub
- Grassland
- grasslands are dominated by grass and trees and large bushes are scarce. They have a temperate continental climate - the weather is mild with moderate rainfall. Grasslands include the Puszta in Hungary, the Veldt in South Africa, the Pampas in Argentina and the Prairies in the USA.
- Savvanah
- tropical grasslands are hot and dry, dominated by grass, scruband occasional trees. They have two distinct seasons - a dry season when much of the vegetation dies back, and a rainy season when it grows rapidly. They are found in central Africa (Kenya, Zambia, Tanzania), northern Australia and central South America (Venezuela and Brazil).
- Tundra
- surrounds the North and South poles. They have an extremely cold climate, with limited numbers of plants and animals able to survive there.
- Mountains
- areas can be very cold at night and during winter. The growing season is short and at higher levels trees will not grow.
- Meditteranian
- climates are not too hot or cold. They are found around the Mediterranean Sea, near Cape Town in South Africa and Melbourne in Australia.
- Ecosystems can be small-scale, covering a small area (such as a pond) or large-scale covering a large area (such as a tropical rainforest).The world is divided up into ten major ecosystems. These large-scale ecosystems are called biomes.
- Human Uses of:
- Rainforests
- The Amazon - Case Study
- The short term benefits of clearing the rain-forest is:
- land for agriculture, houses and roads
- jobs for local workers in road building, logging, agriculture, mining and construction
- the generation of income (often in valuable foreign currency) for the LEDC when wood, minerals, and other resources are sold
- scientific investigation into rainforest plants may provide new food sources and medicines
- These benefits, however, come at a cost. Clearing rainforest threatens the survival of many plant and animal species and can lead to serious environmental degradation.
- The short term benefits of clearing the rain-forest is:
- land for agriculture, houses and roads
- jobs for local workers in road building, logging, agriculture, mining and construction
- the generation of income (often in valuable foreign currency) for the LEDC when wood, minerals, and other resources are sold
- scientific investigation into rainforest plants may provide new food sources and medicines
- The short term benefits of clearing the rain-forest is:
- Widespread deforestation damages the whole biosphere (the balance of living and non-living things) with serious long-term consequences.
- The short term benefits of clearing the rain-forest is:
- Positive impacts of human intervention
- Improved transportation - new roads and airports. Better transportation means easier access to raw materials like minerals and timber. Rainforest resources can be transported away and sold.
- Infrastructure, hospitals and education can be improved from the money gained from selling natural resources.
- Profits from selling resources can be used to improve a country's infrastructure. For example, profits from the sale of rainforest resources can be used to build schools and hospitals.
- Raw materials, eg tropical hardwoods such as ebony and mahogany, can be sold for a good price abroad.
- Mineral deposits in the Amazon include bauxite (the main constituent of aluminium), iron ore, manganese, gold, silver and diamonds. Minerals can be sold for high profits.
- Large-scale farming brings money into the country and provides food and jobs for the country's growing population.
- Small-scale farming provides food for rainforest communities and the landless poor of Brazil.
- Problems of human intervention
- New roads divide up parts of the rain-forest and can cut off connections between different biotic and abiotic systems.
- Land clearance for farming, transportation and mining can lead to deforestation.
- Fertile soils that make farming possible are quickly washed away when the forest is cleared. If soil ends up in rivers, this can lead to flooding.
- Loss of animal habitat occurs when trees are cut down. Hence, deforestation can result in endangering animals and plant life, or even causing them to become extinct.
- Profits from large-scale farming and selling resources often go back to MEDCsor large companies and don't benefit the rainforest communities.
- The Amazon - Case Study
- Rainforests
- Biomes
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