Ecology - Human Impacts On The Environment Flashcards
What is biodiversity
Variety if different species of organisms on earth or within an ecosystem
What is independence
Species depend on each other for things like shelter and food. A high biodiversity means one species is less likely to have to rely on a different single species
Name 3 human activities that are decreasing biodiversity
Waste production, global warming and deforestation
Why does increased population lead to a greater strain on the environment
We are taking more resources
People have a higher standard of living so we use more raw materials and more energy for the manufacturing process
What is water pollution
Sewage and toxic chemicals pollute lakes, rivers and oceans affecting the plants and animals that rely on them for survival
Chemicals used on land eg fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides can be washed into water
What causes land pollution
We use toxic chemicals for farming
We bury nuclear waste underground
Landfill sites
What pollutes the air
Smoke and acidic gases
Eg burning fossil fuels releases sulphur dioxide wich mixes with clouds to form dilute sulfuric acid eich falls as acid rain .
Explain the greenhouse effect
Gasses in the at.osphere absorbed mist of the energy that would normally be radiated back into space and reraideates it in all directions including back towards earth this increases the temperature of the planet
What is global warming
Earth gradually warming due to increasing levels of greenhouse gasses
Global warming is a type of climate change
Why are sea levels rising and what are the effects
As the sea gets warmer it expands causing sea level to rise. Ice caps melt and run into sea causing sea to rise
Effects - flood low lying areas like the Neverlands, resulting in loss of habitat
What is the distribution of organisms and how will climate change effect it
Where organisms are usually found within a certain area. If the climate changes, distribution of species will change
Some species will become more widely distributed as conditions they thrive in will exist over a wider area and other less widely distributed.
What will happen to migration
Some animals may migrate further or smaller distances and some animals might not migrate at all
What are 4 reasons for deforestation
Timber
Mining
Cattle grazing
Crops
What are 4 human activities that decrease the amount of land in the wild
Building
Quarrying
Farming
Dumping waste
What are 3 problems causes by deforestation
Less biodiversity so species may go extinct and we reduce thr chance of finding ingredients for new foods and medicines
More co2 released when trees burned and microorganisms feeding on bits of dead wood also release co2 as a waste product of respiration
Less co2 taken in
