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Eleanor Rowe Geography GCSE > Biomes > Flashcards

Biomes Flashcards

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1
Q

What is an ecosystem

A

A unit that includes all the biotic (living) parts and and the abiotic (non living) parts in an area

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2
Q

Example of biotic thing in ecosystem

A

Plants animals

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3
Q

Example of abiotic thing in ecosystem

A

Soil and climate

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4
Q

What is a producer

A

Organism that uses sunlight energy to produce food

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5
Q

What is a consumer

A

An organism that gets its energy by eating other organisms

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6
Q

What is a food chain and a food web

A

A food chain shows what eats what

A food web shows lots of food chains and how they overlap

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7
Q

What is a decomposer

With example

A

A organism that gets its energy by breaking down dead material eg bacteria

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8
Q

What happens when a dead martial is decomposed

A

Nutrients are released into the soil
They nutrients are then taken up from the soil by plants
The plants are eaten by consumers
The consumers die and return nutrients back to soil
Called nutrient cycling

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9
Q

What are the six main types of ecosystem in the world

A 
Grassland 
Tundra 
Temperate deciduous forest 
Polar 
Tropical rainforest 
Hot desert
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10
Q

What are the two types of grassland

A

Savannah and temperate

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11
Q

What is savannah grassland like

A

Distinct dry and wet seasons
Mostly grass vegetation
Found between tropics

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12
Q

What is temperate grassland like

A

Found at higher latitudes
More variation in temperature
Less rainfall
No trees

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13
Q

What is tundra like

A 
Found at high latitudes 
Very cold winters 
Short summer 
Little rainfall
No trees 
Moss vegetation 
Layer of permafrost
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14
Q

What is temperate deciduous forest like

A

Four distinct seasons
Warm summers
Mild winters
Rainfall all year round

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15
Q

What is tropical rainforest like

A

Found around the equator
Hot and wet all year
Dense canopies of vegetation with distinct layers

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16
Q

What is the polar region like

A

Cold and dry
Remains dark for several month
Plants can only grow for 2 months each year

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17
Q

What is the hot desert region like

A

Found either side of equator
Hot during day and cold at night
Cactus and shrubs dispersed in sandy soil

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18
Q

What is the climate of tropical rainforests

A

Same all year round no seasons

Hot weather around 28 degrees high rainfall

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19
Q

What is the soil like in the rainforest

A

Isn’t fertile as rain washes nutrients away

Only little nutrients on surface

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20
Q

What are plants like in tropical rainforests

A

Most trees don’t drop leaves
Tall trees
Dense cover of vegetation
Very little light on floor

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21
Q

What are the animals like in tropical rainforests

A

Contain more animal species than any other ecosystem

Many are brightly coloured and make lots of noise

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22
Q

What are people like in the rainforest

A

Home to many tribes that make living by hunting and fishing

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23
Q

What does interdependence mean

A

All parts of the ecosystem are dependent on each other

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24
Q

What causes the animal population to be so high in TR

A

Dense vegetation as plants pass on nutrients

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25
Q

What does deforestation do to the ecosystem in a TR

A

Adds to greenhouse effect so changes climate

Trees take up water so risk of drought increases

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26
Q

How have plants adapted in TR

A

Tall trees have big roots to support trunks
Plants have drip tops to run off water
Climbing plants up trees to get sunlight

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27
Q

How are animals adapted for TR

A

Strong limbs do spend day climbing
Suction cups for climbing
Birds have short wings to fly between trees
Camouflages
Nocturnal to feed when it is cooler to save energy
Swim to cross river channels

28
Q

How are TR stable and productive environments

A

It is hot and wet all year

Plants and animals don’t have to cope with changing conditions and there is always plenty to eat

29
Q

What is deforestation likely to lead to

A

Extinction of many species and loss of biodiversity

30
Q

What are the reasons of deforestation

A

Population pressure for new settlements
Mineral extraction
Energy development (build dams)
Commercial logging (build roads)
Commercial farming (cattle grazing and soya plantations)
Subsistence farming ( farmers can grow food for themselves and families)

31
Q

What are the environmental impacts of deforestation

A

No trees to stabilise soil leads to landslides and flooding
More water reaches soil so less nutrients
Increases co2 in atmosphere

32
Q

Economic impacts of deforestation

A 
Creates jobs 
Makes lots of money 
Destroys resources the country depends on eg timber 
Reduces attractiveness for tourists 
Livelihoods is local people destroyed
33
Q

How is the rate of deforestation changing

A

Rate is still very high however is slowing down

There are still hotspots where rate is increasing eg Borneo and Nigeria

34
Q

Fact file of the amazon rainforest

A

Largest on earth
Covers 8million km ^2
Since 1978 over 1million km^2 of it has been destroyed

35
Q

What were the main reasons of deforestation in the Amazon

A

Commercial (cattle ranching)

Small scale substinance farming for tribes

36
Q

What were the environmental impacts of deforestation on the amazon rainforest

A

Releases 100 billion tonnes of carbon

Losing 55 million tonnes of topsoil because of soil erosion

37
Q

What are the economic impacts of deforestation of the amazon rainforest

A

Farming makes lots of money for Brazil -$7 billion in 2008

Mining industry creates lots of jobs

38
Q

Why is it important to protect TR

A

To preserve its biodiversity
Species in the Tr may have medicines that have yet been discovered
Ecotourism will be reduced
Rainforests help regulate the climate and water cycle

39
Q

What is selective logging and how does does it manage the rainforest

A

Where only some older trees are felled
This is less damaging as the overall forests structure is kept
Allows it to regenerate

40
Q

What is replanting and how does it manage the rainforest sustainabily

A

When new trees are planted to replace the ones that were chopped down
Mean that there will be trees in the future

41
Q

What is ecotourism and how does it manage the rainforest

A 
Tourism that minimises damage to the environment and benefits local people
Only small number of visitors each time 
Litter is disposed of properly 
Provides income 
Trees aren’t cut down 
Been very successful in Costa rice
42
Q

What are international hardwood agreements and what do they do

A

Hardwood is used to make furniture
High demand for mahogany in rich countries mean that poor countries sell it
Hardwood trees are becoming rarer
There are agreements in place to make this illegal

43
Q

How does education help manage tropical rainforests

A

People know the impacts of deforestation and encourages them to buy products from sustainably manages sources
Some local people don’t understand the impacts of it
Educates people on alternative ways to make money

44
Q

How does reducing debt allow sustainable management of rainforests

A

Often poor countries allow logging and farming of rainforests to make money to pay off debt
Reducing debt means countries don’t have to do this and rainforests can be conserved in the future
Eg 2008 the USA reduced Peru’s debt by $25 million in exchange for rainforest conservation

45
Q

How does conservation sustainably manage rainforests

A

Places restrictions in areas of importance

Some countries set up funds for businesses to invest in and in exchange conserve the rainforest

46
Q

What is the climate like in polar environments

A 
Very cold 
Winters never above 10 degrees 
Lowest of -90
Low rainfall 
Clearly defined seasons
47
Q

What is the climate like in tundra

A

Max 10 degrees
Low -50
Low rainfall ( more in summer)

48
Q

What is the soil like in polar and tundra

A

Polar covered in ice sheets so no soil and few plants
Tundra soil is think acidic and not fertile
Normally layer of permafrost beneath soil that contains greenhouse gases

49
Q

What are the plants like in polar and tundra

A

Very few in polar

Plants grow slowly and not very tall

50
Q

What are the animals like in polar and tundra

A

Different species
Polar bears, penguins, whales, seals in polar
Lemmings, wolves, reindeer in tundra

51
Q

What are the people like in polar and tundra

A

Polar are almost inhabited

Tundra is home to indigenous people and oil and gas workers

52
Q

How are the tundra and polar regions interdependent

A

Nutrient cycle occurs

Melting ice caps has effect on whole ecosystem- leads to floods so habitats are ruined and plants can’t grow

53
Q

How have plants adapted in the polar and tundra region

A

Plants don’t grow in winter
Plants are small to protect from wind
Leaves are small to limit moisture lost

54
Q

How have animals adapted to tundra and polar

A

Have thick fur coat for insulation
Hibernate
Can survive on limited food
White coats to camouflage

55
Q

Is the polar and tundra high in biodiversity or low

A

Low

56
Q

What are the development opportunities in the Alaska tundra

A

Oil and gas- over half of Alaska’s income comes from this industry
Mineral resources eg the tintina gold belt
Fishing
Tourism

57
Q

What are the three main challenges for development in Alaska

A

Extreme temperature
Inaccessibility
Buildings and infrastructure

58
Q

How is extreme temperature in Alaska a challenge

A

Exposure to extreme cold can cause injury or death, which limits tourism, and healthcare is far away

59
Q

How is inaccessibility a challenge for development in Alaska

A

It’s mountainous terrain makes it difficult to get around and it is expensive to do so
In winter the only way to get around is by air or on dangerous ice roads
In summer there is no roads as the ground is too muddy and soft
People in small towns may be a long way from employment opportunities

60
Q

How is buildings and infrastructure a challenge for development in Alaska

A

Difficult to build buildings that can cope with ground and weather
Construction work can only take place in short summer

61
Q

Why is the trans Alaska pipeline on stilts

A

So it doesn’t melt the permafrost making the ground unstable

62
Q

Why are cold environments worth conserving

A

They provide habitats for organisms
Scientists can study wild plants and animals
They are natural ecosystems
They are the last remaining areas that haven’t been altered by human activity

63
Q

How are cold environments fragile

A

Plant growth is slow so if they are damaged it is bad

Species are highly specialised so find it difficult to adapt to change

64
Q

How does the use of technology help balance conservation with economic development in cold regions

A

Modern construction methods minimise environmental impacts eg elevating buildings on poles or building on gravel beds can prevent mending of permafrost

65
Q

How can conservation groups help balance conservation with economic development in cold regions

A

They pressure governments to protect cold environments that we at risk or have been damaged
Eg WWF encourages sustainable management of cold environments

66
Q

How does international agreements help balance conservation with economic development in cold regions

A

The 1959 Antarctic treaty limited 100 visitors at a time to go to Antarctica, meaning wildlife isn’t disrupted

67
Q

How does the role of governments help balance conservation with economic development in cold regions

A

Unregulated development can damage the environment
Governments make laws to protect cold environments
Eg 1964 wilderness act the designated certain areas and protected them from development including large parts of Alaska

Eleanor Rowe Geography GCSE (7 decks)

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