Theme 9- Living Things

Ecosystems are a community of plants, animals, and the enviroment they live in. 

Living Parts of the Ecosytem:

• Producers (E.G. grass)
• Primary Consumers (E.G. Leaf Eating Insects)
• Secondary Consumers (E.G. Meadow PitPit) 
• Tertiary Consumers (E.G. Merlin) 

Non-Living Parts of the Ecosystem:

• Sun
• Rainfall
• Nutrients

Case Study: Garden Pond/Wetland:

• Birds nest in weed

• Dragon Flies lay eggs in bottom of ponds

• Animals can live, eat and reproduce 

• Sun temperatures effect temperatures of the water (deeper the water, the colder the temperature)
• Different Creatures live at different depths
• Sun light allows plants to grow and photosynthesise in shallow water

• Fertilisers from farmers fields leach into ponds 
• This increases levels in nitrogen, which is harmful to fish

Case Study: Transition from the Desert to the Rainforest

• 1) The desert is very hot will small amounts of rainfall 
• As a result, there is a very small amount of vegetation e.g. Cacti, and very few animals 

• 2) The Grassland has regular rainfall and is hot
• This means there is a wide range of animals and wide range of vegetation, including small trees

• 3) The Rainforest is very hot with large amounts of rainfall. 
• This results in large forests, and a wide range of animals and insects. 

Biomes are different because...

                 On the surface of the equator, sun energy is intense. Because there is a small surface area, so it is very hot.

In the north pole, the low angles of the sun mean energy is spread over a larger surface area, so it is colder. 

Biomes are large ecosystems. 

Examples include: 

• Tundra
• Rainforest
• Grassland
• Alpine
• Desert
• Boreal Forest

Case Study: The Rainforest:

Nutrient Cycle:

• Few Nutrients are stored in the soil in the rainforest.
• High Temperatures mean trees absorb nutrients quickly for energy to photosynthesise.
• Trees Photosynthesise all year round because of high temperatures.
• Trees have a large biomass.
• Nutrients transfer back to the soil by broken branches and fallen leaves
• High temperatures mean they decompose quickly, transferring nutrients to the soil
• To avoid leaching of nurtrients, the process has evolved quickly
• Nutrients are then quickly reabsorbed by the trees from the soils
• This process continues 

Case Study: Logging in the Solomon Islands:

People:  

• People are paid less than $1 a day to fell trees 
• Valuable food, nut and medicine trees are destroyed
• Deforestation means less timber for locals to build homes and canoes
• 90% of timber taken by China is taken by illegal loggers without the land owners permission

Environmental:

• Large Trucks cause soil erosion when transporting logs
• Loose soil and silt washed into rivers, and leads to flooding
• Deforestation means habitats are destroyed and animals go extinct
• Less trees increase the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere 

Case Study 1: Rainforest- Logging in the Solomon Islands

• Local people are employed for logging in order to keep profits in the local area
• Use small, portable tools in order to prevent damaging trees
• Only cut one tree down in every acre of forest
• Replant any trees which have been cut down
• Avoid valuable fruit, nut and medicine trees

Case Study 2: Debt For Nature Swaps

• In Costa Rica, the USA pays Costa Rica's debt, so that Costa Rica can invest more money in the conservation of Rain forests, protecting habitats and tackling climate change 

Case Study 3: Ecotourism

• Costa Rica has developed ecotourism - e.g building canopy walkways
• The money made from this is then used to support conservation projects

Case Study 4: Wildlife Corridor in Central America

• Building a continuous ***** of forest between Mexico and Panama allows animals to migrate freely between fragments, and reproduce

Name of Ecosystem: The Rainforest

Positivie:

• Medicine trees
• fruit and nut trees
• Wood for building and canoes
• Conservation

Negative:

• Deforestation
• Soil Erosion from logging- Leads to flooding
• Logging- Destroys habitats and valuable trees