EXAM 2 REVISION

Question 1

What is sustainable development?

Answer 1

Development that meets the needs of the present without depleting natural resources and compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Question 2

What is climate change?

Answer 2

The significant and lasting change in weather patterns over an extended period of time.

Question 3

What is an ecosystem?

Answer 3

A group of interdependent organisms interacting as a community with their environment.

Question 4

What is renewable energy?

Answer 4

Energy that can be obtained from natural resources that can be constantly replenished.

Question 5

What is the biosphere?

Answer 5

A shell that surrounds the Earth, approximately 20km from deepest ocean to highest mountain. Humans can only exist normally in approximately 4km of this shell. The three other spheres are contained in the biosphere.

Question 6

What is risk?

Answer 6

The potential to lose something that you value, measured against the possibility of gaining something you value.

Question 7

What is minimal impact?

Answer 7

The aim to protect and have as little environmental impact as possible, from when the trip begins until the journey ends.

Question 8

What is experiential learning?

Answer 8

Obtaining knowledge and understanding through actively engaging in an environment.

Question 9

What are urban/built environments?

List three examples.

Answer 9

Areas of permanent infrastructure designed to support higher population densities such as cities and towns.
Examples include indoor rock-climbing centres, artificial surfing reefs, and indoor snow-skiing centres. These all attempt to recreate conditions found in natural environments.

Question 10

What are the three types of risk?

Answer 10

Absolute risk is the uppermost limit of risk in a particular situation or activity, assuming safety has not been considered. Eg. the risk associated in rock climbing with no safety harness.
Perceived risk is the subjective assessment that a person makes about the risk they are about to face in some situation. This can vary drastically.
Real risk is the amount of risk that actually exists for a particular situation or activity, given that safety has been considered and controls are put in place.

Question 11

What is the state of flow?

Answer 11

Flow is being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one. Your whole being is involved, and you’re using your skills to the utmost.

Question 12

How do we use outdoor environments as a resource?

What are some downfalls of this?

Answer 12

We take advantage of the resources provided by the environment, as sources of food or water and materials such as rock and timber for shelter.
We exploit these resources through practices such as timber and water harvesting, agriculture and horticulture, mining, grazing.
Downfalls of this include fossil fuels, deforestation, soil erosion and increased salinity levels.

Question 13

How do we use outdoor environments for recreation and adventure?

Answer 13

We use them for activities such as rock climbing, skiing, surfing, hiking, riding, to challenge ourselves and provide fun and pleasure.

Question 14

How do we use outdoor environments as a spiritual connection?

Answer 14

We take time out of everyday life to be amongst nature and reconnect with the natural world. Sleeping out under the stars, closing your eyes and listening to the ocean, and tasting the air after the rain are examples of spiritual connections.

Question 15

How do we use outdoor environments as a study site?

Answer 15

We utilise the environment by observing, exploring, testing, monitoring and reporting in order to better understand it.

Question 16

What is socioeconomic status (SES)?

How does it affect our outdoor experiences?

Answer 16

SES can be described as an individual’s or family’s economic and social position in relation to others based upon income, education and occupation.
Low SES can limit the range of experiences you have access to in the Australian outdoors.

Question 17

What is cultural background?

How does it affect our outdoor experiences?

Answer 17

Cultural background is the context of one’s life experience as shaped by membership in groups based on ethnicity, race, SES, gender, disabilities, language, religion, sexual orientation and geographical area.
It can restrict access to activities, such as Muslim women not being allowed to swim with males, or make it easier to access by being close to the activity.

Question 18

How does age affect our outdoor experiences?

Answer 18

As we get older, our age makes us more susceptible to injury or damage and our physical ability worsens. This makes certain experiences unsuitable as they are not intended for use by older people.

Question 19

How does gender affect our outdoor experiences?

Answer 19

There is often more of a focus on masculinity when the topic of sport and outdoor experiences arises, which can dissuade females from trying it out. Role models of the same gender can provide the opposite effect, encouraging girls to do what the boys can do.

Question 20

How does physical ability affect our outdoor experiences?

Answer 20

People who are physically impaired (deaf, blind, amputee) and have conditions such as obesity may be unable to perform or complete an outdoor activity as it is unsafe or impractical.

Question 21

How do biotic and abiotic factors differ?

Answer 21

Biotic factors are living things capable of reproduction and obtained from the biosphere, whereas abiotic factors refer to non-living things and are obtained from the lithosphere, atmosphere and hydrosphere. Biotic factors depend on interactions with other biotic and abiotic components.

Question 22

What is the biosphere?

Answer 22

The biosphere is a shell that surrounds the Earth, approx. 20km from deepest ocean to highest mountain. Humans can only exist normally in approx. 4km of this shell. Three other spheres are contained in the biosphere.

Question 23

What is the atmosphere?

Answer 23

The atmosphere is the gaseous envelope of air that surrounds the Earth. We rely on it for nitrogen and oxygen.

Question 24

What is the hydrosphere?

Answer 24

The hydrosphere is all the water on Earth, such as oceans, lakes, rivers, ice caps and vapour in the atmosphere.

Question 25

What is the lithosphere?

Answer 25

The lithosphere is the soil and rocky crust of the Earth and it’s core of molten rock.

Question 26

What is urbanisation?

What are the major threats it poses?

Answer 26

Urbanisation refers to the development and physical growth of towns and cities. Such as clearing land and building structures.
Major threats include land degradation, emissions, extinction of species, habitat loss and population increase.

Question 27

What are the impacts of urbanisation on waterways?

Answer 27

Disruption of ecosystems, increased turbidity, rising salt levels, loss of stream side vegetation, erosion of creeks/watercourses, increased storm water runoff, water pollution from rubbish.

Question 28

What are the impacts of urbanisation on land?

Answer 28

Decrease in biodiversity levels, lack of dead wood and forest litter, introduction of weeds, loss of topsoil, increased water absorption into soil, loss of old hollow trees, habitat loss and disruption of ecosystems.

Question 29

What are producers?

Answer 29

Producers, also known as autotrophs, produce their own food via the process of photosynthesis. These are namely plants, algae and some bacteria.

Question 30

What are consumers?

Answer 30

Consumers, also known as heterotrophs, use other organisms as a source of food. They are further divided into primary, secondary and tertiary categories.

Question 31

What are decomposers?

Answer 31

Decomposers are organisms that break down the organic matter found in the dead bodies of other organisms. By breaking it down, they release compounds that can be used by producers.

Question 32

What is the difference between a food chain and a food web?

Answer 32

A food chain has a very simple, single linear pathway and contains only one producer or consumer. Isolated food chains such as these induce instability in an ecosystem, whereas food webs increase stability. Food webs are instead very complex and have a number of interconnected food chains with multiple different producers and consumers through which energy flows.

Question 33

What would be the consequence of removing a component from an ecosystem?

Answer 33

If any section or trophic level is removed from a food web, there will be repercussions for the whole ecosystem.
These include disrupting the flow of energy, limiting food sources for consumers, habitat disruption, reducing biodiversity, and an imbalance in population.

Question 34

How did the Aboriginals utilise their understanding of the seasons to their advantage?

Answer 34

They lived a semi-nomadic lifestyle, meaning they moved around depending on weather and seasons. They moved inland to hunt during the colder months, and towards the coast to fish during the warmer months.
Moving around a lot ensured they did not use up all the resources in the area, allowing the environment to regenerate and grow.

Question 35

What is hunter gathering, and how did the Aboriginals utilise it?

Answer 35

Hunter gathering refers to the practice of collecting food sources through hunting and gathering. By using this practice, the Aboriginals did not have to clear land, unlike farming. They also only collected what they needed, being sustainable.

Question 36

What is fire stick farming, and how did the Aboriginals utilise it?

Answer 36

Fire stick farming refers to burning the undergrowth in an area to flush the animals out. This practice works like back burning, enhancing regrowth of vegetation and reducing impact of natural fires by reducing fuel sources and flammability of soil.

Question 37

What is the difference between primary and secondary succession?

Answer 37

Primary succession is when growth is established for the first time, in a previously non-vegetated, bare area with no soil, whereas secondary succession occurs in an area that has been previously occupied.

Question 38

What are some characteristics of alpine regions?

List 2 key facts.

Answer 38

An alpine region refers to an area above a certain altitude that is treeless due to prolonged low temperatures.
They are typically covered in snow for more than a third of the year.
The highest mountain in Victoria is Mt Bogong, 1986m.

Question 39

What are some characteristics of coastal environments?

List 2 key facts.

Answer 39

Coastal regions are where the land meets the sea. Primary dunes are colonised by grasses and herbs, and salt marsh and mangroves inhabit the area.
Victoria has 2000km of coastline, ranging from sheltered bays and inlets to rugged eroded cliffs.
The largest threat to these regions is urban development.