IB Core Unit 3 Environmental Quality

and Sustainability

Biodiversity
Biosphere
Ecosystem
Biome
Ecological niche
Find out pages143-146

What is biodiversity and how can it be

measured?
Why is the biodiversity of tropical rainforests
so important?
Why is biodiversity reduction occurring in
tropical rainforests?
What are the environmental consequences of
deforestation in tropical rainforests?
How can tropical rainforests be managed
sustainably?

Explain the concept and importance of

biodiversity in tropical rainforests.

Examine the causes and consequences of

reduced biodiversity in this biome.

The degree of

variation of life

forms

within a given ecosystem, biome, or an

entire planet.
Biodiversity is one measure of the health of
ecosystems.
Life on Earth today consists of many millions of distinct
biological species.
The United Nations declared the year 2010 as the
International Year of Biodiversity.

New Snub-Nosed Monkey

Discovered, Eaten

Myanmar species sneezes

uncontrollably when it rains, experts
say.

That part of the earth where all life exists.

An interdependent community of plants and

animals together with the habitat to which

they have adapted.
Plants and animals (organic or biotic

components) + air, rock, water and soil

(inorganic or abiotic components).

Biomes

A distinct ecological community of plants and animals living

together in a particular climate is called a "biome (the
largest ecosystem).

One particular type of organism.

Homo sapiens

All the members of a species living in a

particular area at the same time.

All of the different populations of organisms

which live together for example the
grasses, trees, insects, deer and birds which
live in a part of a wood.

The place where a particular organism or

population lives.

This refers to an animals role in a habitat what it

feeds on and when, where it finds shelter, etc.

The factor linking the different parts of an

ecosystem is the flow of nutrients and energy.

suns energy +

= carbohydrates

 Not

all of the plant is eaten

to digest or break down all of the material
consumed
Running
Respiration
Growing
Unable

pyramid of energy

It takes a large number

of primary producers to
support a smaller
number of primary
consumers, which in turn
provide food for an even
smaller number of
carnivores.

Read pages 143-146

Draw and explain figures 3.69 and 3.70.

The rainforests are home to more worldwide

species or populations than all other biomes

added together.
80% of the world biodiversity are found in

tropical rainforests

Tropical rainforests are located in a band around the equator,

mostly in the area between the Tropic of Cancer (23.5 N latitude)
and the Tropic of Capricorn (23.5 S latitude). This 4800 km wide
band is called the tropics. Tropical rainforests are found in South
America, West Africa, Australia, southern India, and Southeast Asia.

One of the major characteristics of tropical

forests is their distinct seasonality: winter

is absent, and only two seasons are
present (rainy and dry).

The length of daylight is 12 hours and

varies little.

Temperature is on average 20-25 C and varies little

throughout the year: the average temperatures of
the three warmest and three coldest months do not
differ by more than 5 degrees.
Precipitation is evenly distributed throughout the
year, with annual rainfall exceeding 2000 mm.
Soil is nutrient-poor and acidic.
Decomposition is rapid and soils are subject to
heavy leaching.
Canopy in tropical forests is multilayered and
continuous, allowing little light penetration.

 Flora is highly diverse: one square kilometer may

contain as many as 100 different tree species.

Trees are 25-35 m tall, with buttressed trunks and

shallow roots, mostly evergreen, with large dark

green leaves.

Plants such as orchids, bromeliads, vines (lianas),

ferns, mosses, and palms are present in tropical

forests.

Fauna include numerous birds, bats, small

mammals, and insects.

Shifting Cultivation

 evergreen rainforest: no dry season.

seasonal rainforest: short dry period in a very wet tropical region (the forest

exhibits definite seasonal changes as trees undergo developmental changes

simultaneously, but the general character of vegetation remains the same as in
evergreen rainforests).

semievergreen forest: longer dry season (the upper tree story consists of

deciduous trees, while the lower story is still evergreen).

moist/dry deciduous forest (monsoon): the length of the dry season increases

further as rainfall decreases (all trees are deciduous).

You will be in one of the following groups:

Native Amerindian Tribe
Large Commercial Cattle Ranchers
South America Tourism Group
Environmentalists

In your groups you will put forward your opinion

on the destruction of the rainforest and why
this proposal should/ should not happen.
Consider the following points:
How has destruction affected your life?
If you are responsible for some of the
destruction, why are you doing it?
What are the general impacts of this?
You will act out your roles, so ensure you have
planned what you are going to say. Everyone
should make a contribution.

Extremely rapid rates of nutrient transfer, due to high

temps, rainfall and humidity. Biomass is the largest store of
nutrients due to the vast arrays of plants found in the TRF.
Few nutrients are in the litter, due to their rapid
decomposition as a result of high temperatures. Leaching is
rapid and more so in areas of rainforest clearance.

Slash and Burn Most clearances are still by the local people and tribes needing land on which to grow crops. They
clear the forest by slash and burn. Vegetation is cut down and then burned. The ash acts like a fertiliser adder
nutrients to the soil. When the soil begins to turn infertile (usually after 3-5 years) the people move on. This is called
shifting cultivation. It is a sustainable method of farming in the rainforest. It ensures the forest will recover.
Road BuildingTransamazon. To get to oil. To get to mahogany trees etc. (and settlers move in).
Logging Commercial logging is the major cause of primary rainforest destruction in South East Asia and Africa.
World wide, it is responsible for the destruction of 5 million ha. per year. Logging roads enable landless people to
enter the forest. In Africa, 75% of land being cleared by peasant farmers is land that has been previously logged.
Cattle Ranching Ranching is a major cause of deforestation, particularly in Central and South America. In Central
America, two-thirds of lowland tropical forests have been turned into pasture since 1950.
Hydroelectric Power An unlimited supply of water and ideal river conditions have led to the development of hydro
electric power stations (HEP Stations).
Farming There are nearly 3 million landless people in Brazil alone. The government has cleared large areas of the
Amazon Rainforest and encouraged people to move there. The scheme has not been successful. Farmers stay on the
same land and attempt to farm the land year after year. Nutrients in the soil are quickly exhausted as there is no
longer a humus layer to provide nutrients. The soil becomes infertile and nothing will grow.
Mining The mining of iron ore, bauxite , gold, oil and other minerals have benefited many LEDCs. However, it has
also devastated large areas of rainforest e.g. The Amazon.
Soya bean production
Chicken McNuggets

Deforestation is causing many problems at a range

of scales:
Local:
Ecosystem About 80% of the rainforests nutrients comes from trees and plants. That leaves 20% of
the nutrients in the soil. The nutrients from the leaves that fall are instantly recycled back up into
the plants and trees. When a rainforest is clear-cut, conditions change very quickly. The soil dries
up in the sun. When it rains, it washes the soil away. The rainforest never fully recovers. Wildlife
and plant life is reduced. Elimination of Indian groups and their way of life. Estimates suggest that
80% of forest Indians have died since the arrival of Europeans in the sixteenth century. Most have
died from western diseases such as malaria to which they have no immunity. Those remaining have
been forced away by the construction of roads, ranches, mines and reservoirs. Soil Erosion. When
vegetation is removed soil is left exposed to the heavy equatorial rainfall. It is rapidly eroded. The
removal of top soil means little vegetation will grow. Also, soil erosion leads to flooding as soil is
deposited on river beds.
National:
Deforestation can consume a country's only natural resource. If deforestation is not managed in a
sustainable manner a country's only natural resource could be lost forever.
Global:
Global WarmingRainforest canopies absorb carbon dioxide. When the rainforests are burned and
cleared, the carbon is released. Also, when trees are cut down they can no longer absorb carbon
dioxide. This means more carbon dioxide is in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide allows heat through
the atmosphere (suns rays). However, it will not allow as much reflected energy to escape from the
atmosphere. This is called the greenhouse effect and causes global warming.

(in addition to the reasons previously stated)

(Utility means use, and this justification of conservation usually

refers to the economic benefit of conserving plants, animals and their
habitats).

Food
plantations
regions that
were
formerly
forest.by
The forest in
regularly
saves
our
global primary
food supply

offering

new,
disease-resistant crops. Although we have sampled only a
tiny fraction
of the potential foods that tropical forests offer, they
already have
profound influence on our diet. An astounding number (250)
of fruits
(bananas,
citrus),and
vegetables
(peppers,
nuts
In the mid-1980s
90s, 40 million
tons ofokra),
bananas
were
consumed
worldwide each year, along with 13 million tons of
(cashews,
peanuts),
Indrinks
the mid-1980s
andcola),
90s, 40
of bananas
mangos.
(coffee, tea,
oilsmillion
(palm,tons
coconut),
flavorings
were consumed worldwide each year, along with 13
(cocoa,
million
tons of mangos.
spices)
other
foods
(beans,
grains,
vanilla,
Central sugar,
American
coffeeand
exports
were
worth
US$3 billion
in fish)
1970.
originated in
Central
American
coffee exports
were
US$3
billion
and around
the rainforest
and are
stillworth
mostly
grown
on
in 1970. in
plantations
regions that were formerly primary forest.

 Tropical rainforests are called "the world's largest pharmacy

because of the large amount of natural medicines discovered in

rainforests that are derived from rainforest plants.

For example, rain forests contain the basic ingredients of

hormonal contraception methods, cocaine, stimulants, and

tranquilizing drugs.

Curare (a paralyzing drug) and quinine (a malaria cure) are also

found there.

Many of the Western medicines that we use today are derived

from plants, and many more may have pharmaceutical

properties. Tropical forests have given us chemicals to treat or
cure inflammation, rheumatism, diabetes, muscle tension,
surgical complications, malaria, heart conditions, skin diseases,
arthritis, glaucoma and hundreds of other maladies.

Much of the genetic variation used in evading

the damage caused by new pests is still

derived from resistant wild stock.
The forest regularly saves our global food

supply by offering new, disease-resistant

crops.

Tropical forests yield some of the most beautiful and valuable

woods in the world, such as teak, mahogany, rosewood, balsa,
sandalwood and countless lesser-known species. These woods
surround us at home, in shopping malls and in offices. Many are
vital to our industries.
But only recently has the industrialized world realized the limits to
timber extraction.
A healthy forest can provide a lot more than wood. Tropical forest
fibers are found in rugs, mattresses, ropes and strings, fabrics,
industrial processes and more.
Tropical forest oils, gums and resins are used in insecticides,
rubber products, fuel, paint, varnish and wood finishing products.
And tropical oils are key ingredients in cosmetics, soaps,
shampoos, perfumes, disinfectants and detergents.

Everything has a right to live.

Tourism (recreation)