3- Investigating outdoor environments

Question 1

biodiversity definition

Answer 1

the number and variety of organisms found within a specified area

Question 2

factors affecting outdoor environments list and explain (3)

Answer 2

Geology- the type of rocks and soil, topography. the study of the history, origin and structure of the land.
Climate- weather, rain, daylight hours, wind, evaporation etc. affects the flora and fauna in the environment.
Position and aspect- shade, moisture, the temperature on different sides of slopes.

Question 3

types of ecosystems in Victoria (9)

pick one and explain distribution, elevation/climate, biodiversity and human influence/threats

Answer 3

alpine, coastal, marine, wetlands, grassland, dry forest, wet forest/rain forest, aird and heathland.

Question 4

recreational users understanding of specific outdoor environments define and example

Answer 4

recreational users must have knowledge and understanding of unique features of the environment and how their recreational activity my be influenced, to safely and sustainable participate.
cross country skiing- snow conditions
kayaker- flat lake vs river current

Question 5

essential knowledge for recreation list a few

Answer 5

• planning and prep
• acess and evacuation
• facilities available
• sites of significance
• sensitivities of flora and fauna
• appropriate equipment
• drinking water
• weather
• fire restrictions
• mobile coverage
• medical help
• local knowledge
• codes of conduct
• ## minimal impact strategies

Question 6

what is the biosphere

Answer 6

a shell all around the earth that includes all forms of life and their interactions, includes the atmosphere (gasses), hydrosphere (water) and lithosphere (land).

Question 7

components of an ecosystem

Answer 7

organism- individual living things
species- a group of organisms of the same type
population- same species living together
community- populations of different species living togeather

Question 8

outdoor environment definition

Answer 8

environments that have had minimal human influences but may also include those that have had human infuence

Question 9

biotic definition

Answer 9

a living thing

Question 10

abiotic definition

Answer 10

non living feature

Question 11

biogeochemical definition and 3 examples

Answer 11

the cycle in with simple substances and chemicals are transferred between living things and the environment. carbon-oxygen, nitrogen and water cycles

Question 12

carbon-oxygen cycle explain

Answer 12

photosynthesis- plants absorb CO2 from the atmosphere, and release oxygen. CO2 is passed through the food chain.
respiration- animals breathing in O and releasing CO2
combustion- burning fossil fuels and volcanic eruptions.
decomposition- elements are released back into the environment from dead stuff.

Question 13

Nitrogen cycle explain

Answer 13

nitrogen passes successively from air to soil to organisms and back to air or soil. plants get nitrogen from the soil, animals eat plants, animal waste and die bacteria put nitrogen back in the soil.

Question 14

water cycle explain

Answer 14

transpiration- moisture from plant leaves
condensation- gas to liquid in clouds
precipitation- rain, snow, hail etc.
infiltration- absorbed into the soil
runoff- lakes, rivers, puddles
evaporation- liquid to gas in the air 
powered by the sun

Question 15

food chains and webs explain

Answer 15

transfer of food and energy from the sun- producers - herbivores - carnivores. each component obtains energy from the previous link. trophic levels- decomposer, producer, primary, secondary and tertiary consumers.

Question 16

interrelationships between biotic and abiotic

Answer 16

complex interrelationships between living plants and animals and non-living structures in order for ecosystems to function. any change will impact all other parts. plants need water nutrients and light while animals need food and habitat.

Question 17

effects of natural changes to environments 3 levels of chage

Answer 17

individual organisms- grow, develop and reproduce, die and decompose constantly
community- succeed one another, climax vegetation and natural changes
large-scale- climate change, natural disasters, sudden or over long time

Question 18

short term changes

Answer 18

day to night- weather, flora and fauna activity, sun/moon
seasons- breeding, weather, migration
tides- high/low tides
flood/drought- natural and essential for some plants, humans have impacted this.

Question 19

long term changes

Answer 19

migration- species moving from one place to another in response to change in habitat
succession- the process of change in the species structure of an ecological community over time. primary succession when a community is established where it has never been and secondary succession when a community develops similar to the original.
climate change- increase in global temperatures due to increased greenhouse gasses in atmosphere. higher temp, less rainfall, sea level rise, more fire danger days etc.

Question 20

land managers responsibilities

Answer 20

for ensuring long-term health and sustainability of outdoor environments, including protection of water, pest control, soil conservation. must have knowledge of land - their decisions can have huge impacts on the enviroenment.

Question 21

who are land managers

Answer 21

public land- DELWP and parks victoria

private land- landowners such as farmers

Question 22

different management strategies…

Answer 22

can lead to habitat fragmentation and the ‘edge’ effect at borders of different land types. examples are surrounding fences, roads, paddocks and forests.

Question 23

ways of defining areas of land list and explain (5)

Answer 23

landform and catchment areas- landforms such as mountains determine boundaries between catchments
vegetation types- climate, geology and position can affect the type of environment
public and private land- privately owned by individuals, families or companies and public/crown land.
parks and reserves- Parks victoria manages land that is classified into different types of reserves (nation, state, marine etc.)
management zones- land managers use zones to separate public land to minimise conflicts

Question 24

types of management zones (5)

Answer 24

recreation development (high rec use), recreation and conservation (protect and small scale rec), conservation (protect and minimal impact), reference area (protect samples of land for comparison) and education zone (provide education).

Question 25

artistic understanding of outdoor environments

Answer 25

artistic representation provides insite into changing nature over time and how artists understood the land. examples- ancient rock painting, European paintings, modern paintings.

Question 26

indigenous australians understanding of outdoor environments

Answer 26

indigenous australians understood the impact of natural changes, and management strategies required to live with the land. All daily requirements came from the land.

Question 27

historical understandings of outdoor environments

Answer 27

first settlers didnt understand or recognise the land and tried to use methods that were not suited to the land. Also industrialisation and growing population put pressure on the land without understanding of the effects.