B18 - Biodiversity And Ecosystems (Y11 - Spring 2)

Question 1

🟠 Where Does Pollution Occur

Answer 1

Pollution can occur:
• in water, from sewage, fertiliser or toxic chemicals
• in air, from smoke and acidic gases
• on land, from landfill and from toxic chemicals.

Question 2

🟠 What does Pollution do and what is its affect on Biodiversity

Answer 2

Pollution kills plants and animals which can reduce biodiversity.

Question 3

🟠 How do Humans reduce the amount of land available for other animals and plants

Answer 3

Humans reduce the amount of land available for other animals and plants by building, quarrying, farming and dumping waste.

Question 4

🟠 How Does The Destruction of Peat Bogs Affect Biodiversity + Global Warming

Answer 4

The 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 microorganism species that live there (biodiversity).

The decay or burning of the peat releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Question 5

🟠 What are some of the Biological Consequences of Global Warming

Answer 5

Loss of habitat - When low-lying areas are flooded by rising sea levels, habitats will be lost and so will the biodiversity of the area.

Changes in distribution - As temperatures rise or fall, and rainfall patterns change, climate change mah make conditions more favourable for some animals and they may be able to extend their range. Other may find that their range shrinks. Some will disappear completely from an area or country.

Changes in migration patterns - As climates become colder or hotter, and the seasons change, the migration patterns of birds, insects, and mammals may change.

Reduced biodiversity - As the climate changes, mny organisms will be unable to survive and will become extinct, for example, the potential loss of polar bears as Arctic ice melts.

Question 6

🟠 What Gases contribute to Global Warming?

Answer 6

Levels of carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere are increasing, and contribute to ‘global warming’.

Question 7

🟠 What are Losses of Biomass due to

Answer 7

Losses of biomass are due to:
• not all the ingested material is absorbed, some is egested as faeces
• some absorbed material is lost as waste, such as carbon dioxide and water in respiration and water and urea in urine.

Large amounts of glucose are used in respiration.

Question 8

🟠 How is Biomass lost between different Trophic Levels?

Answer 8

• Not all organisms or parts of an organism are eaten by the stage above. For example, plang roots or animal bones may be left behind.
• Some of the biomass taken in is passed out and lost in the waste materials ir the organism, for example, faeces.
• Large amounts of biomass taken in at each trophic level are are used in respiration to transfer energy for the organism. Only a relatively small proportion is used to build new biomass on the organisms at the next trophic level. For example, very little of the plant biomass eaten by the herbivore in its lifetime is avaliable to be passed on to any carnivore that eats it.

Question 9

🟠 What are some Biological Factors affecting Local Food Security

Answer 9

• An increasing birth rate
• Changing diets in developed countries
• New pests and pathogens
• Environmental changes
• Cost of agricultural inputs
• Conflicts

Question 10

🟠 Food Security Definition

Answer 10

Food security is having enough food to feed a population.

Question 11

🟠 What Biological Factors are threatening Food Security

Answer 11

• the increasing birth rate has threatened food security in some countries
• changing diets in developed countries means scarce food resources are transported around the world
• new pests and pathogens that affect farming
• environmental changes that affect food production, such as widespread famine occurring in some countries if rains fail
• the cost of agricultural inputs
• conflicts that have arisen in some parts of the world which affect the availability of water or food.

Question 12

🟠 How can the Efficiency of Food Production be increased

Answer 12

The efficiency of food production can be improved by restricting energy transfer from food animals to the environment. This can be done by limiting their movement and by controlling the temperature of their surroundings.

Question 13

🟠 What are some Animals fed to Increase Growth

Answer 13

Some animals are fed high protein foods to increase growth.

Question 14

🟠 What are the World Population Growth Patterns

Answer 14

The world population has experienced an exponential period of growth between the 1800’s and today.

Question 15

🟠 How Is Pollution Caused From Increasing Population

Answer 15

Rapid growth in the 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, more pollution will be caused.

Question 16

🟠 How Is Land Pollution Created

Answer 16

• The more people there are, the more bodily waste and waste water from our homes (sewage) is produced. If human waste is not treated properly, the soil becomes polluted with unpleasant chemicals and gut parasites.

Question 17

🟠 *Examples Or How Land Pollution Is Created

Answer 17

• Toxic chemicals from industrial waste can poison soil for miles around, e.g Chernobyl
• Weedkillers and pesticides kill weeds but can also get into the soil and get leached into rivers and streams.

Question 18

🟠 How Is Water Pollution Created

Answer 18

• Pesticides, weedkillers, and nitrates are all used to try to maximise crop growth, which is neccessary for a growing population. These can be absorbed into the soil are washed into nearby streams and rivers.
• Increased levels of nitrates leads to more algae forming, which will eventually die, which leads to increased food from decomposers, which leads to a fall in levels in oxygen in the water. This means there isn’t enough water to support fish life, whoch leads to reeuce biodiveristy in these streams.

Question 19

🟠 How Does Reduction Of Peat Bogs Reduce Biodiversity

Answer 19

Peat is burnt as a fuel. It’s widely used by gardeners to improve their farm environment. Peat is formed very slowly so it is now being destroy faster than it is made. The destruction of peat bogs also means the destruction of organisms that depend on them, are more loss of biodiveristy.

Question 20

🟠 What Is Biomass Lost In

Answer 20

It’s lost in:

• Faeces
• Waste
• Keeping a constant body temperature
• The Biomass of the Decomposers

Large amounts of glucose are used in respiration.

Question 21

🟠 What Is Food Security

Answer 21

Food security is having enough food to feed a population. Simily growing sufficient food isn’t enough, as everyone must be able to access the food they need, by growig or buying it.

Question 22

🟠 How can we Limit the ‘Wasted’ Energy In Animals?

Answer 22

• Reduce energy by restricting movement so animals don’t use the energy moving around
• Control the ambient temperature so the animals don’t have to use energy to keep warm.