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Biology > B19 - Human influences on ecosystems > Flashcards

B19 - Human influences on ecosystems Flashcards

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AP® Biology flashcards Biology 101 flashcards
1
Q

describe ecosystem

A

a unit containing the community of organisms and their environment, interacting together

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2
Q

describe biodiversity

A

the number of different species that live in an area

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3
Q

what are 3 main reasons for habitat destruction?

A

-increased area for housing, crop plant production, and livestock production
-extraction of natural resources
-freshwater and marine pollution

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4
Q

what are 5 undesirable effects of deforestation?

A

-reducing biodiversity
-extinction
-loss of soil
-flooding
-increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere

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5
Q

what is an example of habitat destruction?

A

deforestation

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6
Q

what are 6 reasons why a species might become endangered?

A

-climate change
-habitat destruction/loss of habitat
-hunting
-overharvesting
-pollution
-introduction of non-native / foreign / alien species

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7
Q

endangered species can be helped by what 4 conservation measures?

A

-education (programmes)
-captive breeding (programmes)
-monitoring and legal protection of endangered species
-seed banks

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8
Q

what are abiotic factors? give 5 examples

A

non living factors
-temperature
-oxygen
-CO2
-light intensity
-water availability

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9
Q

what are biotic factors? give 4 examples

A

living factors
-predators
-food
-plants
-animals

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10
Q

where would high biodiversity be found in an environment?[3]

A

lots of different species which show a lot of variation and are living in, all evenly distributed across the study area

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11
Q

what are 3 human activities that are reducing biodiversity in ecosystems?

A

-waste production
-deforestation
-global warming

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12
Q

what 3 things do you use to calculate relative biodiversity?

A

-number of different species in an area
-total number of individuals in an area in an ecosystem
-even spread/distribution

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13
Q

if theres an even spread/distribution, what happens to the biodiversity?

A

increases

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14
Q

what are 3 ways that reduce biodiversity?

A

-monoculture (farming)
-over harvesting
-climate change/global warming/pollution

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15
Q

how does monoculture affect biodiversity?

A

theres a dominance of 1 species, not a variety, so biodiversity decreases

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16
Q

describe monoculture

A

a field of one crop

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17
Q

why are pesticides harmful to wildlife?

A

they don’t break down, they pass up the food chain and the pesticide level increases as it goes up the food chain

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18
Q

where is the DDT stored in the organism?

A

fatty tissue

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19
Q

what is biological control of pests?

A

using 1 species to control another - introducing foreign species sometimes

20
Q

what are 2 examples of increased land use?

A

-housing
-farming (crops for humans and farm animals and livestock)

21
Q

what are 4 effects of increased land use?

A

-uses valuable resources like space and water
-affects Earth’s atmosphere (more CO2 cause more respiration cause more animals)
-loss of biodiversity (monoculture)
-quality of soil decreases (loses minerals because all is used, so new crops don’t grow healthy)

22
Q

what are 5 examples of extraction of natural resources?

A

wood, stone, metal, gems, coal

23
Q

what are 5 effects of extraction of natural resources

A

-loss of habitat leads to loss of biodiversity
-disrupts food chains and webs
-could be extinction of some species
-increase in pollution and waste
-soil, air, and water quality reduced

24
Q

what are 5 examples of marine pollution?

A

oil spills, eutrophication, chemicals (toxins, carbon dioxide, agricultural waste

25
Q

what are 4 effects of marine pollution?

A

-ingestion -> animals may mistake plastic for food and eat it
-suffocation -> animals may be trapped in plastic (nets)
-carbon dioxide -> acidifies ocean and weakens the shell of animals with shells
-oil spills -> toxic to eat, kills organism’s food, blocks out light in water so organisms can’t photosynthesis so they can’t survive

26
Q

what is a example of freshwater pollution>

A

rubbish

27
Q

what are 4 effects of freshwater pollution?

A

-reduces water quality
-chemicals may leak out of rubbish
-causes sun blockage
-spoils scenery (leisure and tourism)

28
Q

what are 4 effects of untreated sewage/fertilisers?

A

-excess fertilisers/animal waste run off into bodies of water
-causes Eutrophication
-causes algae blooms which block sunlight from reaching the water below which lead sto low oxygen levels and kills aquatic organisms

29
Q

what are 4 examples of chemical waste?

A

bioaccumulation, DDT, Mercury, Pesticides

30
Q

what are 5 effects of chemical waste?

A

-fertilisers lead to eutrophication
-pesticides lead to bioaccumulation in organisms as they don’t break down
-kills organisms and their ability to reproduce
-can make water murky so sunlight can’t reach the lower levels which affects photosynthesis

31
Q

what are 2 effects of reducing biodiversity/extinction (deforestation)

A

-species go extinct so there are less animals
-disrupts natural food chains

32
Q

what are 2 effects of loss of soil?(deforestation)

A

-harder fo rnew trees to grow because soil nutrients are lost
-no tree roots to stabilize the soil so the soil is washed away into bodies of water

33
Q

what are 2 effects of flooding? (deforestation)

A

-trees slow down rain but because theres no trees, rain reaches ground directly
-because there are no tree roots to stabilize the soil, the soil is easily washed away, causing landslides and flooding

34
Q

what are 2 effects of increased carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere?(deforestation)

A

-trees use carbon and release oxygen during photosynthesis but there are less tress so less organisms that are using carbon
-trees are burned to destroy them but that the burning releases carbon (combustion)

35
Q

describe climate change

A

all organisms have an ideal temperature range so if they can’t adapt to a temperature change or other environmental condition fast enough, they could be endangered/go extinct

36
Q

describe habitat destruction

A

as a species’ habitat is destroyed, fewer of the organisms can be supported so the number starts to decrease and species could become endangered/extinct

37
Q

describe hunting

A

many species are hunted for food, fur, and medicine but hunters may think endangered species are non-endangered and endangered species may be hunted to extinction

38
Q

describe overharvesting

A

it disrupts food chains as the upper levels decreases for food loss and below levels increase for food gain. could lead to loss of sustainability, extinction, and loss of biodiversity

39
Q

describe introduced foreign species

A

foreign species often thrive in their new environment and may become invasive. native species can’t defend themselves again with invaders causing native species to die and foreign species to over populate as there are no native species to control the number of foreign species.

40
Q

describe monitoring and protecting endangered species

A

first monitor species numbers to identify endangered species, then protected areas are made to protect endangered species from threats such as hunting. (national parks, nature reserves -> development (building houses/farming) is restricted here allowing animals to be safe)

41
Q

describe education

A

teaching people about the natural world to help them understand the conservation and what they can do to help

42
Q

describe captive breeding programmes

A

animals are bred in captivity (zoos) and theres less infant death. some individuals are released into the wild to re-establish their population. there are certain factors that the animals need that the captive breeding programmes provide allowing the animal to reproduce easier.

43
Q

describe seed banks

A

the seeds of endangered plant species are kept in seed banks which have conditions necessary to keep seeds alive for along time. it protects and saves plant genetic diversity. seed banks are usually cold so that seeds don’t germinate.

44
Q

formula for biomass

A

total mass of living material in an organism x the number of organisms

45
Q

what is accumulation?

A

pesticides that don’t break down

46
Q

what is eutrophication caused by?

A

too much sewage or fertilisers (nitrate) is used so remainder is washed away

Biology (23 decks)

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