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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
Define adaption
Adaption is where a plant or animal that lives in an ecosystem has certain characteristics that help it to survive within a given climate
26
What are the major factors in a rainforest
Temps, rainfall and sunlight
27
What is there a lot of competition for in rainforests
Sunlight
28
What adaptions do leaves have in the rainforest
Drip tips and thick waxy leaves
29
What do drip tips and thick waxy leaves help the leaf to do
Helps repel moisture and prevents the growth of algae
30
Why is algae bad for leaves
It blocks out sunlight and reduces photosynthesis
31
What is an adaption of buttress roots
They grow outside the soil so that the roots have space to grow larger and therefore provide better stability for the trees
32
Name 2 adaptions of an emergent
Grow higher to get more sunlight | Don't have excess branches
33
What are the two methods of deforestation
Burning and logging
34
Name the reasons why we cut down trees
Make space to use the woodland for quarrying, farming and mining Use of the wood
35
What rainforest is showing an increase of deforestation
Bolivian rainforests
36
What country has the largest amount of rainforests
Brazil
37
What percentage of the worlds rainforest is in Brazil
27 percent
38
What is logging
Cutting down trees and transporting the logs to sawmills
39
What is selective logging
The cutting down of trees that are mature or inferior to encourage growth of other trees
40
What is mineral extraction
The removal of solid material resources from the earth
41
What is commercial farming
Farming to sell produce for a profit
42
Name all the impacts of deforestation (6)
Loss of biodiversity, global warming, climate change, soil erosion,river pollution, decline of indigenous tribes
43
What have lots of plants in rainforests found to contain
Pharmaceutical ingredients that help treat and cure diseases
44
What parts of plants and trees have indigenous tribes used for medicine
Bark,resin, roots and leaves
45
How are we protecting the rainforests
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
What is forest degradation
It's the changes in the forest that negatively affect the way it's services and resources work
47
What are the values of the rainforest to people and environment
Provides shelter, food and earth for heating and cooking | Takes out carbon dioxide from the environment
48
Define sustainable
Meeting the needs of yourself and others without damaging the forest for future generations
49
Define conservation
Natural resources can still be used but must be used sustainably
50
Define protection
The environment can't be touched and humans cannot interfere, so that eco systems can find their own balance
51
When was the push for more protected areas
2003
52
What is my case study for cold environments
Alaska
53
What are some characteristics of a cold environment
Abundance of snow More cold days than mild Sunlight gets reflected
54
Name some characteristics of a tundra
Very cold winters Warming period during summer Berries grow Wet
55
Name some characteristics of a polar environment
``` Always below freezing Solar radiation cannot penetrate the atmosphere No vegetation- only hardy mosses 24hrs of dark/sun in winter/summer Dry ```
56
What is the North Pole purely made out of
Ice
57
What's an alpine environment
A place that is only cold because of its altitude and it is not classes as a cold environment
58
Where are polar environments found on the planet
Extreme north and south
59
Where are tundra environments found on the planet
Between the warmer climates and the polar climates
60
Where are penguins found
Antartica
61
Where are polar bears found
Greenland
62
Name a tundra food chain
Caribou moss, caribou, artic wolf, polar bear
63
What is an active layer
The top 2-3 metres of soil that thaws during the warming period
64
What is the population of Alaska
750,000
65
Name some facts about Alaska
Largest of USA states There is oil drilling near the border to Canada Majority is Tundra
66
What are some moving values of Alaska
``` It's untouched landscape Oil drilling Mineral extraction Fishing Tourism ```
67
What are the impacts of the opportunities
Mining and oilfields destroys landscapes and environments | Fishing disrupts the food chain
68
What are some problems with crude oil
It separates from water | It's toxic and flammable
69
What are the problems with oil drilling
Spillages can kill people as well as many animals | Spillages are hard to clear up and ruin habitats
70
Describe the location of the ANWR
ANWR is located in the North-East of Alaska, it borders Canada,the Beaufort sea and Alaskas north slope
71
What are the "fors" for drilling in the ANWR
Modern tech means you can extract without damaging the environment The USA need oil and don't want to depend on other countries
72
What are the againsts for drilling in the ANWR
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
Define wilderness
Unhabited and untouched area
74
What are the characteristics of a wilderness
Lots of vegetation Diverse animals/shy animals Unpolluted air
75
What is the largest wilderness
Antartica
76
What kind of a climate do wildernesses have
Extreme climates
77
Are wildernesses accessible
No, they are usually inaccessible
78
What are the reasons why we protect wildernesses
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
What are the 4 ways we protect wildernesses
Technology International agreements Government laws Conservation groups
80
How does technology help protect wildernesses
Modern construction methods can minimise environmental impacts
81
How do international agreements help protect wildernesses
They recognise the importance of the place and put agreements in place to protect it
82
How do conservation groups help protect wildernesses
They pressure governments to protect cold areas that are at risk of being damaged
83
How do government laws help protect wildernesses
They can make laws to protect the areas

Geography (7 decks)

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