Ecosystems

Question 1

Define ecosystem

Answer 1

A natural environment consisting of plants, animals and their surrounding physical environment

Question 2

What is a biotic factor

Answer 2

A living thing

Question 3

What is an abiotic factor

Answer 3

A non-living thing

Question 4

What are the primary producers of a food chain

Answer 4

Any plant - they use photosynthesis to make their food

Question 5

What is a primary consumer or herbivore

Answer 5

An animal that eats plants

Question 6

What is a carnivore

Answer 6

A secondary consumer that eats herbivore

Question 7

What is a top level carnivore

Answer 7

A carnivore that eats both other carnivores and herbivores e.g. a wolf or lion

Question 8

What is a trophic level

Answer 8

The level that an animal is on in a food chain e.g. primary producer, or top level carnivore

Question 9

What is biomass

Answer 9

Total mass or weight of an organism or animal

Question 10

What happens to the weight of biomass as we go up the trophic level

Answer 10

The biomass decreases

Question 11

What are some reasons that biomass weight decreases down a food chain

Answer 11

Many parts of plants or animals are not eaten e.g. bone is not eaten

Energy is lost at each level in several ways, for example for respiration, digestion etc

Question 12

What is an organism that breaks down dead matter called

Answer 12

Decomposer

Question 13

What is a detritivore

Answer 13

A bacteria or organism that breaks down dead material

Question 14

What is nutrient cycling

Answer 14

The constant movement of nutrition in an ecosystem

Question 15

What are the three nutrient stores in the nutrient cycle

Answer 15

Leaf Litter / Litter
Biomass
Soil

Question 16

What is interdependence

Answer 16

The dependence on other organisms by an organism e.g. animals are dependent on plants for oxygen, and plants dependent on animals for carbon dioxide

Question 17

What is an example of an ecosystem in the UK

Answer 17

Epping Forest

Question 18

Explain the nutrient cycle

Answer 18

A nutrient store is a plant, such as a tree. The plant periodically sheds its leaves as leaf litter, and the leaves fall on the ground as another store of nutrients. On the ground, composers such as detritivores decompose or break down the leaf litter so the nutrients are released into the soil, and the plants take in the nutrients from the soil, and the cycle continues

Question 19

What could be the effect of losing a significant number of a population of species in an ecosystem

Answer 19

There will be a disruption to the food chain, as the species who feed on that population may decline, and species which that organism normally feeds on may thrive, reducing overall competition

Question 20

Name some examples of biomes

Answer 20

Tundra or Cold Desert
Hot Desert
Tropical Rainforest
Deciduous forest
Coniferous forest
Savannah

Question 21

Where are tropical rainforest found and why

Answer 21

Equator - there is a high amount of insolation, so the air is heated rapidly. Due to this, the warm air rises, and cools and condenses at the top to create clouds and precipitation, and a low pressure system

Question 22

Name the largest rainforest

Answer 22

Amazon Rainforest

Question 23

Describe the climate in tropical rainforests

Answer 23

Moist, humid, temperature exceeding 26 degrees C, often over 2500mm of rain

Question 24

What is the vegetation like in a tropical rainforest

Answer 24

A lot of biodiversity, trees that can grow to 30-45m tall

Question 25

What is the soil quality like in tropical rainforests

Answer 25

The soil quality is poor because most of the nutrients are stored in the plant biomass or leaf litter

Question 26

What are the four layers of a tropical rainforest

Answer 26

Shrub layer Undercanopy Canopy Emergent Layer

Question 27

What is the main competition for plants in tropical rainforests

Answer 27

Sunlight

Question 28

What are some adaptations of plants in the tropical rainforest

Answer 28

Large leaves to absorb maximum sunlight Buttress and stilt roots to support large weight Drip tips to prevent leaves and branches from snapping Epiphytes - plants that live on the surface of other plants for sunlight

Question 29

What is a symbiotic relationship

Answer 29

The relationship between a plant and an animal

Question 30

What is an example of a symbiotic relationship

Answer 30

An animal may eat a fruit and deposit the seeds of that fruit in another part of the forest, helping to pollinate that plant

Question 31

What is the rate of deforestation in South America

Answer 31

One football pitch of rainforest lost every five seconds

Question 32

What are the eight different causes of deforestation in the Amazon

Answer 32

Logging Road use HEP Settlement Hunting and poaching Cattle ranching Crop farming Mineral extraction

Question 33

What us the biggest cause of deforestation in the Amazon

Answer 33

Cattle ranching - accounts for 10%

Question 34

What are some local impacts of deforestation

Answer 34

Soil erosion Loss of indigenous tribes Local climate change River pollution Conflict

Question 35

What are some global impacts of deforestation

Answer 35

Global Warming Loss of biodiversity

Question 36

How many species are lost every year from deforestation

Answer 36

50,000

Question 37

What are some natural resources that can be harvested from rainforests

Answer 37

Wild fruit Natural medicine Rubber Cocoa Rope Banana Vanilla

Question 38

What is the name given to the rainforest due to its ability to absorb large amounts of carbon

Answer 38

Carbon sink

Question 39

What are four ways that tropical rainforests can be managed sustainably

Answer 39

International Agreements Debt reduction Non-Governmental Organisations National Government law enforcements

Question 40

Name some ways that deforestation can be managed

Answer 40

Selective logging Replanting Agroforestry Stopping illegal logging Les destructive mining Creating a biosphere reserve Eco-tourism

Question 41

What is the definition of a hot desert (in terms of rainfall)

Answer 41

Less than 250 mm of rainfall a year

Question 42

What are four opportunities for development in the Western Desert

Answer 42

Mineral Extraction Tourism Energy Farming

Question 43

What is the name of the largest open pit mine located in the Western Desert

Answer 43

Bingham Mine, Utah

Question 44

Give the name of two national parks in the Western Desert

Answer 44

Joshua tree national part Grand Canyon national park

Question 45

Approximately how many visitors a year visit Las Vegas?

Answer 45

37 million

Question 46

Name two types of energy that can be harnessed in the Western Desert

Answer 46

Hydro-electric Power Solar power

Question 47

Name two dams in the Western Desert

Answer 47

Hoover Dam Glen Canyon Dam

Question 48

How much of Colorado's water supply are farmers allocated

Answer 48

80%

Question 49

What are the two types of challenges that development in the Western Desert faces

Answer 49

Accessibility Climate

Question 50

What is a desert fringe

Answer 50

Areas at the borders of hot deserts, where there is greater biodiversity

Question 51

What is desertification

Answer 51

The process where fertile land becomes desert

Question 52

What can cause desertification

Answer 52

Drought Inappropriate agriculture Deforestation

Question 53

What is an example of a desert fringe which is experiencing desertification

Answer 53

The Sahel Region Africa

Question 54

What are the physical causes of desertification

Answer 54

Long term reduction in rainfall Global warming is causing unpredictable fluctuations in rainfall

Question 55

What are the demographic factors of desertification

Answer 55

High birth rate causes strain on agriculture Migration - causes more desertification due to more inappropriate agriculture

Question 56

What are the human factors of desertification

Answer 56

Overcultivation Overgrazing Chopping wood for building and fuel

Question 57

What are three methods of reducing the effects of desertification

Answer 57

Bunds - trap water and cause infiltration Selective pruning Appropriate technology - efficient stoves use less energy and can also charge phones Planting trees