Case Study- Land Use Change In Madagascar

Question 1

What effect has land use change due to agricultural land had on biosphere?

Answer 1

-evaporation from vegetation is reduced
-species diversity is reduced
-biomass is lost due to reduced plant growth

Question 2

What effect has land use change for agricultural use had on the water cycle?

Answer 2

-Infiltration is decreased
-flood peaks are higher and lag time is shorter
-increased discharge leads to flooding
-seasonality of rainfall increases

Question 3

Impact on soil?

Answer 3

-biomass is lost due to reduce plant growth
-rapid soil erosion leads to loss of nutrients
-increased leaching, nutrients lost

Question 4

Effect on the atmosphere

Answer 4

-oxygen content is reduced and transpiration rates are lower
-reduced evapotranspiration makes it less humid
-evapotranspiration rates from grasslands are about 1/3 that of the tropical rainforst