Ecosytems Biodiversity Flashcards
Name factors that effect ecosystems
ITCZ- inter tropical convergence zone
Humans-centuries of human activity has altered the local characteristics of large scale ecosystems
Altitude- temp drops 1c every 100 meters
Soils- underlying geology or relief produces different soil conditions
Seasonality- the further from the equator the greater the seasonality
Name the 7 biomes
Tropical rainforest
Tropical grasslands
Desert
Tempurate grasslands
Tempurate forest
Boreal forest
Tundra
Name 3 biotic and 3 abiotic factors
Biotic:
Insects
Animals
Plants
Abiotic:
Sunlight
Water
Soil
What are the four main ways the biosphere provides resources to people
Food
Fuel/energy
Medicine
Building/construction
What are the main three ways humans exploite the biosphere?
Energy-
Energy demand increases with population, this means large areas of forest getting cleared to grow biofuels
Oil exploration in the tundra areas is damaging the biosphere
Fracking is becoming more prominent which damages and pollutes groundwater supplies
Water-
Increases in popular growth leads to the over extraction of water for drinking,washing and irrigation
Minerals-
Iron and gold are used in building and electrical appliances
Mining in tropical rainforests leads to deforestation and toxic chemicals polluting streams and rivers killing wildlife
Define biosphere
The earth and its atmosphere which is capable of supporting life
Uks 4 main ecosystems
Heathlands
Moorland
Deciduous forest
Wetland
What are the soils like in the four main ecosystems of the uk
Heaths- acidic soil, poor quality
Moorlands-acidic soil, poor quality
Wetlands- waterlogged soil, air tight and anaerobic
Deciduous woodland- fertile nutrient dense soil
Three examples of uk marine ecosystems
Seaweed beds, oyster beds and salt marshes
What are the benefits of marine ecosystems
Tourism-
Boating,swimming,diving
Brings economic opportunities
Provides many jobs and boosts local economy
Energy-
Renewable energy (tide and wave energy)
Deep sea platforms
Oil and gas rigs
Fishing
Rich in marine life
Employs many people
Three ways humans are degrading marine ecosystems
Pollution-
Excess nutrients form farming and untreated sewage enters rivers, lakes and seas
This cause eutrophication, meaning the algae in the water feeds on the nutrients and blooms, this causes a depletion in the oxygen in the water, killing wildlife in the water
.plastic waste in the seas gets eaten by animals
Damage to the seabed:
Dredging destroys marine ecosystems as important nutrients is removed from the seabed
Seabed plants are damaged= reduced availability of food
Dredging nets damage the sea floor
Fishing:
The demand for wild fish is higher than the supply
. This leads to over fishing
What’s the average climate of tropical rainforests?
27.2 degrees c
High rainfall with over 2000 million mm falling per year
There is dryer seasons due to the shift of the inter tropical convergence zone (ITCZ)
Why is the soil in the tropical rainforest such poor quality
Nutrient leaching:
When rainwater washes or leaches nutrients and minerals out of the soil
Extremely fast nutrient uptake rate:
This means that nutrients doesn’t remain in the soil as the huge amounts of biomass quickly absorb it
What are the 4 layers of the rain forest?
Emergent layer
The canopy
Shrub layer
Forest floor/litter layer
What are the three nutrient stores in the rain forest and which is the biggest?
Biomass
Litter
Soil
Biomass stores the largest amount of nutrients
