Geoecology
From ZuluNotes - Free Leaving Cert Notes
This is a Geography article.
[edit] Sample question
Q: Examine the main characteristics of a biome you have studied. (80 Marks)
Climate and location: The cool temperate biome is located between 40 degrees and 60 degrees north and south of the equator. Examples of countries which experience this type of climate are Ireland and Canada. The climate is influenced by the distance from the sea, latitiude, altitude and ocean currents. The biome experiences mild winters with an average temperature of 6 degrees celcius. In the summer months, it experiences average temperatures of between 15 degrees celcius and 16 degrees celcius. Rainfall is abundant throughout the year, with a definate winter maximum. As the biome is located betweeh 40 degrees and 60 degrees north and south of the equator, it is the point at which the warm tropical winds meet the cool polar winds. The polar winds cause the tropical winds to rise, resulting in low pressure. As these tropical winds rise, they cool and condense to form rain clouds. The south-westerly prevailing winds move these areas of low pressure over land masses which result in rainfall. This is why total average precipitation reaches between 1500mm - 2500mm in exposed highlands.
Flora and Fauna: The vegetation of the cool temperate biome is made up of deciduous forests. These deciduous trees have broad leaves and tall crowns. At 40m, the tops of the oak trees are located. At 20m, ash and chesnut tree crowns are located. And at between 5m and 10m beech trees are located. They shed their leaves so as not to lose much water by transpiration at a time of lower temperatures (winter) when rates of photosynthesis are low. THe different heights of the tree crowns is known as stratification. The floor of the deciduous forests are covered with shrubs including ferns and brambles. Cool temperate biomes have a balanced food chain including herbivores (rabbits) and carnivores (foxes). These animals are able to use the natural habitat provided by the biome to survive.
Soils: The soil most predominant in the cool temperate biomes is brown earth. THese soils are nutrituous and go through a cycle each year to stablise its nutritous content. As trees try to save their energy, they shed their leaves in autumn. They absorb huges amounts of of minerals from the soil during spring and summer months. This energy and minerals are needed to aid germination of the leaves. When the leaves are shed, they fall to the ground, with the minerals from these leaves released and become part of the soil. Insects, such as earthworms, help to break down the material and also airate the soil. This makes it easier for the soil to breathe and for its organisms to break down the leaves. Brown earth soils have a crumb structure which prevents a lot of leaching thus leading to unclear horizons. These soils are very fertile and suitable for agriculture if fertilisers and crop rotation is used, to maintain its nutrients.
Forest Clearance and Replacement: In 1921, only 1% of the land was afforested in Ireland, due to exploitation of trees for construction. Oak trees were cut down for timber construction and smelting or for charcoal. However in 1922, more trees were planted that were fast-growing under a national planting scheme.However the forest indusrty in Ireland is now increasing due to state-run, semi-state and privately run companies such as Coillte. These companies have planted the bulk of coniferous trees found in Ireland today. The amount of land afforested today in 2009 is at 9%. Ticknock in Co. Dublin is an example of an area that has undegone deforestation. Deforestation can lead to the loss of local amenities such as forests and nature walks. In the case of Ticknock, forest trails are being lost, resulting in a decline in the number of people visiting the area for walks.
This is a question I have prepaired. It is marked out of 20 for each section. (4 for naming, 6 s.r.p.'s @ 2marks each and O.C. 4 marks)
For the first 3 parts I got 20/20 For the last part I got 12/20 (missing 3 S.R.P.'s) Please feel free to edit the last part to bring it up to full marks...
Edited by Jess
