Environmental Changes Flashcards
Animals and plans are subjected to environmental changes. What may cause these changes?
Living or non-living factors
e.g. change in a competitor or the average temperature or rainfall
What living organisms can be used as indicators of pollution?
Lichens can be used as air pollution indicators, particularly of the concentration of sulphur dioxide in the atmosphere
Invertebrate animals can be used as water pollution indicators, and are used as indicators of the concentration of dissolved oxygen in water
What non-living indicator is used to measure temperate?
Satellites are used to measure the temperate of the sea surface and the amount of snow and ice cover. These are moder, accurate instruments and give us a global coverage
Automatic weather stations tell us the atmospheric temperature at various locations. They contain thermometers that are sensitive and accurate
What non-living indicator is used to measure rainfall?
Rainfall is measures using rain gauges, to find out how much the average rainfall changes year on year
What non-living indicator is used to measure oxygen levels?
Dissolved oxygen meters as used to measure the concentration of dissolved oxygen in water, to discover how the level of water pollution changes
What may changes in the environment affects?
The distribution of living organisms
What are lichens and what do they show?
Lichens are plants that grow in exposed places such as rocks or tree bark. They need to be very good at absorbing water and nutrients to grow there. Rainwater contains just enough nutrients to keep them alive. Air pollutants dissolved in rainwater, especially sulfur dioxide, can damage lichens, and prevent them from growing. This makes lichens natural indicators of air pollution. For example:
bushy lichens need really clean air
leafy lichens can survive a small amount of air pollution
crusty lichens can survive in more polluted air.
In places where no lichens are growing, it is often a sign that the air is heavily polluted with sulfur dioxide.
What do aquatic invertebrates show?
Many aquatic invertebrate animals cannot survive in polluted water, so their presence or absence indicates the extent to which a body of water is polluted.
