B18 Flashcards
what is biodiversity
the number of different species in an area
why is biodiversity good
- ensures a stable ecosystem
- reduces the dependency of 1 species on another
- food and shelter
what are some of the impacts humans have on earth
- global warming and climate change
- deforestation
- building buildings
- pollution
what 3 things have lead to the human population growing
- no natural predators
- enough food
- curing diseases
how do humans reduce land for other animals
- farming, building, quarrying, landfill
what is pollution
- the addition of substances to the environment which may be harmful
how can humans pollute the water
- sewage, fertilizer and chemicals going into the water
how can humans pollute the land
from landfill and toxic chemical from things like pesticide
how can humans pollute the air
from smoke and acidic gases
what is bioaccumulation
when toxics build up in a food chain
what is eutrophication
when water becomes too filled with algae which blocks the sunlight and may lead to oxygen depletion
what are the steps leading to eutrophication
1- nutrients from fertilizers get washed into a lake
2- the nutrients cause aquatic plants to flourish like algae
3- the algae block the sunlight which means that plants at the bottom cant photosynthesise and so they die and so the oxygen in the water depletes
4- dead plants are broken down by decomposers using up even more oxygen
5- the ecosystem dies
what are bioindicators
things which indicate how polluted water is
what is combustion
the scientific word for burning
what is a combustion reaction
when a substance reacts with oxygen from the air and transfers energy to the surroundings as heat and light
what is a combustion reaction
when a substance reacts with oxygen from the air and transfers energy to the surroundings as heat and light
how is acid rain formed
nitric acid and sulphuric acid are produced from factories when they burn fossil fuels and react with oxygen in the air to produce nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide then get blown from 1 place to another by the wind. they get dissolved in rain and snow in the clouds and then cause the rain to turn slightly acidic
what is deforestation
when natural forests are burnt through burning or slashing methods
what are some of the reasons for deforestation
- land for cattle
- land for farming crops
- land for biofuels
what are some of the consequences to deforestation
- less photosynthesis to take place
- carbon dioxide trapped in the logs will be released so global warming
- biodiversity would be reduced
what are peat bogs
areas of land where peat grow with acidic soil which is waterlogged (full of water)
what is peat
a substance made from half rotted plants and moss are built up
what happens in peat bogs
due to the water carbon dioxide is trapped in the peat
what happens when peat is drained
water is removed so oxygen is allowed to flow into it so bacteria can start to decompose the half rotted plants that make up the peat so biodiversity is reduced
what are 3 environmental factors which affect biodiversity in an area
- temperature
- water availability
- composition of the air
what are 3 animalistic factors which affect biodiversity in an area
- migration
- reduction in food or water
- loss of habitats
what are some ways people are trying to reduce the negative impacts we have
- breeding programmes for endangered species to grow
- protection and regeneration of rare habitats
- recycle and reduce
- reduction of deforestation and carbon dioxide emissions
what is biomass
the dry mass of an organism
what is a trophic level
the position of an organism in a food web, chain or pyramid
what are the key concepts of biomass
- nearly all creatures are made up of biomass first made by plants
- biomass can be transferred through the food chain or web
- its the dry mass of biological matter
- fossil fuels are not considered biomass as they are the dead remains of organisms which have been chemically changed
what are heterotrophs
organisms which do not produce their own energy
what are chemotrophs
organisms which get their energy from inorganic substances
why are biomass pyramids always pyramids??? (and its not cause they’re drawn pyramid)
as it shows the transfer of the original biomass made by the plant
what do biomass pyramids look like
like boxes stacked up onto each other starting with the biggest and ending with the smallest
what are some key concepts with biomass transfers
- 1% of the incident light is used by plants to make biomass
- 90% of the biomass transferred is lost each transfer between the trophic levels
what is malnutrition
when a persons diet doesn’t contain the right nutrients so they are either undernutrition or overnutrition.
what is food security
having enough food to feed a population
what are the 3 aspects of food security
1- production of the food
2- local consumption of the food
3- export of the food
what are some of the biological factors affecting food security globally
1- high birth rate
2- new pests and pathogens affecting crops and cattle
3- cost of agriculture increasing
4- environmental changes
5- changing diets of populations
6- conflict resulting in the destruction of farm land and the availability of food
what is food security
when people have access to enough safe and nutritious food to meet their requirements for a healthy life which is gained in ways which is sustainable for the planet in the future
why is food security important
allows the world’s population to be fed
what can we do to maintain food security
- Clearing land for agriculture
- Application of fertilisers
- Application of pesticides
- Application of herbicides
- Selective breeding
- Genetic modification
- Improved irrigation
what is a GMO
it’s a genetically modified organism which includes an additional helpful gene to the organism.
what are some traits given to crops via genetic modification
- drought resistance
- flood resistance
- increased nutrients
what is mycoprotein
a protein made by a fungi
how is mycoprotein collected
It is made by the fungus Fusarium and grown in aerobic conditions on glucose syrup.
what is the use of mycoprotein
its a protein-rich meat substitute to vegetarians
give me an example of an gmo
golden rice
