Chap5&6 Revision

Select the characteristics of the EMERGENT LAYER. (Check all that apply)

• Contain the tallest trees in the tropical rainforest.

• Trees here can grow to over 30m tall.

• Tend to have very strong, buttress roots to provide them with strong support.

• Their crowns form a near continuous mass of leaves and branches.

Select the characteristics of the canopy layer. (Check all that apply)

• They are a thick, almost continuous crown consisting of leaves and branches.

• They grow to about 20-30m in height.

• Due to their density and thick crowns, they block out most sunlight from reaching the forest floor.

• They contain plants that use their roots to reach higher, more sunlight-rich areas in the rainforest.

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Select characteristics of the undergrowth layer. (Check all that apply)

• Has relatively sparse vegetation.

• Plants here are able to survive in muddy environments.

• This layer receives the least amount of sunlight.

• Plants here do not grow beyond 10m in height.

• Plants here are generally smaller.

Answer explanation

Create a table of comparison across the 3 layers.

What common criteria would you use?

Which is NOT a characteristic of mangroves?

• Have buttress roots that help anchor them to the soil

• Have a lower diversity of plants

• Have a horizontal zonation structure

• Grow on waterlogged, unstable soil

Answer explanation

What are buttress roots an adaptation of?

Which is NOT an example of a mangrove root?

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Answer explanation

Name the types of mangrove roots.

How do their roots like knee-bend and prop roots help mangroves adapt to their environment? (Check all that apply)

• They grow partially above the ground surface to take in oxygen directly from the air

• They support mangrove trees on unstable soil by providing a wider base

• They are able to prevent salt from being absorbed by the tree

• Their roots can be found around 5m above the ground to render support to the tree

How do mangroves help prevent coastal erosion? (Check all that apply)

• They reduce the energy of waves by creating friction.

• Their roots trap sediments and prevent them from being washed away.

• Their roots anchor and stabilise sediments along the coast.

• They slow down falling raindrops before they reach the ground.

Suggest and assess 1 strategy to sustainably manage tropical rainforests and mangroves. [5]

Answer explanation

- Reforestation

- Public Education

- Controlled Logging

- Protected Areas

Tropical rainforests are evergreen.

What does “evergreen” mean?

• They only have green coloured leaves.

• They stay forever green.

• They shed their leaves at particular times of the year.

• They do not shed all their leaves at particular times in a year.

Answer explanation

Tropical Rainforests do not shed their leaves at any particular point in a year. They continuously grow and replace older leaves with new ones.