Download Here

Living with the physical environment
Section B: Living World
Tropical Rainforests
What you need to know for your examination:
a) The physical characteristics of a tropical rainforest.
b) The interdependence of climate, water, soils, plants, animals and people.
c) How plants and animals adapt to the physical conditions.
d) Issues related to biodiversity.
1. This diagram shows that the biotic (living) and abiotic (non living) parts of an ecosystem
interact with each other.
a) Which two parts of this diagram represent the biotic parts of an ecosystem?
b) Which two parts of this diagram represent the abiotic parts of an ecosystem?
2. Using the information done in your first homework, describe how climate in a rainforest
affects the soil in a rainforest. Use the table’s questions and starting sentences to help you
organise your answer.
Description of a rainforest soil
Explanation of how climate (precipitation
and temperature) has affected this soil:
Latosols (rainforest soils) are what colour?
The rainforest climate has helped make the
soil this colour because…
Do latosols have a thick or thin humus layer?
The rainforest climate has helped make the
humus layer thick/thin because….
3. Complete the table below using this link
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/geography/ecosystems/tropical_rainforests_rev3
.shtml
The stratifiation (different layers) of a tropical
Name of
Amount of
rainforest:
each layer:
sunlight:
Vegetation:
4. What is a nutrient cycle?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/geography/ecosystems/tropical_rainforests_rev2
.shtml
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
5. Read the information on the diagram and in the paragraph below. Highlight/underline
information you think will help you learn this information.
Rainforest nutrient cycle and biodiversity
The nutrients are needed for organisms (plants and animals) to grow and live. The nutrient cycle is
the movement of these nutrients from the abiotic (non-living) environment to the biotic (living
environment) and back again.
The rainforest nutrient cycle is quick. A tree loses its leaves; the leaves fall to the forest floor and
quickly decompose because of the hot and damp climate. This provides plentiful nutrients that are
easily absorbed by plant roots. In the rainforest, the majority of the nutrients are stored in the
biomass (organisms – vegetation and animals) with only small amounts stored in the soil. This is
because these nutrients are in high demand from the rainforest's many fast-growing plant so they do
not remain in the soil for long and stay close to the surface of the soil. Nutrients that are held in
the soil are leached (washed through the soil) by the heavy rainfall to an area where the plant roots
cannot reach them. If vegetation is removed, the soils quickly become infertile and vulnerable to
erosion because the trees do not protect the soil from leaching and the roots are not there to hold
the soil together.
Biodiversity is the number of species of plants and animals that are found in an area. Factors that
affect the level of biodiversity in an area are things such as temperature, moisture, sunlight and
nutrients. The tropical rainforests have a very high biodiversity because the hot and wet conditions
combined with consistent hours of sunlight all year round allows a great variety of plants to grow in
the rainforest. It is estimated that 50% of the world’s 10 million species live in the tropical
rainforests. A typical 5 hectare patch of rainforest contains 750 species of trees, 1500 species of
flowering plants, 400 species of birds, 150 species of butterflies and 100 species of reptiles.
6. Using the information above, answer these questions:
a) What is biodiversity?
___________________________________________________________________
b) Why do tropical rainforests have high biodiversity?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
c) What percentage of the world’s species lives in the tropical rainforests? ___________
7. The diagram below shows how nutrients move around an ecosystem. Use this diagram to
answer these questions (look at the key):
a) Name the three stores of nutrients (where nutrients are held): _______________,
___________________, ___________________.
b) How do nutrients get transferred from the soil to the biomass (organisms)?
___________________________________________________________________
c) Give the two ways that nutrients get transferred into the litter (leaves on the floor)?
___________________________________________________________________
d) Give the two ways nutrients get transferred into the soil?
___________________________________________________________________
e) How do nutrients leave the soil?
___________________________________________________________________
f) How do nutrients leave the litter?
____________________________________________________________________
8. The diagram below shows a rainforest’s nutrient cycle using proportional shapes (the bigger it
is the bigger the store of nutrients). Use the diagram below to answer these questions.
a) Which store is the biggest? ________________________
b) Which store is the smallest? _______________________
c) Which store does the biomass give nutrients to? Hint: look at where the arrow points
away from the biomass circle)
___________________________________________________________________
d) Which store gives nutrients to the biomass?
___________________________________________________________________
e) Which store gives nutrients to the soil?
___________________________________________________________________
Pupils with target grades 6+ - explain your answers to the questions above. Use the
information you have completed so far (these are not new ideas – remember biomass means
organisms – animals and vegetation).
9. Use the information on the diagrams below to complete this table about how rainforest
vegetation adapts to its climate.
Description:
Find a picture to show the
adaptation:
Explanation
How this change has helped vegetation to
survive in a rainforest climate (very hot
and wet).
Leaves have drip tip.
Buttress roots grow.
Trees are straight and branchless.
Leaves have flexible bases.
Lianas (woody creepers)
Epiphytes.
If you are aiming for a grade 7+ then complete extra descriptions. Here are some useful website if you want to use
them as well as the textbook information:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/geography/ecosystems/tropical_rainforests_rev4.shtml
https://www.marwell.org.uk/downloads/rainforestplantadaptations.pdf
http://www.mbgnet.net/sets/rforest/plants/adapt.htm
10. Use the information below to complete this table about how animals have adapted to cope with
the conditions of the tropical rainforests.
http://worldlywise.blogspot.co.uk/2007/10/how-have-animals-adapted-to-conditions.html
Name of the animal:
Parasol ants
Jaguar
Toucans and parrots
Three toed sloth
Woolly spider
monkey
Harpy eagle
Layer of the
rainforest it is
found in:
A picture of the
animal:
Explanation
How this animal survives in the rainforest: