Battle for the Biosphere Flashcards
what is a Biosphere?
The part of the earth surface inhabited by living things
what is an ecosystem ?
a unit made of living things and their non-living environment.
what is a biome?
A world scale ecosystem
The influence of climate , altitudes and soils on biomes depends on what differences?
1 Temperature and seasonality
2Rainfallfall amount and seasonality
3 altitude
4geology and soils
What factor are included in the average temperatures of biomes?
Weather it ever freezes
length of the growing season ( average temperature needs to be above 6degrees for plants to grow)
what are the goods of Biomes ?
They are items produced by a biome that are of value to us e.g. food crops.
What are the services of biomes?
Those things that are provided by a biome to satisfy our needs e.g. Nutrient cycle.
give examples of services that you would get from a tropical rainforests biome
Carbon dioxide is a vital part of a rainforest , if it were to disappear global carbon dioxide levels would rise considerably.
Rainforests soak up loads of rain water and prevents flooding.
soils are protected from direct sunlight from rainforest trees . without this coverage a hard crust called laterite forms and solids become unusable.
Give examples of good that you would get from a tropical rainforest biome.
Hardware such as timber , teak , mahogany etc. are a valuable resource provided by rainforests.
Many tropical plants are used in industry - oil , resins , rubber and dyes all come from the rainforest.
Give examples of direct threats to the rainforests
New roads - the rainforest is being opened up.
Cattle ranching- Large areas are chopped down to produce beef.
The soya craze- Large areas are chopped down to grow soya beans.
Government policies- Governments are using rainforest lands to build dams and encouraging people to grow crops.
Logging companies-The rainforests is made up of valuable hardwoods
Mining companies- The rainforest if full of minerals
What are the indirect impacts on the biosphere
CLIMATE CHANNGE - increased green house gas emissions and increases in particles and pollutants.
IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE- changes in weather patterns. Changes in temperature. Changes in sea levels .More extreme weather events.
EFFECTS ON TROPICAL RAINFORESTS-tropical rainforests dies back as climates become arid . Migration of animals and new species. Species may become stressed and it van lead to extinction.
CASE STUDY: How do we conserve the Biosphere ?
The cities treaty ( convention on international trade in endangered species ) It was signed in 1973. It protects 34,00 species of animal and plant by banning trade on them. So it is now illegal to trade an elephants tusks for ivory , or export rare plants for their herbal remedies. It is hoped that Cities will reduce illegal hunting , poaching and plant collection.
National parks- preserve landscapes in the UK and the USA . The lake district was the first National park and their are now 15 in total. In the UK the land is privately owned However in the USA the 59 National parks is owned and managed by the government.
UNESCO- These contain three zones ; a core protected zone , a buffer zone and a intermediate zone where people live and work .
