Chapter 6: Ecosystems Case Studies

Question 1

location of deserts?

Answer 1

between 15-30 degrees north and south of the equator

Question 2

annual temperature of deserts?

Answer 2

38 degrees celcius

Question 3

how does the atacama desert get moisture?

Answer 3

advection fog

Question 4

what is organic productivity of deserts?

Answer 4

90g/m2/year most of which occurs underground

Question 5

what type of plants are desert plants?

Answer 5

xerophytic, ephemerals or halophytes

Question 6

how long are acacia tree roots in the desert?

Answer 6

15m deep

Question 7

tropical grassland located?

Answer 7

5-15 degrees n and south of equator between rainforest and desert. they account for 20-40% worlds land surface area

Question 8

what is net primary productivity of grassland?

Answer 8

900g/m2/year

Question 9

annual temperature of grassland?

Answer 9

30 degrees celcius

Question 10

rainfall of grassland?

Answer 10

10-30 inches annual

Question 11

how has grassland baobab tree adapted to grassland climate?

Answer 11

has a trunk up to 10m in diameter and stores water. limited vegetation and thick bark to prevent water loss. they’re pyrophytic which means water resistant.

Question 12

how have humans helped vegetation produce in grassland?

Answer 12

humans have collected seeds and used left over charcoal to coat them , which helps them fertilise in the climate.

Question 13

how have dung beetles helped vegetation produce in grassland?

Answer 13

they are drawn to certain seeds due to their scent so the beetles bury them. this enables them to fertile and sprout.

Question 14

how do indicator species measure biodiversity?

Answer 14

eg; if stonefly are found in gravel river means that the river is healthy. however, subjective as it suggested we value certain species higher than others as we are more likely to use bird as an indicator rather than microbes.

Question 15

how does the living planet index measure biodiversity?

Answer 15

used to measure trend of vertebrate species and show change in numbers. it can quickly convey info about change and can be used to see how humans impact planet. however only used on vertebrates.

Question 16

how does species richness measure biodiversity?

Answer 16

very common. number of species there are but not the number of each species. good as it is doable and comparative and as a proxy measure. however doesn’t say how close some species are genetically when observing.

Question 17

how much did terrestrial species decline by from 1970-2010

Answer 17

39%

Question 18

latin america saw what decline from 1970-2010 on their lpi?

Answer 18

83%

Question 19

how has blanket bog been subject to change?

Answer 19

from dartmoor to shetland - we look at kinder solt in derbyshire.
over 7000 yr old
damaged by wildfire, people, overgrazing and pollution
most damaged bog in uk

Question 20

how have people tried to help kinder solt bog?

Answer 20

national trust 2011 began 5 yr plan with fencing and deposition of 500000 cotton pods to bind peat togther.
heather brash was replanted and also spread across bog to protect it from erosion.
small dams made to reduce erosion gullies and to keep it wet.

Question 21

why is kinder solt bog still in a perilous position?

Answer 21

draining of the bog which is causing decline in water table and the decline of sphagnum moss and decline of bog.
climate change causes wetter winter causing overland flow and erosion and increase temps cause more evaporation and drying of bog releasing co2.

Question 22

how has coral reefs in jamaica been subject to change?

Answer 22

found at about 30 n and s of equator.
jamaica coral reef area of 1240km2
2005 temp rose 2degree over average in July which caused bleaching. 34% oceans were bleached and some areas peaked 95%. mortality was 13%
also this decline led to epidemic of sea urchin 99% died caused algael bloom which caused coral to decline by 45%.
only 8% (2013) coral in reef is live

Question 23

how have people tried to help coral reefs in jamaica ?

Answer 23

marine protetced areas now account for 15% reefs. this prohibits fishing, sewage draining and general damage.
some coral can also acclimatise and coral bleached 4 1 year are able to handle warmer waters a decade later.

also globally, coral raceways and nurseries are being developed in australia with gov help and the sea caves are being trailed along papa new guinea and Africa to help growth.

Question 24

why are jamaicas coral reefs and global reefs still in a perilous position?

Answer 24

hurricanes such as allen (1980) damaged reef
drainage from hotels is poor damaging reefs.
climate change causing 2012 water rationing led to desalination plants pumping excess salt into seas causing damaged to reef.

Question 25

how have tropical rainforest been subject to change overall?

Answer 25

between 2000-05 amazon lost 132,000 km of forest.
shifted cultivators make up 2/3 of deforestation.
change in population, economic development and agricultural change.

Question 26

how have people tried to help tropical rainforest?

Answer 26

reduced impact logging. 12% more profitable and involves sectioning of land into 30 with one area used each year which enables regeneration. also leaves the oldest and protected species to enable them to regrow and works out the shortest ways to reach the felled trees which reduces amount of land destroyed for roads.
eco tourism also is good as it highlights the importance of being sustainable

Question 27

why are rainforests still in a perilous position?

Answer 27

collaspe of food web due to extinction of certain species.
brazilian gov offered good taxation which has led and causing further deforestation. low tax overvalues agriculture which makes it profitable. for example, mata grosso has the highest deforestation rate of 40% and is site for soya growth. scientists have also produced a new strain of soya which flourishes in the rainforest climate, further causing damage.

Question 28

how have tropical rainforest been subject to change due to economic development?

Answer 28

in manaus it firms are growing in number and workers have built bridge connecting amazon to open up south bank for development.
scientists argue that due to deforestation, agriculture would lose productivity by 34% in 2050.

Question 29

how have tropical rainforest been subject to change due to population change?

Answer 29

about 50,000,000 indigenous ppl in rainforests.
during 1900s 87 tribes were wiped out due to western disease.
in iranian saya 150000 people murdered by joltier (indonesian ppl)
in congo baka and other groups are forced to be settled as land was taken
in manuas (amazon) 70% of region is urbanised

Question 30

how have tropical rainforest been subject to change due to agricultural change?

Answer 30

slash and burn released minerals which enough extreme growth. however this leaves after a few years causing manure to be needed. some use it but is in water which damaged fish and it isn’t profitable. many farmers then leave causing shrub and grassland.
in plantations there is monoculture vulnerable to pests such as those in california. orangutans which find themselves in these monocultures are seen as pests and clubbed to death. un says by 2020 there were no live orangutans left in unprotected areas.

Question 31

tundra temperature?

Answer 31

-5 to -10 degrees

Question 32

tundra location?

Answer 32

between latitudes 55-70 north

Question 33

tundra rainfall?

Answer 33

less than 150mm

Question 34

tundra cover?

Answer 34

covers 20% earths surface

Question 35

other tundra facts?

Answer 35

only 1700 species

growing season is only 180 days

Question 36

how has tundra been subject to change due to mineral exploitation?

Answer 36

norilsk nickle largest employer in tundra region of russia and produces 13% global nickel, 44% worlds palladium.
it emmitted 350 000 tonnes of sulphur dioxide annually and emitted 1883000 tonnes of air pollution in 2015.
vladimir putin ordered air pollution had to decline or tax would increase so ceo potanin shut down the factory in2013 and was given cancelled export customs in 2016 as a gesture of goodwill.
norilsk argued emmission would be 15% less with closure but in 2015 only cleaned 5/28 million tonnes of waste water.
also other companies have continued to operate and filled the gap so damage is still being done.
also no vegetation grows 8km around the factory and it is damaged up to 200km away which is super sad.

Question 37

how has tundra been subject to change due to climate change?

Answer 37

biodiversity: red fox moved to tundra causing competition with vulnerable white fox. shrubs are growing taller which compromises the lichen that caribou depend on.
permafrost: extended 450m deep impacted by warmer temps. holds 1/2 times carbon in atmosphere and other gases. tundra now a contributor not sink and enables decomposition further emitting.

Question 38

how has tundra been subject to change due to arctic tourism?

Answer 38

1990 only 8000 cruise passengers but 1/4 million in 2016.in 2018 Russian arctic saw 20% rise in visitors. the tundra heats 2x faster than world so seen as last chance tourism. Quark expedition have a £28,000 tour which consists of a £500 hot air balloon ride over arctic.
Not much is being done but the international maritime code introduced a code in 2016 to ensure operations where properly equipped and safe for tundra and passengers (eg waste disposal). however it is not enforced and there is no current punishment.

Question 39

what management strategies have been used to combat tundra damage?

Answer 39

habitat conservation plans been established

in canada and russia biodiveristy plans have been established