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Geography > Ecosystems > Flashcards

Ecosystems Flashcards

1
Q

What is an ecosystem?

A

It is a community of interacting organisms that live alongside their physical environment.

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2
Q

What does biotic and abiotic mean?

A

Biotic-living organisms e.g. frog
Abiotic-non-living organisms e.g. sun

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3
Q

What is biomass?

A

It is the total quantity or weight of organic matter.

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4
Q

What is the trophic level of the food chain?

A

Tertiary consumers, secondary consumers, primary consumers and then primary producers.

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5
Q

What physical and human changes can occur in an ecosystem?

A

Drought, overhunting, waste from factories into rivers, deforestation, volcanic + meteoric, disease, invasive species, wild-fires, overfishing and urban sprawl.

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6
Q

Why does the width of a food chain go narrower?

A

It is due to energy and biomass being lost through carcasses and decomposition.

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7
Q

What happened in Yellowstone surrounding the wolves?

A

They became extinct in 1935 due to hunting but were reintroduced in 1995 due to an excess of deer forcing the ecosystem out of equilibrium. This therefore caused a trophic cascade and changed the deer’s behaviour, while causing other animals to thrive.

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8
Q

What are the characteristics of Epping forests food web?

A

Biodiversity with a large number of native tree species, a lower shrub layer of holly and hazel, many insects, mammal and bird consumer species and over 700 species of fungi.

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9
Q

What is the nutrient cycle in Epping forest?

A

Has a large store of biomass due to tall trees, has large soil store as there is plenty of humus and it loses nutrients during heavy rainfall periods.

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10
Q

How is the Epping forest ecosystem interdependent?

A

As the trees are deciduous, they lose their leaves in winter, which adapts to the UK’s climate. Allows them to maximise photosynthesis in summer and shedding leaves allows trees to conserve energy.

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11
Q

What is a biome?

A

Also known as a global ecosystem, a biome is a plant and animal community covering a large area of the earths surface.

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12
Q

Which biomes move as you move further North or South?

A

Tropical rainforests at the equator, deserts, tropical grasslands, temperate grasslands, deciduous forests, coniferous forests and tundra.

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13
Q

What are the different layers of the rainforest?

A

The emergent, the canopy, the understorey and the undergrowth.

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14
Q

What is the canopy like?

A

Overlapping branches + leaves, leaves come to a point, drier, hotter, shady and dense. Has sloths and small cats.

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15
Q

What is the emergent like?

A

Few and tall trees, shaped like umbrellas with long and thin trunks and thick waxy leaves. Most sunlight and strong winds. Hardwood evergreens and eagles and monkeys are found here.

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16
Q

What is the forest floor like?

A

The climate is dark and humid, with lots of decomposition with elephants, tigers and the jaguar living here.

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17
Q

What is decomposition?

A

It is the process by which fungi and microorganisms break down dead plants to recycle nutrients.

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18
Q

What is the under canopy like?

A

They have a tangle of shrubs and young trees, little sunlight with hot and damp conditions. They have jaguars, leopards and frogs living there.

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19
Q

What are the challenges a plant may face in the tropical rainforest?

A

Little nutrients, competition for sunlight, heat, trees being top heavy due to height, competition with other plants and the rain causing leaves to snap.

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20
Q

What are buttress roots?

A

Massive roots which give shallow soils chance to get water and hook into the ground.

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21
Q

What are stilt roots?

A

Similar to buttress, giving support.

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22
Q

What are red leaves?

A

They are for young plants who can’t photosynthesise and acts as a sunscreen.

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23
Q

What are lianas?

A

They are roots in the ground and climb on to other trees to maximise sunlight.

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24
Q

What is leaf angling?

A

It is where leaves are often arranged at different angles so plants avoid shading leaves.

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25
Q

What is drip tip?

A

Where the end of a leaf is flat to let water drip off so it doesn’t snap.

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26
Q

What are epiphytes?

A

These live on the surface of other plants, mostly trunks which make the most of the sunlight.

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27
Q

What is thin bark for?

A

It is moisture soaking and slipping so other plants can’t grow.

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28
Q

What are the 8 main causes of deforestation in the amazon?

A

Settlements, logging, hydroelectric power, hunting and poaching, commercial crop farming, cattle ranching, road development and mineral extraction.

29
Q

How fast does a football pitch worth of trees get deforested?

A

Every 5 seconds.

30
Q

How do settlements cause deforestation in the Amazon?

A

It is home to over 30 million people and only a small proportion are indigenous. The activities need workers and their families need homes and places to live, so this means forest needs to be cleared.

31
Q

How does logging cause deforestation in the Amazon?

A

Logging accounts for only 3% of the Amazons deforestation. Usually when emergents are taken down they bring other trees due to lianas. Smaller trees are used for wood and charcoal. Timber companies are only interested in the emergent hardwoods however which is called selective logging.

32
Q

How does hydroelectric power cause deforestation in the Amazon

A

It is prevalent due to the abundance of water but is damaging as vast areas are flooded upstream of the dams which means they are unsustainable. The trees rot in these lakes, making it acidic which corrodes the turbines of the dams so they become abandoned.

33
Q

How does commercial crop farming cause deforestation in the Amazon?

A

This is due to the unique rainforest climate accounting for 10% of the Amazon clearance. Crops grown include bananas and palm oil but just like cattle ranching the soil cannot be sustained. Sugar has become more prevalent being sold as biofuel which is ironic destroying the lungs of the earth.

34
Q

How does cattle ranching cause deforestation in the Amazon?

A

It accounts for 80% of the rainforest deforestation. As meat demand increases so will deforestation. The land is single use as well due to the soils losing fertility when not being fed by leaf litter. As a result, the cattle farmers move on and destroy more to create land for pasture.

35
Q

How does road development cause deforestation in the Amazon?

A

It is required to develop Brazil and transporting people through the trans Amazonian highway which is 4000 km long. However this opens up new areas to exploiters of the rainforest.

36
Q

How does mineral extraction cause deforestation in the Amazon?

A

It is common in rainforests as huge areas are cleared in clear felling. In 1999, there were around 10,000 hectares cleared for goldmining but now it is 50,000.

37
Q

What are 3 global impacts to the Amazons deforestation?

A

1.The fires means the carbon stored in the wood returns to the atmosphere
2.It is estimates that 137 plant, animal and insect species are being lost every single day
3. The main drivers being economic development and overpopulation mean it won’t stop soon.

38
Q

What are 3 local impacts to the Amazons deforestation?

A
  1. The Amazon could lose 30-40% of their species by 2030.
    2.Once forest land is cleared, the topsoil is removed through rainfall, so nothing can grow.
    3.Disputes between indigenous people and loggers end in conflict
39
Q

How can the management of something be sustainable?

A

Through 3 factors : environmental, economic and social being balanced

40
Q

What international agreements can be made to manage tropical rainforest sustainability?

A

Through discussion regarding the timber economy, the tropical timber agreement of 2006 to stop trading illegally and CITIES(convention of international trade in endangered species) which is used to stop the illegal trade of wildlife.

41
Q

What is debt reduction by HICs?

A

Usually NEEs or LICs with large debts do a debt swap to fund protecting ecosystems. USA + Brazil converted $21m into a fund and the US has done the same with 15 other countries.

42
Q

What is conservation and education by NGOs?

A

They have 4 aims:
1.To provide the conservation message through education
2.To provide training to conservation workers
3.To provide practical help to make programmes more sustainable
4.To buy threatened areas and create nature reserves

43
Q

What is a hot desert?

A

Part of the world with high temperatures that reach over 40 degrees and low levels of precipitation below 250mm a year.

44
Q

How can plants survive dry conditions?

A

Plants that survive these are xerophytes. They have waxy cuticles and shed leaves to reduce water loss.

45
Q

How can plants survive high temperatures?

A

Some plants have most biomass beneath the ground where temperatures are cooler.

46
Q

How can plants survive short periods of rainfall?

A

Through desert plants blooming after rainfall to complete their lifecycle quickly.

47
Q

How is a cactus adapted to its surroundings?

A

It has flowers that only bloom for 4 weeks a year at night only. It is interdependent with bats pollenating it and them needing the cacti to survive migration. It stores up to 5 tons of water and has pleats so it can expand. It also has a long shallow root system.

48
Q

What are the opportunities in the Great Western Desert surrounding Mineral extraction?

A

The desert is rich in minerals, especially copper. Not all have bee extracted however due to conflicts over land use. Copper mining has taken place for centuries in the Sonoran desert and the lack of water discouraged large scale mining until a large store was found.

49
Q

What are the opportunities in the Great Western Desert surrounding Farming?

A

Aquifers : large stores of water lie beneath soft rock but on top of the impermeable rock. This is brought to the surface by digging a well and can be used for irrigation.

Canals : Most canals are used for large scale industrial agriculture. Farmers are allowed 80% of the Colorado water even though they make just 10% of the economy.

50
Q

What are the opportunities in the Great Western Desert surrounding tourism?

A

The national park offer a chance to experience areas such as the Grand Canyon and Joshua tree national park. The heritage and culture of native Americans is celebrated by the Colorado museum. The city of Las Vegas has 37m tourists yearly and lake Mead and Powell offer tourism to over 2 million tourists yearly.

51
Q

What are the opportunities in the Great Western Desert surrounding energy?

A

Sonoran solar project provides electricity for 100,000 homes. HEP through water leaving lake Mead with Hoover dam. Fossil fuels bring opportunities to 25 active drilling sites. More than 100 are employed to produce oil worth $80m.

52
Q

What is carrying capacity?

A

The maximum number of people(or animal species) an area of land can support.

53
Q

What are 3 climate solutions to the Great Western Desert?

A

Recent water shortages have lead to people changing their behaviour. Native American housing was adapted to the extreme conditions. Some sports pitches have been replaced with fake grass.

54
Q

What are 3 climate challenges to the Great Western Desert?

A

Due to Vegas being in the desert, the water will eventually run out. In death Valley, temperatures often approach 50 degrees in summer months. Annual rainfall is below 50mm per year in some places in the desert.

55
Q

What are 3 accessibility solutions to the Great Western Desert?

A

Saloon bars, shops and hotels were built in Vegas after the railway was constructed. Good roads were laid out in the 1900s. Roads such as Route 66 were build providing links between major urban areas.

56
Q

What are 3 accessibility challenges to the Great Western Desert?

A

The low population density per square km means parts of the Great Western Desert lacks roads. In 2015, an elderly tourist died of dehydration after attempting to drive offroad. Accessibility is severely limited in areas of Nevada north of Las Vegas.

57
Q

What were the solutions in the past to the Great Western Deserts water crisis?

A

The river people put water through canals to irrigate their crops which was sustainable as there was only 6000 of them. However gold became popular in the area, so Westerners began to immigrate. Work began on the hoover dam in 1935 to smooth the flow of the Colorado.

58
Q

What are the problems now and in the future of the Western Desert crisis?

A

Large reservoirs such as lake Mead cause for rapidly growing cities. 1.4 million acres of irrigated land for farming produces half of the USA crops. It also produces $1.5 bn of economic benefits.

59
Q

What are the costs of the dams and water transfer?

A

Silt and sand gets trapped behind dams, cooling the water and changing the ecosystem. Impacted by climate change as it is more likely to warm and it has a rapidly growing population leading to water scarcity.

60
Q

What are the benefits of dams and water transfer?

A

40 million tourists a year provide $100bn for the economy and population growth is double the national average.

61
Q

What are 6 land management strategies of a desert?

A

You can use rock gullies, terraces on sloped farmland, bunds, selective pruning, flat roofs with lips to harvest rainwater and afforestation.

62
Q

How does planting trees work to maintain a desert?

A

The African union proposed to build a wall of trees, ‘Green wall’ 8000km long, 11m trees. Binds the soil together, allows nutrient cycle and prioritises shade. However only 20% done, $8 bn

63
Q

How does using intermediate technology work maintaining the desert?

A

Using a Toyola cookstove, reducing deforestation as 1/3 less charcoal is used. Encourages local employment. However $7 is not affordable.

64
Q

How can you selectively prune trees to maintain the desert?

A

Cut down the branches, not the main trunk, means deforestation doesn’t happen. Hard to control and manage however.

65
Q

What is desertification?

A

The process by which fertile land becomes desert as a result of drought, deforestation or inappropriate agriculture.

66
Q

What is a desert fringe?

A

Areas at the edge of the desert with high levels of biodiversity also known as semi-deserts e.g. the Sahel

67
Q

How many people live in the Sahel?

A

50 million

68
Q

What are the 2 reasons for high population growth in the Sahel?

A
  1. High birth rate can be due to lack of contraception with over 200 million people expected by 2050
    2.Migration, where people move if they are in a fragile environment

Geography (16 decks)

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