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Geography > 5-The living world > Flashcards

5-The living world Flashcards

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1
Q

What is an ecosystem?

A

A community of interacting organisms that live alongside their physical environment.

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2
Q

What are the 2 different parts of the ecosystem?

A

Biotic (living) and Abiotic (non-living)

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3
Q

What are the different parts of a food chain, increasing in trophic level?

A
  • Primary producers (plants)
  • Primary consumers (herbivores)
  • Secondary consumers (carnivores)
  • Tertiary consumers (top carnivores)
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4
Q

What is biomass?

A

The weight of organic matter

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5
Q

What are the causes of the declining biomass down a food pyramid?

A
  • Many parts of the plants aren’t eaten by animals and carnivores don’t eat all of their prey-also much of it is excreted
  • Energy is lost at each level simply be existing
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6
Q

What are decomposers?

A

Organisms that break down dead organic matter-such as scavengers (insects that eat dead wood) and detritivores (bacteria).

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7
Q

What do decomposers do?

A

They help return nutrients to the soil in the form of an organic substance called humus

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8
Q

What are the 3 main parts of the nutrient cycle?

A

Litter, Soil and Biomass

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9
Q

How can nutrients in litter be gained and lost?

A
  • From Biomass: Littering as tissues die
  • Into the cycle: Dissolved in precipitation from the atmosphere
  • Lost: Loss in runoff
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10
Q

How can nutrients in soil be gained or loss

A
  • From Litter: Released as litter decomposes
  • Into the cycle: From weathered rock
  • Lost: Loss by leaching
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11
Q

How can nutrients in Biomass be gained?

A

Gained: uptake by plants

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12
Q

When did the wolves go extinct in Yellowstone and when were they re-introduced?

A
  • 1926-danger to visitors
  • 1995
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13
Q

What were the impact of the extinction of wolves?

A
  • The ecosystem was thrown out of its natural equilibrium
  • Elk’s population grew in numbers due to overgrazing-this led to:
  • Soil erosion
  • Related impacts on the habitat
  • Related impacts in the food chain
  • The Coyote population grew
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14
Q

What has the reintroduction of wolves into the ecosystem caused?

A
  • Elk and Coyote population has fallen
  • Less soil erosion
  • Regeneration of aspen trees-attracting beavers
  • Increased population of similar creatures
  • Restoration of equilibrium
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15
Q

What is one word to describe the ecosystem of Epping Forest?

A

Interdependent

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16
Q

What are large scale global ecosystems called?

A

Biomes

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17
Q

What is the order of the biomes starting at the equator?

A
  • Tropical rainforests
  • Deserts
  • Grasslands
  • Decidous forest
  • Coniferous forest
  • Tundra
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18
Q

What are the physical characteristics of the tropical rainforest?

A
  • A warm and wet climate averaging 26°C and annual rainfall exceeding 2500mm usually
  • Rich vegetation and very tall trees
  • Thin and poor quality soils due to the rapid recycling of nutrients
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19
Q

How much of the world’s plant and animal species are found in tropical rainforests?

A

Plant: Over 2/3
Animal: Half

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20
Q

How much rainforest is deforested each second?

A

1 football field

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21
Q

What are the main causes of deforestation in the Amazon?

A
  • Logging
  • Mineral extraction
  • Energy development
  • Poaching
  • Cattle ranching
  • Road development
  • Crop farming
  • Settlement
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22
Q

What causes most deforestation?

A

Cattle ranching 80%

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23
Q

What are the impacts of deforestation?

A
  • Global warming
  • Loss of biodiversity
  • Local climate change
  • Soil erosion and fertility
  • River pollution
  • Decline of indigenous tribes
  • Conflict
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24
Q

What goods do rainforests produce?

A
  • Native food crops (fruit and nuts)
  • Wild meat and fish
  • Building materials (timber)
  • Energy from HEP
  • Water
  • Medicines
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25
Q

What services are provided by rainforests?

A
  • Air purification
  • Water and nutrient recycling
  • Protection against soil erosion
  • Wildlife habitats
  • Biodiversity
  • Employment opportunities
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26
Q

What plant in the rainforest is an anti-cancer drug derived from?

A

The Periwinkle

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27
Q

What are the international strategies for managing tropical rainforests sustainably?

A
  • Inter-government agreements on hardwoods and endangered species
  • Debt reduction by HICs
  • Conservation and eduation by NGOs
    *
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28
Q

What are the national strategies for managing tropical rainforests sustainably?

A
  • Creating protected areas or reserves
  • Stopping the abuse of the rainforest and other biomes by developers
  • Making subjects such as ecology or environmental studies compulsory
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29
Q

What are the challenges of national strategies to manage tropical rainforests sustainably?

A
  • Few govenments are willing to do anything that may slow down economic growth
  • Citizens expect higher living standards
  • Governments seem unwilling to enforce and monitor laws aimed at protecting/conservation
  • There is lots of corruption in the way rainforests are treated
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30
Q

What are the possible actions to manage tropical rainforests sustainably?

A
  • Selective logging
  • Stopping illegal logging
  • Agroforestry
  • Replanting
  • Ecotourism
  • Less destructive mining
  • Biosphere reserve
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31
Q

What is selective logging?

A

Felling trees only when they are fully grown so that younger trees can mature protecting the ground from erosion

32
Q

What is replanting?

A

Collecting seeds from remaining patches of primary forest and planting them back in deforested areas

33
Q

What is stopping illegal logging?

A

Having satellites and drones to monitor remote areas of rainforests that may be logged

34
Q

What is agroforestry?

A

Combining crops and trees by allowing crops to be grown in controlled cleared areas

35
Q

What is less destructive mining?

A

Removing a layer of top soil when bauxite mining, storing it and replacing it and replanting with native trees-7% of the cost of the mine.

36
Q

What is a biosphere reserve?

A

Protecting part of the rainforest by leaving it untouched except from research and plant breeding.

37
Q

What is ecotourism?

A

Encouraging small numbers of tourists to learn more about the natural environment of the rainforests-sustainable tourism.

38
Q

What are the layers of the rainforest?

A
  • Shrub layer
  • Under canopy
  • Canopy
  • Emergents
39
Q

How are plants adapted in tropical rainforests?

A
  • Butress roots
  • Stilt roots
  • Lianas
  • Epiphytes
  • Leaf angling
  • Drip tips
  • Red leaves
  • Thin bark
40
Q

What are environmental challenges in a tropical rainforest?

A
  • Poor soils (lack nutrients and are thin)
  • Incredibly wet
  • Lack of light
  • Competition for food
  • Incredibly hot
41
Q

What are hot deserts?

A
  • Parts of the world with high temperatures (usually over 40°) and very low rainfall (usually between 100-200mm in most years.
42
Q

What do deserts have to do with temperature?

A

A large diurnal temperature range

43
Q

How may desert soils be fertile?

A

Important nutrients such as calcium haven’t been leached away over time.

44
Q

How do desert species adapt to dry conditions?

A
  • Xerophytic plants
  • Chunky leaves to reduce transpiration
  • Long chunky roots
45
Q

How do desert species adapt to high temperatures?

A

Most of the biomass beneath the surface where it is cooler

46
Q

How do desert species adapt to short periods of rainfall?

A

Short blooming seasons

47
Q

What are examples of plants that are adapted to survival in hot desert environments?

A
  • Drought-tolerant plants
  • Cacti
  • FLowering plants
  • Lichen
48
Q

What are adaptations of drought tolerant plants?

A
  • Short, Fat trunks that act as reservoirs for extra water
  • Roots penetrating up to 50m in the ground to find as much water as possible
  • Small leaves to avoid too much transpiration
49
Q

What are adaptations of cacti?

A
  • ‘Succulents’-store water in their tissues
  • Spikes to deter consumer species
  • Small waxy leaves to minimise transpiration loss
50
Q

What are the adaptations of flowering plants?

A
  • Short blooming seasons-only germinate after heavy rains and can lay dormant in between rains
  • ‘Ephemerals’: can complete the lifecycles in less than a month
  • Produce brightly coloured flowers to attract insects
51
Q

What are the adaptations of lichen?

A
  • Don’t need soil to grow-‘pioneer species’
  • Can grow on a bare rock surface in high temperaures
  • Can break down rocks chemically extracting nutrients
52
Q

What are two animals that have adapted to the desert?

A
  • Desert fox
  • Kangeroo rat
53
Q

What are the adaptations of the desert (Fenneck) fox?

A
  • It gets water from its food
  • It lives in burrows during the day to avoid extreme heat
  • It doesn’t perspire and has efficient kidneys to produce very little urine
  • Large ears for heat loss
54
Q

What are some adaptations of the kangeroo rat?

A
  • Thick fur on the soles of their feet, protecting them from the hot ground and to provide grip
  • It has light coloured fur on its body to reflect sunlight to keep cool
  • It can store food in its cheeks
  • It has a tail for balance
54
Q
A
55
Q

What are the 4 main development opportunities in the Western Desert?

A
  • Mineral extraction
  • Farming
  • Tourism
  • Energy
56
Q

What does mineral extraction in the Western desert involve?

A
  • The western desert is rich in minerals including copper, uranium, lead, zinc and coal
  • It doesn’t take place all over the western desert due to wildlife concerns and contamination of water supplies
  • Bingham mine-1 mile deep
57
Q

What does farming in the Western desert involve?

A
  • High temperatures and sunlight favoured for agriculture
  • Stores of irrigation water are aquifers and canals
  • Farmers are allocated 80% of Colorado water, even though they make up just 10% of the economy
58
Q

What does Tourism in the Western Desert involve?

A
  • National parks offering visitors a chance to experience a wildlife area-Grand Canyon and the Joshua tree national park
  • Colorado museum in Parker, Arizona
  • Vegas economy build around entertainment-40 million visitors per year
  • 2 Major lakes for tourism-lake Mead and lake Powell
59
Q

What does energy production in the Western Desert involve?

A
  • Strong insolation-good opportunity for solar power
  • Sonoran Solar power project in Arizona produces energy for 100,000 homes
  • HEP-Hoover dam
  • Fossil fuels such as oil-25 production sites with more than 100 employees to produce $50 million annually
60
Q

What is the carrying capacity?

A

The maximum number of people (or species) an area of land can support

61
Q

What are the 2 main challenges in deserts?

A

Accessibility and climate

62
Q

What are some accessibility challenges in the Western desert?

A
  • Low population density means that parts of the W.D lack roads
  • An elderly tourist died of dehydration after becoming lost after attempting to drive off road
  • Accessibility is severly limited in areas of Nevada north of Vegas
63
Q

What are some climate challenges in the Western desert?

A
  • The water will run out in Vegas making the city very unsustainable
  • The exteme temperatures makes it dangerous if your car breaks down
  • Heat related illnesses
64
Q

What are some acceccibility solutions in the Western desert?

A
  • Railroad delvelopers in the late 1800s
  • Better roads were laid in the 1900s
  • Saloon bars, shops and hotels built in Vegas
  • Major cities reached directly by air-Vegas recieves over 40 million anually
65
Q

What are some of the climate solutions in the Western desert?

A
  • Adapted Native American housing
  • Fake grass for sports pitches
  • Flat roofs and whitewashed walls
  • Cowboy hats to reduce sunburn
  • Thick earth walls
66
Q

What were the solutions in the past for the water crisis in the Western Desert?

A
  • For centuries Cocopah people have been drawing Colorado water through canals to irrigate their foelds
  • Discovery of gold in 1849-gold rush
  • Large volumes of snowmelt in summer months however low flow between September and April
  • 1935 Hoover dam to control flow of the Colorado river-holds 2 years flow in Lake Mead
  • 1963 Glen Canyon dam
67
Q

What are the costs of dams and water transfer?

A
  • Silt and sand gets trapped bejind dames leaving dam water colder and species lost
  • Sandbanks along the sides of the river starved of sediment and are smaller-plant and animal loss
  • Region’s water security threatened by dams
  • 2014 lake Mead reached a record low level
68
Q

What are the benefits of dams and water transfer?

A
  • It brings water to cities through the western desert area
  • Aquoducts bring life
  • 1.4 million acres of irrigated land throughout colorado river basin- produce 15% of USA’s crops and 13% of its livestock
  • Rapid population growth means more tourism.
69
Q

What are the further problems of water transfer in the future?

A
  • People settling in ares not naturally habitable for humans
  • Phoenix taking the maximum share of water its allowed-future population growth
  • Future costs to the River Colorado’s Ecosystem
70
Q

What is a desert fringe?

A

Areas at the borders of hot deserts, where there is greater biodiversity and larger plants-also known as semi deserts, semi-arid areas and dry lands

71
Q

What is desertification?

A

The process by which fertile land becomes desert, especially as a result of drought, deforestation or inappropriate agriculture

72
Q

Where is the Sahel located and how many people live there?

A
  • Just south of the Sahara
  • 100 million
73
Q

What are the causes of desertification in the Sahel?

A
  • Population growth
  • Removal of fuel wood
  • Over-cultivation
  • Overgrazing
  • Soil erosion
74
Q

How can we tackle desertification in the Sahel?

A
  • Planting trees-‘the great green wall’
  • Reduced deforestation via (appropriate technology)-such as the energy efficient stoves-with a thermocouple
  • Selective pruning of trees
  • Bunds-rocks placed 20-25m apart to stop rainfall from escaping
  • Building terraces on sloped farmland
75
Q
A

Geography (8 decks)

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