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Ecosystems - Coggle Diagram

- - - - tropical grassland (savanna)
        
        hot, year round climate
        
        6 month wet season (1,200mm)
        
        October is the beginning of the dry season (storms)
        
        fires in January
      - temperate grassland
        
        huge expanses of land made up of different grasslands
        
        storms and fires caused by lightning
        
        strong winds
        
        thin soil, low rainfall
        
        short grasses, dormant during winters
        
        cold, windy winters
      - boreal forest (tagia/coniferous forest)
        
        60 degrees N equator
        
        mild, short warm summers
        
        cold winters
        
        temperate climate
        
        coniferous trees - evergreen
        
        acidic soil
      - desert
        
        less than 250mm rainfall
        
        40-50 degrees daytime, 0 degrees night time
        
        on almost all continents
        -1/5 of worlds land area
        
        1/6 of worlds' population (1.2 bn)
        
        Arctic/Antarctic are cold deserts
      - temperate forest (deciduous forest)
        
        40-60 degrees N/S of equator (mainly northern hemisphere)
        
        temperate maritime - mild, wet
        
        made up of layers
        
        lots of wildlife
      - tundra
        
        arctic tundra encircles arctic circle
        
        very cold, below -30 degrees
        
        in summer 3-12 degrees
        
        150-250mm rainfall
        
        permanently frozen
        
        not many people
      - tropical rainforest
        
        around equator/tropics
        
        humid
        
        no winter/summer - no seasons
        
        4 layers (ground, shrub, under canopy, canopy)
        
        most biodiverse biome
        
        dense vegetation
  - - - altitude
        
        temperatures are lower in areas of high altitude
        
        higher up the atmosphere is thinner, there are fewer air particles so the atmosphere is less able to retain heat
        
        creates a harsher environment for plants and animals which they have to adapt to so they are more specialized
        
        steep relief also means thinner soil which is harsher for vegetation
        
        altitude does have a large impact, but it only affects extremes in certain areas so it does not have a huge global impact
      - climate + latitude
        
        temperature decreases with latitude - a the equator the sun is directly overhead and the equator is closer to the sun so receives a higher concentration of sunlight
        
        because the equator is hot and hot air rises, the equator has low pressure. as the air rises, it cools and condenses, forming clouds which leads to precipitation
        
        the cooled air falls over the tropics, which creates high pressure zones as the air descends, there are clear skies as no clouds can form (high = dry)
        
        the earth's tilt also creates seasons (equator has no seasons)
        
        climate most important factor as the characteristics of an environment and the adaptations that follow are all determined by the overall climate of a place (latitude influences climate)
      - soils
        
        nutrient rich, fertile soils can support widespread biodiversity
        
        areas with high rainfall support fertile soils leading to biodiversity and rich ecosystems
        
        thinner and drier soils can lead to desert landscapes and less biodiversity
        
        this is a supporting but local factor, so influences locally but not globally (also rainfall is influenced by climate)
- - - - heathland
        
        distribution
        
        much of lowland UK has heaths e.g. Cornwall, Devon and Dorset, at Cannock chase in Staffordshire and the Gower Peninsula in Wales
        
        characteristics
        
        heathlands have dry, sandy soils which can have depressions that are peaty and boggy. the sandy soil is free draining, acidic and has few plant nutrients. in the past heathlands were used for sheep grazing and for building materials
        
        plants: contain small shrubs such as heather and gorse, but trees such as silver birch will grow if not controlled
        
        animals: rabbits and hares; they are particularly important for reptiles
        
        birds: nightjar and skylar
      - woodland
        
        distribution
        
        the UK has many different types of woodland. in England, Wales and N Ireland, native trees are broad-leaved, deciduous trees such as oak and ash. in Scotland the native tree is the Scots pine (coniferous - evergreen), although broad-leaved trees are also found in lowland areas
        there are plantations of non-native conifers in many upland areas, such as the valleys of southern Wales and the Lake District
        12% of UK land area is woodland
        
        characteristics
        
        trees are the dominant plant
        
        broad leaved trees tend to be deciduous (lose leaves in autumn and regrow them each soring) this leaf fall provides rich humus for the wood
        
        coniferous woods are made up of conifers (evergreens) which have needle-like leaves. they shed and replace their leaves throughout the year. their seeds are protected by cones
        
        plants: in addition to trees, mosses and lichens grow under the canopy, as well as plants such as bluebells and ferns
        
        animals: roe deer and badger
        
        birds: sparrow hawk and tawny owl
      - moorland
        
        distribution
        
        found in highland areas with heavy rainfall e.g. the Cairngorms in Scotland, North Yorkshire, the Pennines, Dartmoor, Exmoor and mid Wales
        
        characteristics
        
        moorlands have been created by people. the hills used to be covered in trees and shrubs but the moorland ecosystem has developed through grazing the land with sheep and managing it for grouse shooting. in many areas the moors are burnt to control the growth of plants
        
        plants: soils are acidic and peaty so only certain plants can survive such as bell heather and bracken
        
        animals: red deer and foxes
        
        birds: buzzards and grouse
      - wetland
        
        distribution
        
        wetlands in the UK range from ponds and streams to rivers like the Severn and areas such as the Somerset Levels, the East Anglian Fens and the Norfolk Broads. They are also found in central and northeast Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
        
        characteristics
        
        lowland fens have peaty, fertile soils that are periodically waterlogged. they support lush vegetation. much of the land has been drained to use as farmland
        
        plants: reeds and bulrush grow along the sides of the streams
        
        animals: otters
        
        birds: mallard and teal
  - - - importance
        
        the UK's marine ecosystems are of great economic, environmental and social value
        
        marine ecosystems around the UK together make up 3 and a half times its land area
        
        inshore habitats - close to the shore and the coastal margins; important for recreation + tourists
        
        offshore ecosystems - found away from the shoreline; important for commercial fishing + energy production and also have a vital role in buffering the impacts of global warming
        
        rich in resources - estimated to be worth £46bn in 2005
        
        absorb vast amounts of greenhouse gases while releasing oxygen, they moderate our climate - making it warmer in the winter than the UK would otherwise be given its latitude, and cooler in the summer
        
        provide benefits/goods/services:
        
        tourism - 250mil visit coasts, supporting 200,000 jobs + bringing about £3bn to the economy
        
        fishing - UK fishing fleet is 7th largest in EU - 12,000 work on fleet and 14,000 more work in fish processing
        
        energy: oil - UK has oil reserves of 24bn barrels in the North Sea, enough for another 30 years of production, industry employs 450,000 people
        
        energy: offshore wind farms - the London Array in the Thames Estuary (20km from Kent cost) is the world's biggest wind farm with 175 turbines
        
        sand and gravel - for the construction of roads + buildings
        
        ports - 90% of our imports + exports travel through
        
        sport and recreation - recreation employs nearly 115,000 people
      - how human activities are degrading them
        
        overfishing - the problem of overfishing has been recognised for many years and laws have been introduced to address it. although the UK has many thousands of small boats in its fishing fleet, half of the UK catch each year is made just by 4% of the flee which is made up of very large vessels that are extremely efficient at catching fish.
        
        the extraction of oil and natural gas has had an impact on marine ecosystems in the North Sea. The expansion into renewables - mainly wind farms but also wave farms and tidal turbines - mean constructions which will also have a huge effect on marine ecosystems as there are more of them and their construction requires interference with the sea bed. large windfarms also interferes with bird migration routes and the noise they make may disturb animals that rely on sound e.g. dolphins
        
        the construction industry is increasingly looking into the sea, rather than quarries on land, to provide sand and gravel - disrupting ecosystems
        
        marine leisure and growth of marina facilities for a growing population in the UK/economic development of the UK often removes coastal ecosystems such as salt marsh
        
        eutrophication - when fertilisers from farmland wash into the sea and also when the sea is used to break down and detoxify sewage
- - - - how it provides resources
        
        food
        
        natural vegetation can be replaced with crops like wheat and rice
        
        sustainable harvesting of fruits, berries and nuts
        
        fish and meat are part of the biosphere
        
        fuel resources
        
        animal dung is dried and burnt as fuel
        
        wood from trees and shrubs
        
        biofuels convert plant products to fuel through a range of different processes. one example is bioethanol, made by fermenting crops like sugarcane
        
        medicine
        
        the periwinkle plant is used to treat leukaemia and Hodgkin's disease
        
        the aloe plant has soothing properties and aloe vera is used in many cosmetics
        
        poppies are the source of the painkiller morphine
        
        building materials
        
        straw, the dry roots of cereal plants is used for roofing and insulation
        
        animal dung can be mixed with clay and straw to make bricks
        
        timber, essential for construction, comes form trees
      - how it is exploited
        
        demand for water means that other parts of the biosphere are deprived of water. the amount of water in the world is finite and human's use of it is interfering with the water cycle e.g. Hamoun wetlands in Iran - drought, rapid population growth, dam building in Afghanistan and wasteful irrigation practices have caused the wetlands to dry up
        
        biofuels are a valuable alternative to fossil fuels because they provide renewable energy, however, commercial production of biofuels means that huge areas of land are devoted to biofuel crops instead of food crops. forest land has also been cleared for biofuel crops. this takes makes vital resources from the biosphere (food, fuel) more expensive for local people and impacts biodiversity e.g. a sharp decline in the number of orangutans in Malaysia and Indonesia has been linked to the increasing number of plantations producing biofuel
        
        minerals have been extracted and used by humans for 1000s of years, the exploitation of minerals means that certain minerals may be soon in short supply. while not a part of the biosphere, the increasing demands for minerals has major impacts on the biosphere e.g. mountain-to removal mining where mountain tops are removed to allow easier access to coal seams