1B - The Living World (case studies & examples) Flashcards
Example: Name an example of a small scale ecosystem and what it includes
A hedgerow ecosystem includes:
- Plants that make up the hedgerow
- Organisms that live in it & feed on it
- Soil in the area
- Rainfall & sunshine it receives
Example: Name the producers in your chosen small scale ecosystem
Producers include hawthorn bushes & blackberry bushes
Example: Name the consumers in your chosen small scale ecosystem
Consumers include thrushes, ladybirds, spiders, greenfly, sparrows and sparrow hawks
Example: Draw a food chain including organisms from your chosen small scale ecosystem
Blackberry Bush → Ladybird → Sparrow → Sparrowhawk
Example: Draw a food web including organisms from your chosen small scale ecosystem
See mind map
Case Study: How big is the Amazon?
Largest rainforest on earth - 8 million km2
Case Study: What has been the overall effect of deforestation on the Amazon (give stat)?
Since 1978, over 750,000 km2 (3x size of UK) has be
destroyed by deforestation
Case Study: Name the causes of deforestation and their %
65-70% = Commercial (cattle) ranching 20-25% = Small-scale subsistence farming 5-10% = Commercial farming (mostly soy farming) 2-3% = Logging (+ illegal logging) 1-2% = Mineral extraction, road building, energy development, building new settlements
Case Study: Explain how population growth and migration causes deforestation in the Amazon
Population growth and migration puts pressure on the Amazon as the Brazilian government offers land in the rainforest to poor people from overcrowded cities
Case Study: Explain how small-scale subsistence farming causes deforestation in the Amazon
Many more small-scale subsistence farmers who have no land or whose land has become unproductive are opening up more ares of forest
Case Study: Explain why logging is taking place in the Amazon
New roads have opened up areas of forest that were
previously too hard to get to
Case Study: Name 2 environmental impacts of deforestation in the Amazon
- Amazon stores 100 billion tonnes of carbon → deforestation releases some of this as carbon dioxide = causes global warming
- Brazil loses 55 million tons of topsoil every year because of soil erosion caused by soy farming
Case Study: Explain of global warming can affect the Amazon
Affect creatures living in the forest by altering their habitats and decreasing availability of food and water = some species will adapt to live in higher elevations or latitudes but many will be lost
Case Study: Name 5 economic impacts of deforestation in the Amazon
- Economic development has brought wealth to countries
that were very poor - Farming makes a lot of money
- Mining industry creates jobs for loads of people
- Logging contributes a huge amount to Brazil’s economy
- Local Brazilian rubber tappers who extract natural rubber from rubber trees = lost their livelihoods as trees have been cut down
Case Study: Give an example of the Amazon benefits from farming
- In 2008 Brazil made $6.9 billion from trading cattle
- It’s the world’s 2nd biggest exporter of soy beans