KO-The Living World

Ecosystem - A natural system made up of plants, animals and the enviroment

Local small-scale ecosystem - a pond/ hedgerow or woodland are examples of a local small scale ecosystem.

Global scale ecosystem - occur in different places around the world, these are called biomes

producers - plants can turn sunlight into energy through photosynthesis

consumers- they get thier energy by eating a producer or another consumer

decomposer - break down plant and animal material  and return neutrients to the soil. e.g. fungi, bacteria

food chain - shows the link between consumers and producers

food web - shows all the complex links between comsumers and producers

trophic level - each stage in the food chain is called a trophic level. they all form a trophic pyrimid which shows how energy is lost and gained.

top carnivore - the animal that is not hunted down by anything

3rd level carnivious consumers - the next consumer that eats 2nd/ 2st or the herbivore

2nd level carnivious consumers - the next consumer that eats the 1st level or the herbivore

1st level carnivious consumers - the first consumer that eats the herbivore

herbivorus consumers - the consumer that eats the plants 

primary consumer - the plants that make energy using the sunlight

the sun - gives energy to the plants to pass on to the next trophic level

Ice sheet - the artic and anartic circles

Tundra - like a cold desert, barley any rainfall and the coldest biome on the planet

Taiga - large areas of forest also vey cold

Montane - grasslands

mixed and deciduous forest - a forest full of trees that lose their leves seasonally

tropical rainforest - hot with daily downpors, is the most biodiverse

steppe - grassland plains without trees or water

savanna - mix of grasslands and forests

desert - a dry area with next to no rain pour

nediterainian vegetation - woodland

CLIMATE:

Rainforests are found around the equator so their temperature is very consistant at about 28`. They also have high rainfall with over 2000mm of anual rainfall each year.

SOILS:

the soil is thin and very unfertile, most nutrients are found at the surface where the leaves and plants rapidly decompose in the conditions.

HIGH BIODIVERSITY:

Tropical rainforeasts contain the highest amount of species out of every biome in the world. Over half of the worlds species live in the 7% that is the rainforest