The Living World
What is the global distribution of tropical rainforests?
Near the equator, between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn.
What is rural-urban migration?
What is urbanisation?
The movement of people from the countryside to cities.
The increase in the proportion of people living in towns and cities.
What is hydraulic action?
The force of water hitting riverbanks and bed, wearing them away.
What is plucking?
When meltwater freezes onto rock and pulls it away as the glacier moves.
What is a consumer in an ecosystem?
An animal that eats plants or other animals.
What is nutrient cycling and why is it rapid in tropical rainforests?
The transfer of nutrients between biomass, litter, and soil – rapid due to heat and high decomposition rates.
State one social and one economic challenge facing Rio’s urban poor.
Social: lack of clean water. Economic: informal jobs with no security.
Name one erosional and one depositional landform of a river.
Erosional: waterfall. Depositional: levee.
Name a depositional landform found in glaciated areas.
Moraine or drumlin.
What is urban sprawl and name a challenge it creates.
The spread of urban areas into rural land; leads to pressure on green belts.
Explain how plants and animals are interdependent in the rainforest.
Dense canopy provides food/shelter; animals aid seed dispersal and pollination.
How has migration affected the growth of London?
Increased population and cultural diversity, driven by both national and international migration.
How are meanders formed?
Erosion on the outer bend and deposition on the inner bend causes lateral movement.
Describe how a ribbon lake forms.
Glacier erodes a deep trough; over-deepened sections fill with meltwater.
Describe the characteristics of the upper course of a river.
Steep gradient, vertical erosion, interlocking spurs.
Name and explain one impact of deforestation in the Amazon.
Example: Loss of biodiversity – deforestation removes habitats for many endemic species.
Describe how the Favela Bairro Project improved favelas in Rio.
Legalised housing, improved roads and sanitation, provided education and healthcare access.
Explain two causes of flooding in the UK.
Physical: heavy rainfall or impermeable geology. Human: urbanisation or deforestation.
Name one use of glaciated upland areas and one conflict it creates.
Use: Tourism. Conflict: Erosion of footpaths, traffic congestion.
How do rainforests help regulate the global climate?
Absorb carbon dioxide, helping reduce the greenhouse effect.
Evaluate one strategy used to manage tropical rainforests sustainably.
Example: Selective logging – reduces damage to entire forest but may still disturb wildlife and require monitoring.
Evaluate how successful urban regeneration has been in the London Olympic site.
Positive: improved infrastructure and environment; Negative: some local displacement and high housing costs.
Evaluate one hard and one soft engineering strategy used on a UK river.
Example: Hard – dams (effective but expensive); Soft – floodplain zoning (cheap but restricts land use).
Evaluate one strategy used to manage glaciated landscapes sustainably.
Example: Path repairs and zoning reduce impact of tourism while maintaining access.
Compare the effects of urban growth in an NEE and a UK city.
Example: Rio – informal housing, poor infrastructure; London – pressure on services, housing affordability.