B17

Question 1

What is biodiversity ?

Answer 1

Variety of differnt species of organisms on earth , or within an ecosystem

Question 2

Why is high biodiversity important?

Answer 2

It makes sure the ecosystems are stable because different species depend on each other for things like shelters and food. Different species can also help to maintain the right physical environment for each other.

Question 3

Why is the population rising?

Answer 3

Medicines and farming methods , whcih have reduced the number of people dying from disease and hunger. Great for humans , but it has an effect on the world around us.

Question 4

How has population growth effected the environment?

Answer 4

Pressure eon the environment as we need more resources to survive . More raw materials are used as people are demanding a higher standard of living. One day we will run out of raw materials

Question 5

What has led to more waste?

Answer 5

Rapid growth of human population and an increase in the standard of living mean that increasingly more resources are used and more waste is produced unless waste and chemical materials are properly handled mor pollution will be caused

Question 6

How can pollution occur?

Answer 6

• water
• air
• land

Question 7

What is water pollution?

Answer 7

Sewage and toxic chemicals from industry can pollute lakes, rivers and oceans , effecting the plants and animals that rely on them fro survival(including humans). And the chemicals used on land (fertilisers , pesticides and herbicides) can be washed into water

Question 8

What is land pollution?

Answer 8

We use toxic chemicals for farming (pesticides and herbicides) we also bury nuclear waste underground and dump lots of waste in landfill sites

Question 9

What is air pollution?

Answer 9

Smoke and acid gases released intot he atmosphere cam pollute the air eg. Sulfur dioxide can cause acid rain.

Question 10

Why pollution is a problem?

Answer 10

Kills plans and animals , reduces biodiversity

Question 11

What is the temperature of the earth , how is it balanced?

Answer 11

Between energy it gets from the sun wnd the energy it radiates out into space.

Question 12

What do gases in the atmosphere do?

Answer 12

Act as an insulating layer . They absorb most of the energy that would normally be radiated out into space , and reradiated it in all directions (including back to earth) . This causes temperatures to rise.

Question 13

Why gases in the atmosphere are need?

Answer 13

There would be nothing to keep the enrgy in , making the world very cold

Question 14

Why is the earth heating up?

Answer 14

Increasing levels of greenhouse gases. This is global warming, which is a type of climate change and causes other types of climate change

Question 15

What are greenhouse gases?

Answer 15

Gases in the stmosphere thta keep nergy in. Main ones are carbon dioxide and methane

Question 16

Consequences of globalw amring

Answer 16

• loss of habittas, when low lying areas are flooded
• changes in distribution of species , due to the temperature /rain fall
• changes in migration patterns , of birds , insects and mammals could change due to the changing temperature
• reduced biodiversity- due to the climate change many organisms will be unable to survive in The changing conditions and will be at risk of becoming extinct

Question 17

What do humans use land for?

Answer 17

1) building,, quarrying , farming and dumping waste. So there is less land available for other organisms. Sometimes it requires deforestation or destruction of habitats like peat bogs.

Question 18

What is deforestation?

Answer 18

Cutting down trees in forests. Causes big problems on a large scale

Question 19

Why does deforestation take place?

Answer 19

• to clear land fro farming to provides food

- to grow crops from which biofuels based on ethanol can be priduced

Question 20

How does burning trees reduce carbon dioxide taken in?

Answer 20

• cutting down trees measn amount of co2 removed from atmosphere during photosynthesis is reduced
• trees lock up some of the carbon that they absorb during photosynthesis in their wood, which can remove it from atmosphere for hundreds of years. Removing trees means that less is locked up

Question 21

How deforestation leads to more carbon in the atmosphere?

Answer 21

• co2 is released when trees are burnt to clear land

- microorganisms feeding on dead wood released carbon dioxide as a waste product of respiration.

Question 22

How does deforestation lead to less biodiversity?

Answer 22

-habitats like forests contain huge numbers of species of plants and animals , so when they are destroyed there is a danger of many species becoming extinct , biodiversity is reduced.

Question 23

What are bog?

Answer 23

Areas of land that are acidic and waterlogged. Plants that live in bigs dont fully decay when, they due , because theres not enough oxygen. The partly rotted plants gradually build up to for, peat.

Question 24

Forms of beat bog?

Answer 24

Carbon in the plants are stored in the peat instead of being released. Peat bogs are often drained so the area can be used as farmland , or peat is cut up and dried to use as fuel. Also sold for compost, peat is being used fast than it is formed.

Question 25

How peat bogs being destroys add carbon to the atmosphere?

Answer 25

Destruction of peat bogs and other areas of peat to produce garden compost , reduces the area of this habitat and thus the variety of different plant , animal and microorganisms species that live there (biodiversity). Burning this releases carbon into the atmosphere

Question 26

How can we maintain biodiversity?

Answer 26

• bredding programs for endangered species
• protection and regeneration of rare habitats
• reintroduction of field margins and hedgerows in agricultural areas where farmers grow only one type of crop
• reduction of deforestation and carbon dioxide emissions by some governments
• recycling resources rather than dumping waste in landfills

Question 27

How are humans negatively effecting biodiversity?

Answer 27

• polltuion
• deforestation
• misuse of land
• global warming