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Geography > Eco-systems > Flashcards

Eco-systems Flashcards

1
Q

What is an ecosystem

A

A living community of plants and animals

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2
Q

What are the three major components of an ecosystem

A

Animals, vegetation, physical natural environment

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3
Q

What are the attributes of a physical natural environment

A

Rainfall, soil, sunlight

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4
Q

What would happen if an attribute of the physical natural environment was taken away

A

It wouldn’t be an eco-system and it would disappear

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5
Q

What does biotic mean

A

Living, breathing

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6
Q

What does abiotic mean

A

Natural, not breathing

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7
Q

What depends upon and influences each other in an ecosystem

A

Each element, whether living or natural as they are all interrelated

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8
Q

What’s a producer

A

An plant organism that uses sunlight to produce food

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9
Q

What’s the foundation of an ecosystem

A

Producers

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10
Q

What’s a consumer

A

An organism that’s gets its energy by eating other organisms

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11
Q

What do consumers

A

Producers or other consumers

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12
Q

Name the 2 types of consumers

A

Carnivores and herbivores

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13
Q

What does a predator have to be at the top of the food chain

A

A carnivore

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14
Q

What’s a decomposer

A

An organism that gets its energy by breaking down dead material such as dead consumers and producers

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15
Q

Name some decomposers

A

Bacteria or fungi

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16
Q

What’s the nutrient cycle

A

The movement and exchange of organic and inorganic matter back into the production of living matter.

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17
Q

Where do plants get their nutrients from

A

The ground and sun

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18
Q

Where are rainforests found

A

Around the equator

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19
Q

What is the best example of a rainforest

A

South America

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20
Q

How many of the living species live in the amazon

A

96%

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21
Q

Where are first contact tribes on the economy scale

A

They are economically bottom of the developed world

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22
Q

What do animals in the rainforest posses

A

High levels of adaption

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23
Q

What is the climate like in a rainforest

A

Warm wet and humid

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24
Q

Name all layers of a rainforest

A

Ground layer, buttress roots, shrub layer, under canopy, lianas, upper canopy, emergents

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25
Q

Define adaption

A

Adaption is where a plant or animal that lives in an ecosystem has certain characteristics that help it to survive within a given climate

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26
Q

What are the major factors in a rainforest

A

Temps, rainfall and sunlight

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27
Q

What is there a lot of competition for in rainforests

A

Sunlight

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28
Q

What adaptions do leaves have in the rainforest

A

Drip tips and thick waxy leaves

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29
Q

What do drip tips and thick waxy leaves help the leaf to do

A

Helps repel moisture and prevents the growth of algae

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30
Q

Why is algae bad for leaves

A

It blocks out sunlight and reduces photosynthesis

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31
Q

What is an adaption of buttress roots

A

They grow outside the soil so that the roots have space to grow larger and therefore provide better stability for the trees

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32
Q

Name 2 adaptions of an emergent

A

Grow higher to get more sunlight

Don’t have excess branches

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33
Q

What are the two methods of deforestation

A

Burning and logging

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34
Q

Name the reasons why we cut down trees

A

Make space to use the woodland for quarrying, farming and mining
Use of the wood

35
Q

What rainforest is showing an increase of deforestation

A

Bolivian rainforests

36
Q

What country has the largest amount of rainforests

A

Brazil

37
Q

What percentage of the worlds rainforest is in Brazil

A

27 percent

38
Q

What is logging

A

Cutting down trees and transporting the logs to sawmills

39
Q

What is selective logging

A

The cutting down of trees that are mature or inferior to encourage growth of other trees

40
Q

What is mineral extraction

A

The removal of solid material resources from the earth

41
Q

What is commercial farming

A

Farming to sell produce for a profit

42
Q

Name all the impacts of deforestation (6)

A

Loss of biodiversity, global warming, climate change, soil erosion,river pollution, decline of indigenous tribes

43
Q

What have lots of plants in rainforests found to contain

A

Pharmaceutical ingredients that help treat and cure diseases

44
Q

What parts of plants and trees have indigenous tribes used for medicine

A

Bark,resin, roots and leaves

45
Q

How are we protecting the rainforests

A

Making large areas of it into nature reserves or national parks and allowing the resources and services of it to be used but in a controlled and sustainable way

46
Q

What is forest degradation

A

It’s the changes in the forest that negatively affect the way it’s services and resources work

47
Q

What are the values of the rainforest to people and environment

A

Provides shelter, food and earth for heating and cooking

Takes out carbon dioxide from the environment

48
Q

Define sustainable

A

Meeting the needs of yourself and others without damaging the forest for future generations

49
Q

Define conservation

A

Natural resources can still be used but must be used sustainably

50
Q

Define protection

A

The environment can’t be touched and humans cannot interfere, so that eco systems can find their own balance

51
Q

When was the push for more protected areas

A

2003

52
Q

What is my case study for cold environments

A

Alaska

53
Q

What are some characteristics of a cold environment

A

Abundance of snow
More cold days than mild
Sunlight gets reflected

54
Q

Name some characteristics of a tundra

A

Very cold winters
Warming period during summer
Berries grow
Wet

55
Q

Name some characteristics of a polar environment

A 
Always below freezing 
Solar radiation cannot penetrate the atmosphere 
No vegetation- only hardy mosses 
24hrs of dark/sun in winter/summer 
Dry
56
Q

What is the North Pole purely made out of

A

Ice

57
Q

What’s an alpine environment

A

A place that is only cold because of its altitude and it is not classes as a cold environment

58
Q

Where are polar environments found on the planet

A

Extreme north and south

59
Q

Where are tundra environments found on the planet

A

Between the warmer climates and the polar climates

60
Q

Where are penguins found

A

Antartica

61
Q

Where are polar bears found

A

Greenland

62
Q

Name a tundra food chain

A

Caribou moss, caribou, artic wolf, polar bear

63
Q

What is an active layer

A

The top 2-3 metres of soil that thaws during the warming period

64
Q

What is the population of Alaska

A

750,000

65
Q

Name some facts about Alaska

A

Largest of USA states
There is oil drilling near the border to Canada
Majority is Tundra

66
Q

What are some moving values of Alaska

A 
It's untouched landscape 
Oil drilling 
Mineral extraction 
Fishing
Tourism
67
Q

What are the impacts of the opportunities

A

Mining and oilfields destroys landscapes and environments

Fishing disrupts the food chain

68
Q

What are some problems with crude oil

A

It separates from water

It’s toxic and flammable

69
Q

What are the problems with oil drilling

A

Spillages can kill people as well as many animals

Spillages are hard to clear up and ruin habitats

70
Q

Describe the location of the ANWR

A

ANWR is located in the North-East of Alaska, it borders Canada,the Beaufort sea and Alaskas north slope

71
Q

What are the “fors” for drilling in the ANWR

A

Modern tech means you can extract without damaging the environment
The USA need oil and don’t want to depend on other countries

72
Q

What are the againsts for drilling in the ANWR

A

We should be investing in other forms of energy
Drilling Alaskan oil will not reduce the price of world oil
The ANWR is a wildlife refuge which means it’s protected area

73
Q

Define wilderness

A

Unhabited and untouched area

74
Q

What are the characteristics of a wilderness

A

Lots of vegetation
Diverse animals/shy animals
Unpolluted air

75
Q

What is the largest wilderness

A

Antartica

76
Q

What kind of a climate do wildernesses have

A

Extreme climates

77
Q

Are wildernesses accessible

A

No, they are usually inaccessible

78
Q

What are the reasons why we protect wildernesses

A

White snow and ice cover reflects sunlight and regulate the earth
Permafrost locks in methane
We need to maintain the ‘gene pool’ of wild species

79
Q

What are the 4 ways we protect wildernesses

A

Technology
International agreements
Government laws
Conservation groups

80
Q

How does technology help protect wildernesses

A

Modern construction methods can minimise environmental impacts

81
Q

How do international agreements help protect wildernesses

A

They recognise the importance of the place and put agreements in place to protect it

82
Q

How do conservation groups help protect wildernesses

A

They pressure governments to protect cold areas that are at risk of being damaged

83
Q

How do government laws help protect wildernesses

A

They can make laws to protect the areas

Geography (7 decks)

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