The document discusses the complex ecosystem of rainforests, which features interactions between climate, landforms, soils, plants, and animals, with each component impacting the entire system. Key atmospheric and hydrologic processes that support rainforests are warm temperatures year-round and regular heavy rainfall. The balance of nutrients in rainforest soil and atmosphere is maintained through processes like photosynthesis, nutrient recycling, and leaching of nutrients into subsoil layers.

1. Rainforests
Geographic Process
Year 8 Geography- Topic 1 – Global Environments - 2011

2. Geographic Process in the Rainforests
What is an ecosystem?
A natural system made up of
living organisms and their
environment.

3. Geographic Process in the Rainforests
In a rainforest, there is a complex
relationship between climate,
landforms, soils, trees, plants and
animals
A change in one, impacts
the entire system

4. Geographic Process in the Rainforests
Natural
Environment
Atmosphere Hydrosphere Lithosphere Biosphere
(Air) (Water) (Land) (Living Things)

5. Geographic Process in the Rainforests
Paste into your workbooks and discuss as a class

6. Geographic Process in the Rainforests
The balance of
the rainforest
can be easily
upset and
affected by the
intervention of
people

7. Atmospheric & Hydrologic Processes in the Rainforests
Why do you think
countries along the
equator experience hot
and wet conditions all
year?

8. Atmospheric & Hydrologic Processes in the Rainforests
What type of climate
do rainforests grow
best in?

9. Atmospheric & Hydrologic Processes in the Rainforests
What type of climate do
rainforests grow best in?
-Warm to hot temperature
-Regular heavy rainfall

10. Atmospheric & Hydrologic Processes in the Rainforests
Paste into your workbooks and discuss as a class

11. Atmospheric & Hydrologic Processes in the Rainforests
Soon, after the downpour
the hot sun reappears,
creating a steamy, sticky
feeling in the air.
Humid conditions result
because their is a high
percentage of water
vapour in the atmosphere

12. Why are Rainforests Here?
Plants need light, heat and moisture in order to grow.
These elements must be in abundance to create the right
conditions for growth. The area between the two tropic
lines receives the greatest intensity of light and heat from
the sun (also called insolation). This heat drives what we
call the hydrological cycle which in turn causes high
rainfall
+ =

13. Atmospheric Processes
Rainforests help maintain the balance of gases in the
atmosphere. During daylight hours, trees and other plants carry
out the process of photosynthesis by taking in carbon dioxide
and releasing oxygen needed by all living things
In Out
Carbon Oxygen
Dioxide

14. Lithosphere & Biotic Processes in the Rainforests
Nutrient Recycling
The rainforest is warm and moist,
therefore organic matter decays
rapidly.
When trees die in the rainforest,
living organisms quickly absorb the
nutrients before they have a chance
to be washed away.
This is called nutrient recycling

15. Lithosphere & Biotic Processes in the Rainforests
Rainforest Soils
Do you think rainforest soil
would be really rich and fertile or
poor and infertile?

16. Lithosphere & Biotic Processes in the Rainforests
Rainforest Soils
Q:Do you think rainforest soil
would be really rich and fertile or
poor and infertile?
A: Poor and infertile

17. Lithosphere & Biotic Processes in the Rainforests
Rainforest Soils
Because it rains so much in a
rainforest the nutrients in the topsoil
get dissolved really quickly. The
nutrients get washed down into the
lower layers of the subsoil. This is
called leaching