Chapter 8: Climate and vegetation
Answers to Cambridge IGCSE Geography
past papers
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Chapter 8
Cambridge IGCSE Geography 0460/11 Q4
November 2009
a i An ecosystem is the inter-relationships
between living plants and animals and their
non-living environment.
ii They are near to the equator, between 158
north and south, in the Amazon Basin in South
America, the Congo Basin in Africa, and
south-east Asia.
iii The high angle of the sun leads to high
temperatures (with high rates of evaporation
and transpiration). The air has a high
humidity. When convectional uplift occurs
(because the air in contact with the ground is
heated), it cools as it rises and condensation
of water vapour occurs – giving convectional
rainfall.
iv You must explain the effects of climate on
natural vegetation, not simply describe the
vegetation or the climate. For example:
 abundant vegetation due to the hot wet
climate
 drip tip leaves to shed the heavy rain
 evergreen forest, due to the lack of
seasons
 trees grow tall to strive for sunlight
 a great variety of species, because growing
conditions are hot and wet.
b i Food chains will be broken, because plants
will be removed – causing a lack of food
supply. Animals higher up the food chain will
have nothing to prey on, so they will move
away or die.
ii  Flooding is likely. More water will reach the
river as a result of the lack of interception
and the compaction of the topsoil by
machinery. Less water will enter the soil
and more overland flow will occur. The rain
runs quickly to the river.
 Soil erosion may also occur, because there
are no roots to hold the soil together and
it’s no longer protected by vegetation. This
causes river pollution and a reduction in
water quality, because the soil settles on
the river bed and displaces water (causing
it to flood over the banks).
 There is also less transpiration, therefore
less moisture in the air and lower
precipitation leading to lower river levels.
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PAST PAPE R AN SWE RS
c You must remember to name an example (e.g. the
Namib Desert) and give full and accurate
statements describing and explaining the main
features of desert climates, including some place
names.
 There is a large diurnal temperature range,
because cloudless skies result in intense
daytime heating and rapid loss of the Earth’s
heat into space at night.
 The absence of the moderating influence of a
water body raises temperatures in inland
areas in the summer months.
 SE trade winds blow over large areas of Africa
before reaching the desert, so there is no
source of moisture.
 High pressure results in descending, warming
air in this part of the Hadley Cell. This means
there is no condensation, so it is cloudless.
Cambridge IGCSE Geography 0460/ 01 Q3
June 2008
a i 210–220 mm
ii Highest temperature minus lowest
temperature so:
34 8C 2 8 8C 5 26 8C
iii The south-west USA, close to the border with
Mexico. Mainly in SE California, but it extends
into S Nevada, SW Utah and NW Arizona.
iv It’s important to explain why deserts are hot
and dry, rather than just describing their
climate. See the answer for (c) above for why
deserts are dry.
It’s hot at latitudes astride the tropics because:
 the sun is overhead at noon in summer
and high in the sky in winter
 they are high-pressure regions, and
therefore cloudless, so the full force of the
sun’s rays is received by day.
 at a distance from the oceans the
moderating influence of a water body is
absent, so it’s hotter than by the sea.
b i Remember to describe the vegetation that you
can actually see in the photograph, rather than
using your wider subject knowledge. The
vegetation is sparse, with scattered shrubs
and cacti and some bare patches. Plants have
narrow, spiky leaves. There is little variety
of vegetation.
 Chapter 8: Climate and vegetation
ii  There is low precipitation, so the
vegetation is scattered and sparse.
 Seeds lie dormant during long dry spells
and the plants have a quick life cycle after
the occasional rain.
 Some plants have long, wide-spreading
roots to catch rainwater as soon as it falls
(before it evaporates). Other plants have
long taproots to search for deeper
groundwater.
 Succulents, e.g. cacti, store water in their
stems to survive long periods of drought.
 Narrow, spiky leaves reduce rates of
transpiration because of the high
temperatures.
c You must remember to name a specific area and
to give detail (naming places or areas where
possible). For example:
 In Borneo, trees are being chopped down to
export hardwoods.
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PAST PAPE R AN SWE RS
 Minerals (such as oil near Balikpapan and
coal) are being extracted in Kalimantan. The
large opencast coalmines take up a large area.
 Some areas are being used to create
commercial oil palm plantations and soils may
become exhausted.
 Soil fertility reduces as more rain enters the
soil and leaches minerals away.
 In Sarawak, forest is being removed to create
space for hydroelectricity production.
 Animals lose their habitats and food sources
when the food chain is broken, so some
species are threatened with extinction.
 The reduced interception increases run-off,
causing floods (especially as exposed soil is
eroded and washed into rivers, filling them up).