Living World

Living World

• Physical Geography, includes the case studies:
• Epping Forest (sustainable management)

food chains and webs

• Food Chains: a simple series of producers and consumers. it shows one path of energy transfer between them. Food Webs: a complex series of many food chains that overlap each other. they show the energy transfer between many consumers, producers and decomposers.
• How a food chain shows different parts of an ecosystem: Ecosystems work as there is a flow of energy through them. sunlight is the main source of energy for the producer, which are eaten by the primary consumer. the energy is passed of or transferred. when they die, their energy is transferred to a decomposer (bacteria).

The Nutrient Cycle

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• Legenda: The Nutrient cycle
• The Nutrient Cycle: the recycling of nutrients between living/dead organisms and the environment.
• When dead material is decomposed, nutrients are released into the soil. the nutrients are then taken up from the soil by plants (nutrients makes the soil fertile, which encourages plant growth). the plants are then eaten by the primary consumer. when the plants are consumer die, the nutrients are transferred back into the soil and the cycle continues.

World Ecosystems

• Tropical Rain Forests: Hot, wet climates, they surround the Equator. They can be found in continents such as South America and in hot, humid countries like Brazil. the Amazon Rainforest is a Tropical Rainforest.
• Hot Deserts: Hot, Dry climates, very little rainfall, they can be found between 15 and 30 degrees north and south of the Equator. They can be found in continents such as Africa and Australia. The Sahara Desert is a hot desert.
• Temperate Deciduous Forests: Mild, wet climates, they can be found between 40 and 60 degrees of the Equator in places where there are 4 distinct seasons. They can be found in continents such as Europe and in countries such as England. An example of a Temperate Deciduous Forest would be Epping Forest in the UK.
• The soil is a red-brown colour and is very fertile. The minerals and nutrients are slowly washed (leached) throughout the soil.

Deciduous Forests.

• Facts: They are located in large areas of Europe and eastern parts of the USA
• They have broad leaf trees that drop their leaves in the winter. Rainfall all year.
• They have 4 seasons: Spring, summer, autumn and winter.
• The structure has 3 layers; The top layer ( trees like oak will grow to 30ft) The middle layer or shrub layer ( smaller trees and shrubs, will grow to 20m) The undergrowth or the ground level (mosses and small flowers will grow here)
• Plant Adaptations:
• So they don't lose moisture in the winter. tress drop their leaves. This also makes the soil fertile for the summer.
• Bluebells and other small plants bloom in the spring, before the top layer (or canopy) gets too thick and blocks out the sunlight.
• Plants have long roots that can reach the different layers of soil. This means that they can reach the water and minerals.
• Canopy layer is thick keeping the forest wet and encouraging growth.

Epping Forest Case Study

• Epping Forest is used for many things, such as hiking, cycling and leisure activities. Since 1878, the City Of London has been in charge of the conservation of it.
• Protection: More than 2/3 of the forest has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Special Conservation Area (SCA). This means that the plants and wildlife are protected and the EU conserves them.
• Conservation: Grazing - less cows are grazed there to stop pollution.
• Pollarding - only the top branches are cut off, leaving the trees intact to continue growing.
• Controlled felling - rather than clearing a whole forest, only certain parts of it are cleared.
• Replanting - every time a tree is cut down, another one takes its place.

Tropical Rainforests

• Facts: They are located surrounding the Equator, in South America and Indonesia.
• No definite seasons, hot, wet and humid all year long.
• The structure has 3 layers and a shrub layer; Emergent trees poke through the canopy. they only have branches at the top. Canopy made up of flat crown trees, very thick. and lets little sunlight through Under canopy where the trees are much smaller. Shrub layer is mostly made up of moss, decaying matter and roots.
• Plant adaptations: