Biodiversity and the effect of human interaction on ecosystems (7.3) Flashcards
What does the rapid growth in the human population and an increase in the standard of living mean?
increasingly more resources are used and more waste is produced
More pollution will be caused unless what happens?
unless waste and chemical materials are properly handled
3 needed
Where can pollution occur and what are the sources of these?
- in water, from sewage, fertiliser or toxic chemicals
- in air, from smoke and acidic gases
- on land, from landfill and from toxic chemicals.
What s pollution’s impact on biodiversity?
Pollution kills plants and animals which can reduce biodiversity
4 ways
How do humans reduce the amount of land available for other animals and plants?
- building
- quarrying
- farming
- dumping waste
Why do humans destroy peat bogs and other areas of peat?
to produce garden compost
What is the impact of destroying peat bogs and other areas of peat?
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).
What is the atmospheric impact of decay or burning of heat?
The decay or burning of the peat releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere
What is happening to the levels of methane and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere? What does this lead to?
Levels of carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere are increasing, and contribute to ‘global warming’ (as greenhouse gases trap more energy inside Earth’ atmosphere, causing increased global temperatures)
Why does a scientific consensus exist for climate change?
due to systematic reviews of thousands of peer reviewed publications
Why is climate change disputed?
Due to contradictory evidence (e.g. temperature has risen and dropped over Earth’s lifespan)
What are some of the biological consequences of global warming?
- climate change
- rise in sea levels
- glaciers/ice caps melting
- forest fires
- habitat destruction
- effect on organisms (reduced biodiversity)
- extinction / migration
This is not the specification list, the specification only ask you to ‘describe some of the biological consequences of global warming’ - so just be logical
7 points
Describe the process of eutrophication
Fertiliser goes into river
fertiliser causes growth of algae/plants
(algae/plants) block light
which causes algae/plants to die
microorganisms break down organic matter of plants
aerobic respiration by microorganisms uses oxygen
this decreases the oxygen concentration in water
What has caused increasingly more resources to be used and more waste to be produced?
rapid growth in the human population
an increase in the standard of living
