Secondary 1 Geography Definitions List:
Tropical Rainforest & Mangroves:
Tropical Rainforests:
Term: Definition:
Natural Vegetation Plant life which covers particular parts of the world’s land area
and develops without human interference.
Climate Average weather conditions of a place over a long period of
time, usually more than 30 years.
Global Distribution • Close to equator
of Tropical • Between Tropic of Cancer & Tropic of Capricorn
Rainforest • Central and South America, West and Central Africa, as
well as South and Southeast Asia.
Characteristics of • Evergreen
Tropical Rainforests • High diversity of plant species
• Distinct vertical three-layer forest structure
o Emergent
o Canopy
o Undergrowth
Adaptations of Leaves
Tropical Rainforests • Broad
• Waxy
• Drip-tips
Roots
• Buttress
• Shallow
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Mangroves:
Global Distribution • Tropical Climate (close to equator, between Tropic of
of Mangroves Cancer & Tropic of Capricorn)
• Along coastlines (Areas with higher salinity)
• Sheltered Environments (Calm water conditions)
Characteristics of • Evergreen
Mangroves • Lower diversity of plant species
• Uniformed Height
• Horizontal Zonation (Dependent on tide levels, duration
of flooding and tolerance to salinity – mangroves in low
tide levels experience high durations of flooding and
are thus more tolerant to salinity – Sonneratia,
Avicennia, Rhizophora, Bruguiera)
Adaptations of Adaptation to high salinity
Mangroves • Sonneratia – deposit excess salt to older leaves and
remove through shedding older leaves.
• Avicennia – salt-secreting leaves.
• Bruguiera – deny intake of salt at the roots.
Adaptation to soil conditions
• Waterlogged soil, low in oxygen levels.
• Soft, unstable soil.
o Aerial roots
– grow partially above soil surface to take in
oxygen when exposed during low tide levels.
– anchor mangroves to soft soil to prevent
uprooting and being wash away.
Types of Aerial Roots Sonneratia: Cone Roots
- Grows vertically upwards.
- Roots are thicker and are in a conical shape.
Avicennia: Pencil Roots
- Grows vertically upwards.
- Roots are of slender appearance.
Rhizophora: Curved Prop Roots
- Grow from the trunk and lower branches toward the
ground.
Bruguiera: Knee-Bend Roots
- Bends upwards to emerge above the soil surface
before bending downwards in the soil at regular
intervals.
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Environmental Functions & Human Uses:
Environmental • Oxygen Generation (due to photosynthesis)
Functions of Forests • Carbon Storage (due to photosynthesis)
• Habitats to animals
• Prevents soil erosion
• Prevents coastal erosion
Human Uses of • Habitats to indigenous people
Forests o Indigenous: considered to be the original
inhabitants of the area where they live.
• Recreational Sites
• Source of Food
o Hunting & gathering for indigenous people
o Agriculture & Aquaculture for developed
societies
• Source of raw materials – timber, metals & minerals
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Deforestation & Enhanced Greenhouse Effect:
Deforestation Permanent removal of tropical rainforests
Due to:
1. Unsustainable cutting down of trees for
wood/timber/raw materials.
2. Human activities like mining and agriculture which
require very large areas of tropical forests to be cleared
before they can be carried out.
3. Vegetation is prevented from regenerating as cleared
land is converted permanently by humans into mines,
plantations, ranches or farms.
4. Even if tropical forest vegetation manages to re-
establish itself on a piece of deforested land, it will still
lack the biodiversity of a tropical forest that has been
untouched by humans.
Greenhouse Gases: Certain gases in the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide,
nitrous oxide and methane, are capable of trapping heat, just
like the glass roof and walls of a greenhouse.
Enhanced • Burning or cutting down of tropical forest plants causes
Greenhouse Effect: carbon that is stored in the plants and soil to be
released as carbon dioxide.
• Fewer plants are left behind to absorb the increased
amount of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
• This increase in carbon dioxide to the atmosphere leads
to the enhanced greenhouse effect.
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Management of Tropical Rainforest: Establishing Protected Areas
Management of • Implement laws to ensure that people do not damage
forests: Establishing these protected areas.
Protected Areas • Level of human activity that is allowed within protected
areas is generally very restricted to prevent plant and
animal life from being negatively affected.
• People who break these laws can be fined or sent to
jail.
Example of Singapore
Establishing • Singapore has a total of four protected areas known as
Protected Areas: nature reserves – Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, Central
Catchment Nature Reserve, Sungai Buloh Wetland
Nature Reserve and Labrador Nature Reserve.
• Nature reserves are protected under the Parks and
Trees Act (2005), which provides planting, maintenance
and conservation of trees and plants within these
nature reserves.
Advantages of • Protected areas help to conserve the tropical rainforest,
Establishing preserve the native biodiversity and allow indigenous
Protected Areas: people to continue with their way of life.
• Protected areas are useful for educational and
recreational purposes, and scientific study.
Disadvantages of • Vastness and remoteness of the rainforest make
Establishing protection difficult – areas are not fenced and are still
Protected Areas vulnerable to human activities.
• Corruption and poor enforcement by the government,
allowing loggers and miners to illegally enter protected
areas.
• Land scarcity and constraints contributes to difficulty in
setting aside forest land for protection.
