Epping forest (small scale ecosystem)

Location and Other General Stuff

Epping Forest is an ancient deciduous woodland that runs north-east of London on a high gravel ridge. It covers an area of about 2,500 ha (hectares) and is about 19 km long and 4km wide. It is the largest area of

public open space near London.

70% of Epping Forest is deciduous woodland (mostly beech).

Also other natural environments including grasslands and marshes.

Home to a rich variety of wildlife including wood-boring stag beetles, fallow deer (a type of deer) and the three native woodpecker species.

General Information

1. What does deciduous mean?2. What does temperate mean?3. What % of Epping forest is deciduous woodland?

Quickfire

Deciduous woodlands

Deciduous woodlands contain trees with broad leaves, such as oak, beech and elm. They occur in places with high rainfall, warm summers and cooler winters and lose their leaves in winter. Biodiversity Is high due to careful

management, so there is a complex food web.

1. Why are the leaves broader?

2. Why do the leaves fall off in winter?

3. What kinds of animals would you find in a deciduous woodland?

4. What’s the difference between a food web and a food chain?

5. Give a named example of a Deciduous woodland?

6. What does biodiversity mean?

7. What does interdependent mean?

Try your best, you will get a chance to come back to this…

Epping Forest food web

1.Name a producer?

2.Name a consumer?

3. what would happen if you removed the insects,bettles,worms and caterpillars?

4. what would happen if you removed the fox?

B=biomass L=litter S=soil

In fig 5.8 which reflects Epping forest, the ------------ store is large because of the height of the ----------------, and the____________ undergrowth beneath them. The ___________ store is too large too because there is always plenty of ________________.

The high flow rates between the litter, soil and biomass stores reflect the vigorous cycle of ________

___________ that takes place each year. The forest also loses a lot of _______________ each year, via ____________, during episodes of heavy rainfall.

WORD BOX

Humus

nutrients

dense

new growth

Biomass

Soil store

leaching

trees

Read and fill in…..

1. What is biodiversity?

2. Why is the biodiversity really high in Eppingforest?

3. What would you find in the shrub layer?

4. What tells you there is a great diversity of producer species?

5. How many species of fungi are found?

Quickfire

1. What does interdependent mean?

2. Why do the trees have broad leaves?

3. What happens to the forest floor between Autumn and spring?

4.what happens to the nutrients stored in the leaves?

4. Summarise nutrient recycling?

A02In a nutshell what do you know about

Epping forest?

Go back and correct your answers on Epping forest questions

Using all the information on Epping Forest , explain two ways in which studying Epping forest has helped you understand the term’interdependence’?

Self Assessment

I can explain why Epping forest is interdependent confidently and

also recall knowledge

I can explain a little bit as to why Epping

forest is interdependent

. I am not too confident with my knowledge but can recall a

few facts.

I really struggled to explain why Epping

forest is interdependent. I can only recall 2

facts and therefore I am not confident

with my knowledge.