NOTE: This is PART 1 of this unit.
PART 2 covers The Savanna, Mediterranean, Hot Deserts and Monsoons. These are lessons 10 - 18. |
In this topic we're going to learn about different ecosystems. We will look at how water and nutrients travel in a habitat and they can change with human influence. We'll also look deep into Tropical Rainforests - learning about their climate, vegetation and human activities.
The lessons covered in PART 1 of this unit are: 1. Ecosystems 2. Processes of an ecosystem 3. Factors affecting climate 4. Major world biomes 5. Tropical rainforest climate 6. Tropical rainforest vegetation 7. Rainforest water and nutrient cycle 8. Case study: Deforestation in the Amazon Rainforest 9. Case study: Sustainable forestry. |
1. ECOSYSTEMS
🡺 Define the term ecosystem.
🡺 Distinguish between micro, meso and global ecosystems giving most common examples. 🡺 Identify the roles of flora, fauna, rocks and soils as components of an ecosystem. 🡺 Aware of the interaction between the living and non living aspects of an ecosystem. An ecosystem is a natural system in which the life cycles of plants (flora) and animals (fauna) are closely linked to each other and to the non-living environment. Ecosystems can be as large as a rainforest or grassland (known as biomes) or smaller areas of woodland and wetland, down to under a stone or a droplet of water. NON-LIVING ENVIRONMENT
LIVING ENVIRONMENT
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Geo-check!
1. Which of the words below are in the living environment and which are in the non-living environment?
Plants - Air - Animal - Rocks - People - Water - Sun - Insect - Microorganisms - Soils
2. Complete the sentences below.
a. _____________ the natural or physical surroundings where plants and animals live.
b._____________ animals, birds, fish, insects and people.
c._____________ rocks, soil, the air and climate.
d._____________ is the interaction of plants and animals with their non-living surroundings.
e._____________ a community of plants and animals unaffected by human activity.
f._____________ a large ecosystem such as a desert or a tropical forest.
Plants - Air - Animal - Rocks - People - Water - Sun - Insect - Microorganisms - Soils
2. Complete the sentences below.
- A biome is …
- The non-living environment includes…
- A natural ecosystem is…
- The environment is…
- An ecosystem is…
- The living environment includes…
a. _____________ the natural or physical surroundings where plants and animals live.
b._____________ animals, birds, fish, insects and people.
c._____________ rocks, soil, the air and climate.
d._____________ is the interaction of plants and animals with their non-living surroundings.
e._____________ a community of plants and animals unaffected by human activity.
f._____________ a large ecosystem such as a desert or a tropical forest.
2. PROCESSES OF AN ECOSYSTEM
🡺 Understand the terms and functions of the food chain including producers, consumers (herbivores), consumers (carnivores), decomposers.
🡺 Recognise the energy flow in a simple ecosystem through the process of photosynthesis and the food chain.
🡺 Able to draw a simple labelled flow diagram to show the nutrient cycle within an ecosystem.
Any ecosystem depends of two basic processes:
🡺 Recognise the energy flow in a simple ecosystem through the process of photosynthesis and the food chain.
🡺 Able to draw a simple labelled flow diagram to show the nutrient cycle within an ecosystem.
Any ecosystem depends of two basic processes:
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2. THE RECYCLING OF NUTRIENTS
Certain nutrients are continually circulated within the ecosystem and so are part of a closed system. Each cycle consists of plants taking up nutrients from the soil. The nutrients are then used by the plants, or by animals which consume the plants. When the plants or animals die they decompose and the nutrients are released and returned to the soil, ready for future use. |
Geo-check!
1. Write down and label a food chain of the following habitats. The food chains must have at least FOUR chains.
2. Fill in the phrases with the words below.
decompose - plants …. animals - food chain - photosynthesis - sunlight - soil
ENERGY FLOW
RECYCLING OF NUTRIENTS
3. Explain the nutrient cycle in at least FOUR detailed points.
- Tropical ocean
- A polar climate
2. Fill in the phrases with the words below.
decompose - plants …. animals - food chain - photosynthesis - sunlight - soil
ENERGY FLOW
- The main source of energy is the ______________that is absorbed by the green plants.
- _________________ changes the suns light into energy.
- Energy is able to pass through the ecosystem through a ________________.
RECYCLING OF NUTRIENTS
- Each nutrient cycle consists of plants taking up nutrients from the ___________.
- The nutrients are consumed by _______________, or by ______________ who consume the plants.
- When the plant and animals die, they _______________ and the nutrients are released and returned to the soil.
3. Explain the nutrient cycle in at least FOUR detailed points.
3. FACTORS AFFECTING CLIMATE
🡺 Understand how latitude, the sea, height, prevailing winds and ocean currents affect the climate of an area.
LATITUDE
ALTITUDE / HEIGHT
OCEAN CURRENTS
PREVAILING WINDS
DISTANCE FROM THE SEA
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Geo-check!
1. In the diagrams here, write down warmer or cooler. Then write an explanation below.
2. Answer the following questions about Malta. a. Why does latitude have to do with Malta having a warm climate? b. Southerly winds are usually warm, dry and dusty. Why? c. If Malta was on a mountain top, how would the average temperature change? d. If Malta wasn’t next to the sea, would it have colder winters? |
4. MAJOR WORLD BIOMES
🡺 Identify and locate on a world map the distribution of the following major natural vegetation zones (biomes): tropical rainforest, savanna, desert, Mediterranean, temperate deciduous, temperate grasslands, northern coniferous, and tundra.
A biome is a large area where specific types of plants and animals live. A biome has its own climate. There are many varieties of biomes on earth. Knowing the biomes can help you understand what life is like in that part of the world. Here are the world’s largest and most important biomes:
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Geo-check!
. Look at the map and answer the following questions.
a. What type of biome covers most of Europe?
b. What type of plant, then, do you think you would see a lot of in Europe?
c. Most of the northern part of North America is made up of what biome?
d. Name three biomes that are found in South America.
e. Do you think you would see a lot of the same types of plants and animals if you were traveling all over South America? Why?
f. Name two types of biomes that cover a large part of Africa.
g. How big, then, would most of the plants be in Africa? Why?
2. Match the description with the six biomes listed above.
a.
b.
a. What type of biome covers most of Europe?
b. What type of plant, then, do you think you would see a lot of in Europe?
c. Most of the northern part of North America is made up of what biome?
d. Name three biomes that are found in South America.
e. Do you think you would see a lot of the same types of plants and animals if you were traveling all over South America? Why?
f. Name two types of biomes that cover a large part of Africa.
g. How big, then, would most of the plants be in Africa? Why?
2. Match the description with the six biomes listed above.
a.
- This inland biome is made of vast areas of grassy field.
- It is a place with a hot, dry climate that is perfect for growing food.
- Tree and shrub species usually shed their leaves during the dry season.
b.
- A cold, vast, treeless area of low, swampy plains in the far north around the Arctic Ocean.
- The earth's coldest biome.
- The soil here is permanently frozen, which makes it impossible for trees to grow.
- In this biome, the trees lose their leaves in fall.
- Oak, beech and ash trees are typical, and wildflowers, berries, and many types of insect and animal life.
- In Europe, most of this biome has been destroyed to make room for farms and homes.
- Found in a narrow zone on the west coasts of continents.
- Has a dry climate and precipitation falls mainly in winter.
- Vegetation that inhabits this biome has a number of adaptations to withstand drought and fire.
- This biome is found along the equator.
- It rains every day.
- The heat and moisture makes this biome the perfect environment for more than 15 million plants and animals.
- The lack of water and intense heat make this biome inhospitable to most life forms.
- This biome covers 1/5 of the earth's land surface.
- Most of the plants are cactus, yucca, aloe, or the tall saguaro cacti.
5. TROPICAL RAINFOREST CLIMATE
🡺 On a world map locate the three major areas of the tropical rainforest biome namely the Amazon, Congo and Indonesia.
🡺 Describe the main characteristics of the equatorial type of climate. 🡺 Know the daily pattern of the weather experienced in such areas. 🡺 Interpret a climate graph of this type of climate. LOCATION
TEMPERATURE
RAINFALL
DAILY PATTERN Days in the rainforest are very much like another. They receive 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness. Every day follows this pattern: 6 am
8 am
12 pm
3 pm
6 pm
10 pm
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Geo-check!
1. Highlight the correct word in the paragraph below.
2. Write, in bullet point and with diagrams the daily pattern of an equatorial climate, in a table to the right. 3. In a tropical rainforest, why is the temperature hot all through the year? 4. Why do some places near to the Equator have snow lying all year round? |
6. TROPICAL RAINFOREST VEGETATION
🡺 Describe the appearance of the layers of a tropical rainforest including the shrub layer, under canopy, main canopy and emergents.
🡺 Explore the particular adaptations and their reasons including straight tree trunks, large buttress roots, lianas, leaves with drip-tips and lack of undergrowth. WHAT DO PLANTS AND ANIMALS HAVE TO ADAPT TO? Constant high temperatures, heavy rainfall, high humidity and constant growing season. The forest floor has only 1% of the light, making it very dark and during the wetter month, some areas are flooded. VEGETATION LAYERS The vegetation in the rainforest grows in four distinct layers:
PLANT ADAPTATIONS
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Geo-check!
1. Label the levels of a rainforest. Give one adaptation that may be found in each level.
2. Answer the following questions. a. Why do trees grow so tall? b. Why are buttress roots needed? c. Why is there so little undergrowth? d. Why do plants grow so quickly? e. Why does dense undergrowth develop when a tree falls over? f. Why plants leaves rot so quickly? |
7. RAINFOREST WATER AND NUTRIENT CYCLE
🡺 Apply the nutrient cycle to the tropical rainforest.
🡺 Aware of the consequences of tree clearance to the nutrient cycle of the tropical rainforest. Rainforest ecosystems are characterised by heavy convectional rainfall, high humidity, lushness of vegetation and nutrient-rich but shallow soil. These factors give rise to a unique water and nutrient cycle. |
RAINFOREST WATER CYCLE
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RAINFOREST NUTRIENT CYCLE
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Geo-check!
1. Add the following phrases to the diagram here. Add five arrows to the cycle.
2. Answer the following questions. a. When do the rainforest trees shed their leaves? b. Why do leaves decay very quickly in the rainforest? c. What happens when the fallen leaves decay? d. Where do the rainforest trees get their nutrients from? e. What do you think will happen to the forest cycle in areas where deforestation occurs? Draw a diagram below. |
8. CASE STUDY: DEFORESTATION IN THE AMAZON RAINFOREST
🡺 Locate the Amazon Rainforest on a map of South America.
🡺 Define the term deforestation. 🡺 List the main reasons for deforestation within the Amazon Rainforest including shifting agriculture (slash and burn), subsistence farming, cattle ranching, hydro electric power schemes, mining, logging, new roads, and settlements. 🡺 Recognise the following effects of forest clearance in Brazil namely loss of species and forest ecosystem, reduction of Amerindians and loss of their traditional culture, less rainfall in the region, soil erosion, soil infertility and Global Warming.
WHY IS THE RAINFOREST BEING CLEARED? |
FARMING
Land is cleared for these types of farming: 1. Slash and burn
RESOURCES Main types of resources: 1. Timber
TRANSPORT
SETTLEMENT
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EFFECTS OF DEFORESTATION
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9. CASE STUDY: SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY.
🡺 Understand the term sustainable forestry.
🡺 Aware of how the forest can be managed to ensure sustainability by protection of forest, creation of national parks, controlled and selective logging, heli-logging, replanting of forested areas that have been felled and restriction of logging licences.
SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY Selective logging
Restricting machines
National parks
Heli-logging
Afforestation
Agro-forestry
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Geo-check!
1. Explain why logging can cause negative impacts to the environment. Some processes can be seen on the right.
2. Why is it beneficial, for the rainforest that: a. Trees are only felled when they reach a particular height? b. There are limits on the number of trees a company can cut down? c. There are restrictions on the size of the bulldozers? d. They should keep bulldozer tracks far away from each other? e. There are national parks? f. Companies plant new trees? g. Locals can grow trees and crops at the same time? |