1. How does an ecosystem work?
What is an ecosystem?
It is a unit which is made up of two parts: living things (plants, animals, bacteria) and their non- living surroundings or environments (air, water, solar energy, rocks and soil).
They are all affected by the
Climate and energy from the sun.
How Big are they?
It varies in size, from extensive areas of rainforest or grassland, to smaller areas of woodland and wetland, down to under a stone or within a droplet of water.
A large ecosystem is called a
Biome
How does an ecosystem work?
Ecosystems
1. The plants absorb & trap the sun’s energy in chlorophyll
2. Plants produce their own food from these nutrients – they are called producers
3. Animals feed by consuming plants – these are primary consumers
4. People eat animals – we are secondary consumers
Living and Non-living Environment (Biotic & Abiotic)
(Sunlight, Soils, Rocks Oxygen, CO2, Water, Nutrients) Abiotic
Producers (plants) Biotic
Consumers (herbivores) Biotic
Consumers (carnivores) Biotic
Decomposers (bacteria) Biotic
Energy Flows
An ecosystem depends on the flow of energy and the recycling of nutrients. The source of energy is sunlight. Plants convert this energy by photosynthesis. Herbivores consume plants, Carniviores consume Herbivores and Bacteria breaks down dead matter.

2. What is Convectional Rainfall? The Climate of the Rainforest

3. Broken Nutrient Cycle

4. Ecosystem: Tropical Rainforest - Amazon Impacts of human activity
Location: The Amazon Rainforest covers an area 5,500,000 km2 . It covers parts of Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana. It is on the continent of South America and is above the equator. It is the largest rainforest in the world and represents over half the worlds remaining rainforests.
Deforestation
Changes in Biodiversity - Removal of the forest causes the loss of plant species. Animals are forced out as their food supply and habitat are destroyed. Many rainforest species have become extinct and others threatened.
Changes in Hydrology - Without the trees the water cycle is disrupted. Interception and transpiration are both reduced and surface runoff increases. Water and silt pour into the rivers, making them flood.
Changes in Soils - Without trees to protect it, the soil is easily eroded. Torrential rain removes nutrients via surface runoff and leaching with the soil becoming infertile. Surface runoff on steep slopes can cause gullying and mudslides.
Changes in Climate - Transpiration is reduced and evaporation increases. This leads to a drier climate. Deforestation contributes to global warming because trees use up carbon dioxide during photosynthesis. As a result sea levels will rise and the world's climates could be affected.
Agriculture – Vast areas of land have been cleared and used for planting crops and for cattle ranches. The soil quickly loses nutrients and soil erosion increases.
Pollution
Oil spills from oil exploration reach rivers and pollute wildlife. This means that local people cannot eat the fish in the river and fish populations decline.
Benefits of the Amazon Rainforest to people
Many of the benefits of the rainforest are damaging to the environment. For example, logging, oil exploration and intensive farming. Although they do provide wealth and jobs. Some of the key services the rainforest provide have great financial value. Listed below are some of the main benefits (key services) provided by a rainforest to people.
Clean and reliable water supply
Preventing soil erosion
Reduce risk of river flooding
Providing natural materials – timber
Use of plants for medical science
Providing foodstuffs such as honey, fruit and nuts
Provides a home for Amerindians
Provides a habitat for many animals
Cultural Identity of the rainforest - Tourism
Carbon sink – converting CO2 into Oxygen

5. Management of the Amazon Rainforest
Mamiraua Reserve
The Mamiraua Reserve is the largest protected area of flooded forests and the first sustainable development reserve in Brazil. The Mamiraua Reserve is home to over 400 species of animals and plants. It was the first Sustainable Development reserve in Brazil (1999) and is a RAMSAR (Wetland of Importance) .
It is near the city or Tefe and is approximately 57,000km². The reserve was created to protect and conserve the wildlife and land and its people as it is an incredible and unique place.
Today it is also an ecotourism site. There are a number of lodges that you can stay in and there is an incredible variety of wildlife in the reserve. They are ecotourism certified and regulated. Each lodge is very careful to minimise damage, noise, litter and pollution. Small groups of people stay at a time.
Teams of scientists from all over the world work at the Mamiraua Institute and take recordings of animal sightings, behaviours and health. They help enforce the protection of the wildlife by issuing restrictions and most importantly they educate the local people on how to live sustainably in their environment. Many local people have developed respect for the scientists as there findings have been of huge benefit to them.
The ribeirinho communities located on the reserve are organised into 9 sectors. Each sector holds periodic meetings to discuss the use of resources found in the area under its responsibility. The economy of the residents and users of the reserve can be considered rural and combines the production of food items for basic living (fish and manioc flour) with a more intensive production and sale of the same items and, to a lesser degree, caiman meat. The health of the river and the rainforest is due to the sustainable approach in the reserve. The local people are seeing the benefits of the approach and working with the scientists and the reserve.
Sustainability Solutions for the Rainforest
Harvesting the forest - Rubber Tapping - This collects latex from trees and causes no lasting damage to trees. Likewise collecting fruits such as Brazil Nuts does not harm the forest and can bring in more income than cattle ranching.
National Parks & Reserves - Some countries have set up parks to protect their rainforest as in the Korup National Park in Cameroon. The aim is to preserve their unique flora and fauna and try to develop ecotourism. Examples in the Amazon are Mamirauá and The Cabo Orange National Park.
Sustainable Logging - The aim is to produce timber in such a way that the forest is not permanently damaged and recovers quickly. Trees are replanted and there needs to be a strict quota on how much timber is allowed to be cut down. This takes place in Peru. Restrict trade of certain tree species – Mahogany – CITIES - Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
Agroforstry - This is where a variety of plants are grown to produce crops, fruit and larger trees. The idea being to use some large trees to protect the soils and smaller plants but allowing more light in to enable more produce in the form of palm trees, oil palms, coconuts, pineapple and bananas as well as crops on the forest floor.
Cattle - Eliminate tax incentives and land policies which encourage conversion of forest to pasture. Increase productivity on existing pastureland by introducing agroforestry techniques and using "non-plowing farming,“