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Geography > Ecosystems > Flashcards

Ecosystems Flashcards

1
Q

Heathland Features?

A

Land isn’t at a high altitude,
Dry and sandy soils,
Acidic soils that are used for building materials.

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2
Q

Logging In Amazon?

A

Cutting down trees for sale as timber,

Timber is used to build,

Selective logging means the trees are selected to cut down so they choose only wood that is high in value such as mahogany,

Clear-cutting logging is different, this means cutting down all types of wood and clear the forest.

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3
Q

Factors Affecting Location Of Ecosystems?

A 
High Mountain (cool air and precipitation, no moisture),
Humans,
Souls,
Latitude (temperature decreases),
Altitude (Height),
Equator,
The tilt of the Earth,
Interior of the worlds continents (seasons).
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4
Q

Features Of Temperate Forests?

A
  • 4 and 17 degrees,
  • 1000mm annual rainfall,
  • Trees loose their leaves in winter to reduce transpiration,
  • Vegetation in 4 layers,
  • Rabbits and Deer.

E.g. USA.

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5
Q

Food Web?

A

A diagram showing animals prey and food.

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6
Q

All Ecosystems?

A
  • Boreal Forests,
  • Tropical Forests,
  • Tundra,
  • Desert,
  • Tropical Grasslands,
  • Temperate Forests,
  • Temperate Grasslands.
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7
Q

Features Of Tropical Grasslands?

A
  • 25 and 30 degrees,
  • 1000mm annual rainfall,
  • Drought conditions 4-6 months of year,
  • Rain 6-8 months of year,
  • Animals reproduce during wet season,
  • Acacia tress (stores water in thick trunk),
  • Giraffes.

E.g. Kenya.

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7
Q

What Is A Biosphere?

A

The surface and atmosphere of the Earth occupied by living organisms.

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8
Q

Features Of Boreal Forests?

A
  • -10 and 15 degrees,
  • 500mm annual rainfall,
  • Trees have thick bark to protect from cold,
  • Evergreen trees,
  • Frozen ground,
  • Shallow root systems,
  • Pine and fur trees,
  • Red foxes and black bears.

E.g. Russia.

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8
Q

Features Of A Desert?

A
  • 30 and 35 degrees,
  • Great temperature differences at night compared to day,
  • Unpredictable rainfall,
  • Good drainage sands,
  • Short shrubs or cactus,
  • Camels (store fat in humps which they change to water when needed),

E.g. Australia.

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10
Q

Features Of Tundra?

A
  • -34 and 12 degrees,
  • 200mm of annual rainfall,
  • A lot of rainfall falls as snow,
  • Covers 1/5 of land on Earth,
  • Below freezing temperatures at night,
  • Poor surface drainage,
  • Plants have shallow root systems to cope with weather conditions.

E.g. Canada.

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11
Q

How Is The Biosphere Being Exploited?

A

Energy

  • Oil,
  • Coal,
  • Sea being exploited for tidal barrages.

Water

  • Domestic uses,
  • Irrigation,
  • Agriculture,
  • Increasing demand in water.

Mineral Resources

  • Minerals are mined for diamonds and coal,
  • Increasing demand in minerals.
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12
Q

UK’s Terrestrial Ecosystems?

A
  • Wetlands,
  • Moorland,
  • Woodland,
  • Heathland.
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14
Q

Wetland Features?

A 
Good for vegetation,
Located in Northern Island and Scotland,
Most of this land is used for farming,
Soils are low in nutrients,
Ponds and streams.
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15
Q

Woodland Features?

A

12% of the UK is woodland,
Deciduous plants,
80% of this land is less than 100 years old.

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16
Q

Moorland Features?

A 
Highland areas,
Lots of rain,
Altitude makes it impossible to grow crops,
Scotland and North Yorkshire,
Acidic areas,
Only some plants survive.
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17
Q

Uses Of The Marine Ecosystem?

A 
Tourism,
Studies,
Transport,
Fishing,
Electricity,
Mining.
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18
Q

Altitude Definition?

A

The height or point of an object in relation to sea level.

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19
Q

How Are Humans Harming Marine Life?

A 
Overfishing,
Eutrophication,
Construction of deep water ports,
Large wind farms disrupt animals in sea,
Marine leisure.
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20
Q

Eutrophication?

A

Increase of nitrate or phosphate in water encourages algae growth,

This nitrate and phosphate comes from fertilisers used on farms that have travelled to sea,

Algae blooms over water which blocks sunlight,

Plants under water die,

Bacteria break down dead plants and use all oxygen in water which leaves pond/lake lifeless.

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21
Q

4 Layers Of Vegetation?

A

Top Canopy,

Middle Canopy,

Lower Tree Canopy,

Shrub Layer.

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22
Q

Features Of A Temperate Grassland?

A
  • 10 and 18 degrees,
  • 500mm annual rainfall,
  • Trees generally not found here,
  • Purple needle grass and buffalo grass,
  • Most rain falls in summer,
  • Good for farming.

E.g. Argentina.

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22
Q

When Describing A Graph, Include?

A

Maximum,

Minimum,

Range Between Max and Min,

Maximum On Other Axis,

Minimum On Other Axis,

Range Between Max and Min On Other Axis.

Pattern Between Both?

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23
Q

What Is Leaching?

A

When nutrients is washed out of soil.

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24
Q

Features Of A Tropical Forest?

A
  • 27 and 30 degrees,
  • 2200mm annual rainfall,
  • Poor quality soils (nutrients washed down due to heavy rainfall forming a hard pan),
  • Vegetation in 4 layers,
  • Evergreen forest,
  • Sloth and Howler Monkeys.

E.g. Brazil.

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26
Q

What Is Biodiversity?

A

The amount of animals and wildlife living in an area.

27
Q

Altitude?

A

Temperature drops by 1 degree for every 100 metres gain in height.

28
Q

How Is The Biosphere Being Exploited for Energy?

A

Energy,
Oil is being extracted and coal is being mined to produce electricity.

Wind turbines have been built on land and at sea.

Solar panels have been built to create energy using solar radiation.

Wave and tidal barrages are placed in sea to provide energy too.

Biofuels are a valuable alternate to fossil earth fuels. However, huge parts of land are devoted for this. Forest land might be cleared for this.

These fossil fuels have become more expensive.

29
Q

How Is The Biosphere Being Exploited for Water?

A

Water is used for drinking, washing, toilets and cleaning.

Used for production of electricity in thermal power stations.

Farmers use water to irrigate their crops, this is more important in some countries than others, depending on agricultural percentage.

Humans use of water is interfering with the water cycle,

Rapidly growing cities and population.

30
Q

How Is The Biosphere Being Exploited for Mineral Resources?

A

Used in making of jewellery and selling.

Increase in demand leads to over-mining,

People take of the tops of mountains to allow easy access to coal seams (mountain-removal mining).

31
Q

Case Study?

A

The Amazon Rainforest and The New Forest, England.

32
Q

Facts Of The Amazon?

A

60,000 species of plants,
20 million people,
20% of species on Earth,
Covers 2.1 million square miles of land.

33
Q

Problems the BR163 Cause?

A

17,000km to the city in Amazon,
Deforestation,
Tarmac grounds.

34
Q

Causes Of Deforestation In Amazon?

A

Subsistence and Commercial Farming,

Logging,

Road Building,

Mineral Extraction,

Energy Development,

Settlement and Population Growth.

35
Q

Subsistence and Commercial Farming In Amazon?

A

When poor farmers occupy a small plot of forest to fro food and feed their family’s,

They clear the forest and burn it,

They grow crops on the land,

This contributes to deforestation but not on a huge scaled.

36
Q

Road Building In Amazon?

A

Trees are also cleared for roads,

Roads are unusable during wet seasons if they are not paved,

Trans Amazon Highway has already opened up large parts of forest and now a new road will be built (BR163).

37
Q

Mineral Extraction In Amazon?

A

Forests are also cleared to make way for mines,

Brazilian part of Amazon has mines for iron, manganese, nickel, tin, copper, gold…..

38
Q

Energy Development In Amazon?

A

Hydro electric power and there are 150 dams planned for Amazon,

Water passes through the huge pipes which turns a turbine and generates electricity,

This power is often used for mining,

These reservoirs they create flood large areas of land and leave large quantities of sediment behind,

Belo Monte dam started operating in April 2016 and will generate 11,000MW of power.

39
Q

Impacts Of Deforestation?

A

Soil Erosion,
Economic Development,
Climate Change.

40
Q

Sustainable Uses?

A

Used that allow the current generations to make a living from the forest without damaging forest for future generations.

41
Q

Overfishing Affecting Marine Ecosystems?

A

Overfishing,
Decrease in cod which affects us and the whole food web,
Collapse in cod in 2011.

42
Q

Construction Of Ports Effecting Marine Ecosystems?

A

Deep water ports are essential for global trade but cause damage to environment.

43
Q

Wind Farms Affecting Marine Ecosystems?

A

Interferes with bird migration routes and the noise they make may disturb animals that rely on sound, such as dolphins.

44
Q

Economic Development Of Coastline Affecting Marine Ecosystems?

A

Removes coastal ecosystems such as salt marsh to allow stuff to be built.

45
Q

Marine Leisure Affecting Marine Ecosystems?

A

Growth in marine leisure,

Causes tourism and growth in marine facilities,

Growing population.

46
Q

We Lose What When The Forest Is Cleared?

A

Biodiversity.

47
Q

Latitude?

A

Degrees around the Earth, starting at 0 at the equator.

48
Q

Nutrient Cycle?

A

Litter - Nutrients in,
Biomass - Nutrients out,
Soil - Nutrients transfer.

49
Q

Biotic?

A

Living factors.

50
Q

Abiotic?

A

Non living factors.

51
Q

How The Rainforest Helps Us -Facts?

A

25 million people globally make their living from the sale of coffee,

7000 drugs come from the rainforest,

Periwinkle is used to treat childhood leukaemia,

Leisure(nature trails, zip wires),

Contain 50-90% of species in world,

Source of food.

52
Q

Ecotourism?

A

Environmentally friendly tourism.

53
Q

Most Of Uk Land Is?

A

Deciduous woodland.

54
Q

Where Is The New Forest Found?

A

South coast of England, covering 480km2.

55
Q

How Many People Line In The New Forest?

A

175,000 and popular with tourists.

56
Q

How Many People Visit The New Forest Every Year?

A

15 million people, raising an income of 500 million pounds.

57
Q

Biomass?

A

Plants, trees etc.

58
Q

Deciduous Woodland Nutrient Cycle?

A

Productive ecosystem,

Large biomass,

Plenty of precipitation,

Summer warmth,

Soil and biomass stores are similar size,

Nutrients from litter are quickly recycled back into the cycle,

Annual leaf fall adds nutrients to soil,

Much decomposition in spring because of warmth,

Soils are very fertile.

59
Q

Decomposition?

A

Break down of animals and plants due to bacteria,

This is worse in the heat because provides energy for the bacteria.

60
Q

Characteristics Of Deciduous Woodland?

A

Deep routes because breaks bedrock which adds nutrients to soil,

Soils aren’t as deep as TRF because the process of making soil is slower and the TRF has been there longer,

Large leafs because prevents surface run off because there is less rain in DW than in TRF,

Less leaching because rainfall is not as high like TRF,

Leaf litter and ground layer of plants prevents much surface run off.

61
Q

Plant Adaptations In Deciduous Woodland?

A

Oaks are strong and branches stress horizontally because they’re leaves capture sun light,

Okay leaves are broad and soft because they don’t have a wax coating to protect them from access water loss,

Leaves and acorns contain lots of acid tannin because it gives tree protection,

Oaks have huge root systems which anchors them against winter wind and receives ground water from soil.

62
Q

Animal Adaptations In Deciduous Woodland?

A

Many birds move to warmer conditions in winter,

Many animals hibernate during the winter,

Food storage (squirrels).

63
Q

Deciduous Woodland Animal Examples?

A 
Deer,
Pig,
Squirrel,
Blackbird,
Blue tit,
Pony.
64
Q

Goods And Services From Deciduous Woodland?

A

Provides leisure (Go Ape),

Go Ape has 30,000 users a year,

13 million times of timber provided from UK in 2014,

0.4 million tonnes of timber provided from UK in 2009,

New Forest has 15 million visitors a year.

Geography (12 decks)

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