Biomes and Rainforests

What this page covers

This unit sits in the strand Biomes, Habitats and Land, within Environmental science and ecology. Most of the resources focus on tropical rainforests, with others on global biomes, cold environments and fragile areas. Everything was made by GoConqr users, so styles differ from one resource to the next.

Where to start

Begin with the mind map Ch. 4 Global Climates and Biomes. It shows how climate shapes the plants of a region and how aquatic biomes are sorted by salinity, depth and water flow. Then move to Tropical Rainforests, which explains where rainforests are found, around the Equator between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn.

Next, try Types of Forest. It sets taiga, found in Canada, Scandinavia and Russia, beside tropical forest, so you can compare biomes side by side.

People and the rainforest

A large share of the page deals with human impact. Follow this order:

1. Read the mind map Deforestation for causes such as timber and cattle ranching, and effects such as flooding and global warming.
2. Look at Deforestation in Malaysia for a country example, including logging and mining.
3. Finish with Sustainable Management in Tropical Rainforests, which covers selective logging, where only some trees are felled.

Using maps and quizzes together

Read a map first, then close it and take a quiz from memory. The Amazon Rainforest quiz asks about the age of the forest, the number of countries it covers and the layers of a tropical rainforest. Any question you miss tells you which branch of a map to read again.

Flashcards help with fixed facts. The deck Rainforests lists main ecological features such as a warm, stable climate, plenty of light and heavy rainfall. Some resources name exams such as GCSE Geography, AP Environmental Science and A-level Biology, so look for the ones that match your course.

Make it your own

Once you have worked through a few resources, build a short map or flashcard set of your own for the case study you find hardest.