Knowledge Organiser. World Studies. Geography Biomes and Ecosystems

Transcription

1 Knowledge Organiser World Studies Geography Biomes and Ecosystems

2 Enquiry Question: What are global biomes and what are their unique characteristics? Big questions that will help you answer this enquiry question: 1. What are biomes? 2. Where are biomes located? 3. What are the abiotic factors that dictate why a biome exists in an area? 4. What are the characteristics of the flora and fauna that exist in a desert biome? 5. What conditions do the flora and fauna have to adapt to in order to survive in a desert biome? 6. What are the characteristics of the flora and fauna that exist in the TRF biome? 7. What adaptations do the flora and fauna of the TRF display and why? 8. What are the characteristics of cold and wet biomes? 9. What are the characteristics of the tundra biome? 10. How have humans adapted to exist within the Tundra biome? 11. What are the distinguishing features of deciduous woodland biomes? 12. What is the carbon cycle and how do humans impact it? 13. What are food webs and what are the links between organisms in the TRF food web? 14. What is the nutrient cycle and how does it vary between ecosystems?

3 Glossary What are global biomes and what are their unique characteristics? Ecosystems: A community of plants and animals and their non-living environment Distribution: Where something is located Biosphere: the part of the Earth and its atmosphere in which living organisms exist Deciduous: Broad-leaved trees, such as oak and ash, which lose their leaves in the autumn and regrow them in spring Abiotic factors: The physical non-living environment, such as water, wind and oxygen Biotic factors: The living organisms found in an environment Organic material: something that was once living Biodiversity: the number of species present in an area Food chain: A series of steps by which energy is obtained and used by living organisms Food web: a network of food chains by which energy and nutrients are passed from one species to another Nutrient cycle: the movement and exchange of organic and inorganic material into living matter Broad leaved trees: deciduous trees which lose their leaves in winter such as Oak and Elm Permafrost: ground that has remained frozen at or below 0 C for at least two years (usually between 25 and 100cm down) Talik: unfrozen ground found below or within the permafrost Tundra: from the Finnish tunturia, which means barren or treeless land. Trees do not grow in the tundra because the ground is permanently frozen cm down. Carbon cycle: The element carbon is the present in all living organisms. It's recycled through various processes, which are described in the carbon cycle.

4 Key concepts on biomes and ecosystems The global distribution of biomes is determined to a great extent by climate The world is divided up into major ecosystems. These large-scale ecosystems are called biomes. There is an interdependence in all biomes between biotic and abiotic characteristics and the nutrient cycle Desert animals and plants have to adapt to extreme climate including low rainfall, high temperatures and an arid environment Desert plants and animals have distinct adaptations to help them survive the harsh environment Tropical rainforests have a range of distinguishing features which depend on abiotic and biotic features Tropical rainforests have a very high biodiversity There are distinct layers of vegetation in tropical rainforests The nutrient cycle in the rainforest is distinctly different to that of a deciduous woodland Rainforest are under threat from global climate change and population growth The tundra is a harsh environment where tress do not grow due to the ground being permanently frozen (permafrost) There are three distinctive layers to the ground of the tundra, the active layer, permafrost and talik Animals hibernate through the harsh winter months Humans (The Nenet) have learned to exist within the tundra and have adapted their lives to cope with the harsh environment The carbon cycle is a natural process which is affected by human actions A foodweb is a network of food chains where nutrients are recycled within the system

5 Exam questions and answers

6 Homework 1 Instructions: You are to revise for a knowledge quiz on keywords and locations of biomes and their characteristics Revise the following: 1. The location of biomes globally 2. The different characteristics of biomes both biotic and abiotic 3. Keywords and their spelling and definitions from the keywords list You could revise by re-writing your notes, saying your notes aloud, creating a mind-map on the key topics we have studied so far Homework 2 Answer the following question on biomes: 4 mark exam question Explain two ways in which animals and plants have adapted to live in a desert ecosystem Design your own animal that could survive in the hostile desert environment. It will need some special adaptations. Complete some research on desert animals and plants to help you Describe at least 5 adaptations and explain why these adaptations would be useful in a desert environment.

7 Homework 3 Construct the climate graphs with the information you have been given. Answer the following questions regarding your climate graphs Birmingham UK Homework 4 Instructions: You are to revise for an end of topic test on ecosystems Revise the following: 1. How to construct a climate graph 2. The global distribution of biomes 3. How plants and animals adapt to live in biomes 4. The difference between nutrient cycles in the TRF and deciduous woodlands 5. Features of food webs You could revise by re-writing your notes, saying your notes aloud, creating a mind-map on the key topics we have studied so far You will be provided with a revision sheet by you teacher

8 Enquiry question Wider Reading List Edexcel GCSE Tomorrow s Geography Fifth Edition Pages What are global biomes and what are their unique characteris- tropical_rainforests_rev2.shtml 20of%20carbon%20cycle-human%20activity-climate%20-%20Research% 20Portfolio.COSUST.pdf environment/evolutionrev2.shtml temperate_deciduous_woodland.html