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Topic 4 - The worlds major tropical rainforests & coral reefs - Coggle…
Topic 4 - The worlds major tropical rainforests & coral reefs
Where are tropical rainforest located?
Tropical rainforests are found in a broad belt through the tropics.
This biome contains 50% of plant and animal species.
Characterised by high rainfall, over 2000mm per year, and high temperatures, 27°C, throughout the year.
Process in a tropical rainforest
Nutrients are stored in the biomass. few nutrients are stored in soil & litter cause of rapid uptake by plants & decomposition, fungi & bacteria, thrive in warm conditions.
Nutrient input, precipitation & weathering. Leaching - dissolving & carrying away of nutrients by rainwater - significant loss from system.
Nutrients are store in the biomass, soil, and litter.
Nutrients transferred between stores, natural processes, leaf fall & decomposition.
The warm and humid conditions promote natural processes such as plant and growth decay.
Rapid transfer of nutrients between stores. Cause of climate (wet, warm)
Key word
Litter - Total amount of organic matter, including decomposed material and leaf litter.
Where are coral reefs located?
Coral reefs need
Light - coral feed on algae, need light to photosynthesise. So need shallow water.
Clear water - sediment in water stops photosynthesis
Temperature - thrive in warm water, 23-25°C
Locations
Gulf of California.
Indian & Pacific Ocean - Red Sea, Persian Gulf & western coast of Panama.
Western Atlantic Ocean - Bermuda, Bahamas, Florida & Gulf of Mexico.
Great Barrier Reef - eastern coast of Australia.
Coral reefs are mostly found in the tropics, concentrated in Caribbean, Indian Ocean & Pacific Ocean. Particularly; South East Asia & Oceania.
Processes in a coral reef
Corals often exist in nutrient poor water so have to recycle to survive.
Zooxanthellae benefits from waste nutrients from coral.
Nitrogen is passed back and forth between coral and zooxanthellae.
Zooxanthellae live in the tissues of coral polyp, converting light from to sun to energy used by the coral.
Coral gets nutrients by feeding on zooplankton, bacteria & edible detritus from the ocean floor.
Fish excrete ammonia into the water, absorbed by corals & algae.
Key words
Nutrient cycling - set of processes where organisms extract minerals needed for growth from soil or water, before passing them through food chain, and back to soil and water.
Nitrogen is the most important nutrient in the coral ecosystem.
Zooplankton - survives by consuming phytoplankton, sea's primary producer that converts light from sun to energy.