Deforestation and land use Flashcards
What do humans use land for and what do this do in turn?
things like building, quarrying, farming and dumping waste
Less land available for other organisms
sometimes, the ——– we use —– has a —- —– on the ——
way, land, bad effect , environment
What is deforestation and why is it done?
cutting down of forests, sometimes on a large scale
- to clear land for farming
- cultivating crops that can be used to produce ethanol-based biofuels.
Problems of deforestation
cutting trees -> less co2 taken in from atmosphere via photosynthesis
Trees ‘lock up’ carbon they absorb during photosynthesis in their wood, means they remove it from atmosphere for years = remove trees = less locked up
Problems of deforestation
co2 released when trees burnt to clear land , microorganisms which feed on dead wood respire to produce co2 as waste product
Problems of deforestation
Biodiversity - define
More species = greater biodiversity
habitats contains lots of diff species of animals and plants so when they’re destroyed = danger of diff species becoming extinct = reduces biodiversity
What are bogs ?
areas of land that are acidic and waterlogged. Plants that live in bogs don’t fully decay when they die, because there’s not enough oxygen. The partly rotted plant gradually build up to form peat.
What is stored in peat
carbon in plants is stored in peat instead of being released into atmosphere
what occurs to the peat bogs?
they’re drained so area can be used as farm land or peat cut and dried to use as fuel. Also sold to gardeners as composts . Peat is being used faster than its formed.
When peat is ———, what occurs
drained
comes more in contact with air and some microorganisms start to decompose it, when these organisms die, they use oxygen and release co2 -> contribute to global warming
what gas is released when a peat bog is burnt to be used as —
fuel and the gas is co2
negative effects of destroying peat bogs
destroy habitat of some animals, plants and microorganisms -> reduce biodiversity
