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      Nutrient cycling and biodiversity in tropical rainforests

      I can explain that tropical rainforests have a high rate of nutrient cycling and support high levels of biodiversity and complex food webs.

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      Lesson 3 of 16
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      • Year 10
      • AQA

      Nutrient cycling and biodiversity in tropical rainforests

      I can explain that tropical rainforests have a high rate of nutrient cycling and support high levels of biodiversity and complex food webs.

      Lesson details

      Key learning points

      1. Tropical rainforests support high levels of biodiversity.
      2. Tropical rainforests have high rates of nutrient cycling.
      3. Tropical rainforests support complex food webs.

      Keywords

      • Biodiversity - a measure of how many different species live in an ecosystem

      • Nutrients - chemical substances found in all biotic features which are important for survival

      • Interdependent - when two or more biotic features, like plants or animals, depend or rely on each other to survive

      Common misconception

      Tropical rainforest soils must be nutrient-rich because the forests are so full of abundant, fast-growing vegetation.

      Tropical rainforest soils are nutrient-poor. Nutrients cycle rapidly out of the soil due to them being taken up rapidly by biomass, while the heavy rainfall also washes them out of the soil through leaching and runoff.

      Check with colleagues in science to see what pupils should already know about nutrient cycles and the movement of nutrients through ecosystems.
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      This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

      Lesson video

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      Prior knowledge starter quiz

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      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Match the terms to their correct descriptions:

      Correct Answer:biome,A large geographical area with distinct climate, vegetation & animals.
      Correct Answer:ecosystem,The interaction of living and non-living things in a particular area.
      Correct Answer:habitat,The specific environment where a species lives.

      Q2.
      Tropical rainforests have a specific climate which is warm with high rainfall all year. How do we define climate?

      Short-term conditions of temperature and precipitation in an area
      Correct answer: The long-term patterns of temperature, humidity, and precipitation in a region
      The daily weather conditions in a specific location
      The geographical features that determine the weather in a region

      Q3.
      What does biodiversity mean?

      The total number of species in a specific area at a given time
      Correct answer: The variety and variability of life forms in an ecosystem or biome
      The physical environment that supports different species in an ecosystem
      The process by which species evolve over time to adapt to their surroundings

      Q4.
      Match the stages of a food web with their definitions.

      Correct Answer:Producers,plants converting sunlight into energy through photosynthesis
      Correct Answer:Consumers,animals depend on plants or other animals for food
      Correct Answer:Decomposers,fungi & bacteria breaking down dead matter recycling nutrients back

      Q5.
      What impact does deforestation have on ecosystems?

      Correct answer: It disrupts habitats and reduces biodiversity
      It enhances nutrient cycling
      It increases the number of trees

      Q6.
      What is nutrient cycling?

      The flow of energy through a food chain
      Correct answer: The movement of nutrients through an ecosystem
      The process of photosynthesis in plants

      Assessment exit quiz

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      4 Questions

      Q1.
      Match the lesson's keywords with their definitions.

      Correct Answer:biodiversity,a measure of how many different species live in an ecosystem
      Correct Answer:nutrients,chemical substances found in all biotic features, vital for survival
      Correct Answer:interdependent,when two or more biotic features rely on each other to survive

      Q2.
      The soil store in the tropical rainforest has the least amount of nutrients, it doesn't hold nutrients for long making it nutrient- .

      Correct Answer: poor

      Q3.
      Put the nutrient cycle into the correct order.

      1 - Nutrients enter the ecosystem through weathering and from the atmosphere
      2 - Plants take up nutrients from the soil and use them to grow
      3 - Animals obtain nutrients eating plants or other animals that have eaten plants
      4 - Plants & animals die, decomposers break down their tissues, releasing nutrients

      Q4.
      What is one consequence of deforestation on biodiversity?

      It increases biodiversity
      Correct answer: It reduces biodiversity and disrupts ecosystems
      It stabilises nutrient cycles

      Lesson appears in

      UnitGeography / Tropical rainforest

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      UnitGeography / Tropical rainforest and taiga biomes

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