Why are tropical rainforest soils typically infertile?
Heavy rainfall leaches nutrients, and most nutrients are stored in living biomass and rapidly recycled — the soil itself holds very little. Learn it step by step →
Ecosystems & the Living World is a core part of GCSE Geography. Revise the key concepts and common mistakes below, then lock them in with the free games.
Key concepts
EcosystemCommunity of living things and their environment
BioticLiving parts — plants, animals, bacteria
AbioticNon-living parts — soil, water, climate, rocks
ProducerPlant that makes food via photosynthesis
ConsumerAnimal that eats other living things
DecomposerBreaks down dead matter (bacteria, fungi)
RainforestFound near Equator; hot, wet and species-rich, e.g. Amazon.
Hot desertAround 30 degrees latitude; ~250 mm rain a year, e.g. Sahara.
SavannahTropical grassland with wet and dry seasons, e.g. Serengeti.
TundraCold treeless biome north of taiga, with permafrost soils.
TaigaBelt of coniferous forest across Russia, Canada and Scandinavia.
Deciduous forestTemperate biome where trees drop leaves in autumn. 🌲
Questions where students often pick the tempting wrong answer — make sure you know the right one:
Why are tropical rainforest soils typically infertile?✗ Because so much vegetation grows there, the soil must be fertile.✓ Heavy rainfall leaches nutrients, and most nutrients are stored in living biomass and rapidly recycled — the soil itself holds very little.
What is the difference between biotic and abiotic components of an ecosystem?✗ Biotic means animals and abiotic means plants.✓ Biotic components are all living organisms (plants, animals, microbes); abiotic components are non-living factors (climate, soil, water, light, rock).
What does sustainable development mean?✗ Sustainable development means stopping all economic growth.✓ Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs — balancing economic, social and environmental goals.
What is the role of a DECOMPOSER in an ecosystem?✗ Makes food from sunlight✓ Breaks down dead matter and recycles nutrients
What is the difference between the tundra and the taiga biomes?✗ Tundra and taiga are the same biome with different names.✓ Tundra is treeless cold biome (too cold and permafrost-dominated for trees), while taiga (boreal forest) is the band of coniferous forest just south of the tundra in subarctic latitudes.
Practise Ecosystems & the Living World — free games
Test yourself with these quick revision games for this topic:
