The Living World – Self testing revision
1. What is an ecosystem?
2. Define these ecosystem key words:
a. Producer
b. Consumer
c. Decomposer
d. Food chain
e. Nutrient cycling
3. Draw a food web for a pond to show the interrelationships of a small ecosystem in the UK.
Identify the Producers, Consumers and Decomposers in the food web
4. How can change affect an ecosystem? E.g. What would happen if extra predatory fish, like
Perch were added to a pond ecosystem?
5. Describe the distribution of major global ecosystems (biomes) – you might want to do
question 5 & 6 together
a. Polar
b. Tundra
c. Hot Deserts
d. Tropical Rainforests
6. What are the characteristics of these major global ecosystems?
Tropical Rainforests
7. Explain why TRFs are found between 0ᵒ-15ᵒN&S of the Equator
8. Describe the climate of the tropical rainforest (temperature and rainfall amounts)
9. Name the 5 layers that make up the structure of the rainforest
10. What are the soils like in the rainforest? Why?
11. Explain how plants have evolved and adapted to live in the rainforest
a. Buttress roots
b. Leaves with drip tips and waxy coats
c. Epiphytes
d. Lianas
e. Emergents
f. Fan palms and ferns with large, dark green leaves in the shrub layer
12. Explain how one or two animals have evolved and adapted to live in the rainforest e.g.
Green Tree Frog, Sloth
13. Give 3 reasons why tropical rainforests are important ecosystems
14. Give 3 reasons for deforestation in Malaysia (be specific)
15. What are the a) economic, and b) the environmental impacts of deforestation in Malaysia?
16. What is happening to the rate of rainforest deforestation around the world? Why?
17. Describe how management of rainforests mean that they are used in a sustainable way.
a. Selective logging
b. Ecotourism
18. Why might debt reductions for some rainforest countries mean less deforestation?
19. What international agreements exist on rainforest management? How do they help reduce
rates of deforestation?
1. What is an ecosystem?
2. Define these ecosystem key words:
a. Producer
b. Consumer
c. Decomposer
d. Food chain
e. Nutrient cycling
3. Draw a food web for a pond to show the interrelationships of a small ecosystem in the UK.
Identify the Producers, Consumers and Decomposers in the food web
4. How can change affect an ecosystem? E.g. What would happen if extra predatory fish, like
Perch were added to a pond ecosystem?
5. Describe the distribution of major global ecosystems (biomes) – you might want to do
question 5 & 6 together
a. Polar
b. Tundra
c. Hot Deserts
d. Tropical Rainforests
6. What are the characteristics of these major global ecosystems?
Tropical Rainforests
7. Explain why TRFs are found between 0ᵒ-15ᵒN&S of the Equator
8. Describe the climate of the tropical rainforest (temperature and rainfall amounts)
9. Name the 5 layers that make up the structure of the rainforest
10. What are the soils like in the rainforest? Why?
11. Explain how plants have evolved and adapted to live in the rainforest
a. Buttress roots
b. Leaves with drip tips and waxy coats
c. Epiphytes
d. Lianas
e. Emergents
f. Fan palms and ferns with large, dark green leaves in the shrub layer
12. Explain how one or two animals have evolved and adapted to live in the rainforest e.g.
Green Tree Frog, Sloth
13. Give 3 reasons why tropical rainforests are important ecosystems
14. Give 3 reasons for deforestation in Malaysia (be specific)
15. What are the a) economic, and b) the environmental impacts of deforestation in Malaysia?
16. What is happening to the rate of rainforest deforestation around the world? Why?
17. Describe how management of rainforests mean that they are used in a sustainable way.
a. Selective logging
b. Ecotourism
18. Why might debt reductions for some rainforest countries mean less deforestation?
19. What international agreements exist on rainforest management? How do they help reduce
rates of deforestation?
