Biology - Triple 2 Flashcards

1
Q

What effect does an increasing population have on the environment?

A

Makes a bigger effect as are actions are more widespread and the environment for cannot adapt so therefore we have a bigger effect

  • more pressure on the environment as we take the resources we need
  • demand for higher standard of living so more luxuries made therefore more raw materials lost and more energy used in the manufacturing process therefore were taking more from the environment quicker
  • we will eventually run out as you cant replace non- renewable sources
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2
Q

Why is population increasing?

A

Because medicine and farming this has reduced the number of people dying from disease and hunger

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3
Q

Describe the Green House effect

A
  • the gases in the atmosphere absorb heat radiation from the sun like an insulating layer, but there is too many gases so the earth will increase in temperature this is called global warming
  • if this didn’t happen the earth wouldn’t be able to keep warm and would be cool
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4
Q

What does sequestered mean?

A
  • its when carbon dioxide is locked up in oceans, lakes and ponds, the green plants store carbon as carbon compounds
  • plants remove carbon dioxide in photosynthesis
  • carbon dioxide is locked in peat bogs
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5
Q

What is deforestation?

A

The removal of forests by cutting and burning

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6
Q

Why do you deforest?

A
  • provide timber
  • more land for farming
  • more food and rice fields or cattle
  • grow crops for biofuels
  • produce paper for wood
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7
Q

What are the main problems for deforestation?

A
  1. More methane in atmosphere
    - rice grown in warm, water logged conditions which are prefect for decomposers there release methane when respiring and cattle release methane
  2. More Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
    - carbon dioxide released when trees burnt as carbon contributes to atmospheric pollution
    - microorganisms feed on dead bits of wood released carbon dioxide as a waste product of respiration
  3. Less carbon dioxide taken in
    - cutting down trees means less carbon dioxide is removed from atmosphere as photosynthesis is reduced
  4. Less biodiversity
    - habitats like tropical rainforest have high biodiversity so when they are destroyed species become extinct
    - useful products can never be known about like medicine or food sources that are needed in the future
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8
Q

What are peat bogs?

A

Areas of land that are acidic and waterlogged

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9
Q

Why don’t plants in peat bogs fully decay?

A

They don’t decay as there is not enough oxygen, the plants gradually build up to form peat
- therefore the carbon in the plants is stored in peat instead of being released

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10
Q

What happens when peat bogs are drained?

A

They may be drained to be used a farmland, fuel and compost

- carbon dioxide is released which add to the green house effect

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11
Q

How do you reduce the number of peat bogs being drained?

A

Don’t buy peat free compost

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12
Q

What are the changes in the climate?

A
  1. Changes in weather pattern and climate- extreme unpredictable weather - high winds and flooding
  2. Rising sea levels - as the earth warms ice cals melt this causes the sea levels to rise
  3. Reduced biodiversity- climate changes will cause animals not to survive and become extinct
  4. Changing migration pattern- climates become hotter and colder and the season change the migration pattern
  5. Change in distribution- more widely distributed or they will expand range as climate change makes conditions more favourable or the range shrinks
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13
Q

What happens in fermentation?

A

Bacteria or yeast break down sugars by anaerobic respiration

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14
Q

What is the anaerobic fermentation of sugar equation?

A

Glucose > ethanol + carbon dioxide + energy

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15
Q

What is gasohol?

A

Ethanol + petrol

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16
Q

How does the fermentation of sugar happen?

A

Sugar cane juices or glucose can be derived from maize starch by the action of carbohydrase
- ethanol distilled to separate it from the yeast and remaining glucose

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17
Q

What are the advantages and disadvantages of ethanol?

A
\+carbon neutral 
\+ less polluting 
\+ gasohol 
- a of plants 
- long time 
- a lot of farmland
18
Q

What is a batch biogas generator?

A

Makes biogas in small batches

- they are manually loaded with waste which is left to digest, the by products are then cleared

19
Q

Why do fermentations or digesters need to be kept at certain temperatures?

A

To keep the microorganisms respiring

20
Q

Whats a disadvantage of biogas?

A

It cant be stored as a liquids as its pressure is too high so it has to be used straight away

21
Q

What is a continuous biogas generator?

A

Make biogas continually

  • waste is continuously fed in and biogas is produced at a steady rate
  • it can be used on a large time
22
Q

How does a biogas generator work?

A

Inlet for waste material to be put in
Outlet for digested material to be removed
Outlet where biogas can be piped to where it is needed

23
Q

What do you have to consider when designing a generator?

A

Cost - continuous more expensive than batch as waste has to be pumped and digested material pumped out all the time
Convenience - batch generators are less convenient as they have to be loaded and emptied and cleaned
Position - near a waste source and away from homes
Efficiency - produced about 35 degrees quickly if it falls below that production will be slower it also had to be insulated an no leaks

24
Q

What are the environmental effects of biogas?

A
  • carbon neutral
  • alternative to fossil fuel
  • no acid rain
  • methane not released
  • raw material cheap and rapidly available
  • digested material is a better fertiliser
  • waste disposal
  • wont have to collect wood
25
Q

What eutrophication?

A

The process by which excessive nutrients in water lead to very fast plant growth - when the plants die they are decomposed and this uses up a lot of oxygen so the water can no longer sustain animal life

26
Q

How does eutrophication work?

A
  1. Fertilisers from farming fields wash into streams, ponds and rivers
  2. Increase concentration of valuable minerals in the water
  3. Causes plants to grow quicker
  4. This increases competition for light and many plant organisms die
  5. Decomposed by microbial decomposers
  6. Reduced dissolved oxygen and animals cant survive so they die
  7. Eventually water looses aquatic animals
27
Q

What are the advantages of mycroprotein?

A

+ feed people with protein in third world countries
+ small space
+ grow quick
+ feed on waste material/ use waste material

28
Q

What are the compromise of food production ( battery farming)

A
  • battery farming is cruel as the animals live in unnatural and uncomfortable conditions
  • spread of disease is quick
  • power from fossil fuels to keep warm conditions
  • animals are given antibiotics which enter humans the microbes infect humans and resistant bacteria forms
  • fish stocks are low because fish are fed to intensively farmed animals
29
Q

What are the disadvantages of food miles?

A

They are transported along way from where they are produced this is expensive and bad for the environment
Therefore fossil fuels are added to the environment this caused global warming

30
Q

What are the problems with overfishing?

A
  • decreases fish stocks

- less fish will affect oceans food chains and some species will disappear

31
Q

How do you protect overfishing?

A
  • fishing quotas - limits on number and size of fish that can be caught in certain areas
  • net size - limits on mesh size and reduces the number of unwanted fish and younger fish allowing them to reach breeding age
32
Q

How do we pollute the land?

A
  • sewage
  • landfill
  • nuclear waste
  • toxins can build up in predators
33
Q

How do we pollute water?

A
  • fertilisers washed into lakes

- plants and animals rely on them

34
Q

How does sulphur dioxide form?

A

Reacts with oxygen when burnt

35
Q

How does nitrogen oxides form?

A

High temperatures

36
Q

How does acid rain form?

A

Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides dissolve in rainwater and react with the oxygen in air to form dilute sulphuric acid and nitric acid

37
Q

What is mycroprotein?

A

A type of protein produced by fungi it is used as a meat substitute

38
Q

How is mycroprotein made?

A
The fungus Fusarium is grown in a fermenter
Supplied with glucose syrup
Oxygen for aerobic conditions 
Nitrogen and other minerals 
It is then harvested and purified
39
Q

What is a hypothesis?

A

A possible explanation for a set of observations

40
Q

What is evidence?

A

Data that supports or contradicts a particular hypothesis