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A2 Geography > Ecosystems Facts > Flashcards

Ecosystems Facts Flashcards

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1
Q

What are each stages of the food chain known as?

A

Trophic levels

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2
Q

How is energy mainly lost in a food chain?

A

Respiration, excretion and heat

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3
Q

What’s the difference between an abiotic and biotic environment?

A 
Abiotic = non living (water, light, warmth, humidity)
Biotic = living (plants, animals)
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4
Q

What’s an autotroph?

A

A plant that’s capable of producing its own food through photosynthesis

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5
Q

What’s succession?

A

The succession of vegetation as it adapts to environmental changes

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6
Q

What’s climatic climax?

A

Achieved when the largest, most dominant species that the environment will allow are established and the vegetation is in a state of equilibrium with its environment

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7
Q

What’s a sere?

A

A stage in this sequence of colonisation by which the vegetation develops over a period of time

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8
Q

What’s a prisere?

A

A complete sequence of events beginning with the first plants to occupy the area and finishing with the climatic climax vegetation

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9
Q

What is primary succession?

A

Occurs in lifeless, extreme areas (volcanic flows, sand dunes)

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10
Q

What’s secondary succession?

A

Occurs in areas where existing ecosystem has been removed but soil and nutrients remain and succession can begin again (rainforest clearance, burning of heathland vegetation on dunes)

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11
Q

Name the 4 types of sere:

A

Lithoseres - develop on bare rock
Haloseres - in saline conditions (saltmarsh)
Hydroseres - recently formed ponds and lakes
Psammosere - develops on sand and dune system

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12
Q

Development of a psammosere system requires:

A
  • Supply of sand
  • Strong winds to transport sand particles through saltation
  • Obstacle to trap sand
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13
Q

What is the brief description of psammosere succession?

A
  • New dunes develop on the foreshore and here the psammosere is in its pioneer stage (Embryo dunes and Yellow dunes)
  • Landwards this, on the older, more sheltered dunes the psammosere is in its building stage (Grey dunes and Fixed)
  • Furthest inland on the oldest dunes- psammosere reaches climatic stage (Dune heath to climax)
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14
Q

What are the threats to sand dunes by people?

A
  • Interception of long shore drift due to construction of jetties
  • Removal of sand for mineral extraction
  • Visitor pressure, trampling, bikes, horse riding
  • Pollution from agriculture
  • Afforestation
  • Levelling for industrial development
  • Drinking water abstraction
  • Conversion into agricultural land
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15
Q

What are the layers of the tropical rainforest?

A
  • Ground vegetation
  • Shrub layer (10m)
  • Under canopy (15m)
  • Canopy (30m)
  • Emergent (60-90m)
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16
Q

Some characteristics of plants in the tropical rainforest?

A
  • Plants grow quickly towards sunlight (lianas)
  • Drip tip leaves allow water to easily be shed
  • Leaves have a large surface area to catch sunlight
  • Epiphytes set their roots into the trunks or branches of other plants - reach max sunlight
  • Trees grow tall and straight
  • Large buttress roots support trees can grow up to 90m and are shallow
17
Q

What is an urban niche?

A

A small scale area within an urban location where conditions are favourable for certain species to thrive (may often be alian and invasive rather than native species)

18
Q

What are disticntive characteristics of urban environments?

A
  • Higher temperatures than in rural areas due to urban heat island
  • Less available water supply
  • High amounts of disturbance
  • High levels of air, water and noise pollution
19
Q

What’s a corridor habitat?

A

An area of habitat connecting wildlife populations separated by human activities or structures

20
Q

What are the environmental factors affecting plants/animals on walls?

A
  • Chemical nature of material
  • Rate of weathering
  • Cleaning and repair of walls
  • Climatic conditions
  • Pollution
21
Q

Name 4 invasive species:

A
  • Oxford Ragwort
  • Buddleia
  • Japanese Knotweed
  • Rhododendron
22
Q

Why is japanese knotweed so invasive?

A
  • Absorbs pollution
23
Q

What are ecosystems along routways affected by?

A
  • Construction techniques
  • Drainage systems
  • Neglect and minimum human management
  • Constant linear traffic movements
  • Addition of salt
  • Pollution
24
Q

What do ecosystems at the rural-urban fringe consist of (on the rural side and urban side)?

A
  • Mainly ecological niches
  • On the rural side: mixture of intensive agriculture, market gardening, hedgerows, pastoral land, small woods, wasteland and golf courses
  • On the urban side: new gardens, established gardens, parks, playing fields, roadsides and railways, allotments and school fields
25
Q

What is urban blight and where is affected by it?

A
  • The spread of land decay in rural areas

- Affects the limits just beyond towns and cities

26
Q

Agricultural land near the city starts to deteriorate as a result of:

A
  • Vandalism
  • Tourism pressure
  • Pressure from walkers and off road cyclists
  • Pollution
27
Q

What are wildlife corridors? What do they do? Why are they vulnerable?

A
  • Areas that link wildlife habitats and allow species to move between isolated niches
  • They help replenish populations and provide shelter protection, food and breeding areas
  • Vulnerable due to the matrix of different land uses that surround hem and because they aren’t connected to other habitats
28
Q

Name some wildlife corridor types:

A
  • Hedgerows, streams and banks, footpaths, roadsides, railway banks, brownfield sites, rows of gardens, school grounds, golf courses
29
Q

What makes Japanese knotweed so invasive? What are the features of its roots?

A

It’s pollution resistant

Can spread 20ft wide and 9ft deep

30
Q

How is Japanese knotweed being dealt with?

A

Herbicide and incineration

A new control method where Japanese insects that feed off of knotweed are being bred in UK

A2 Geography (7 decks)

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