Fragile Remake Flashcards

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1
Q

What is the relationship between biotic and abiotic components in an environment?

A

Biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) components are intertwined, forming a delicate balance in any environment.

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2
Q

What factors can easily disrupt the balance in an environment?

A

Natural events like volcanic eruptions or human activities like deforestation can easily disrupt the balance in an environment.

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3
Q

How does global warming impact fragile environments?

A

Global warming intensifies the vulnerability of fragile environments, making them more susceptible to damage and hindering their recovery potential.

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4
Q

What is a fragile environment, and how does it respond to changes?

A

A fragile environment is vulnerable to changes and may struggle to recover from disruptions. It has low resilience to disturbances.

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5
Q

Explain why arid and semi-arid environments are considered fragile.

A

Arid and semi-arid environments are considered fragile due to their limited precipitation and moisture, which makes it difficult for vegetation to recover if damaged.

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6
Q

What are the main human causes of deforestation?

A
  • commercial timber extraction
  • agriculture
  • mining
  • settlement
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7
Q

What are the main human causes of desertification?

A
  • Overgrazing: animals don’t leave vegetation
  • Overcultivation: all nutrients taken by crops
  • Deforestation: no roots to bind the soil
  • population growth: inc pressure on land for food.
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8
Q

What are the main natural causes of desertification?

A
  • Change in rainfall patterns: less rainfall->drought
  • Natural vegetation changes: loss of vegetation cover due to natural events such as wildfires.
  • Soil Erosion:Wind and water erosion remove topsoil which contains essential nutrients for plants.
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9
Q

What are natural causes of climate change?

A
  • Milankovitch Cycles: Long-term changes to the Earth’s orbit and position. This changes how much solar radiation the Earth receives
  • Cosmic Material/Dust
  • Sunspot activity
  • Volcanic Eruptions
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10
Q

What is the enhanced greenhouse effect?

A

The enhanced greenhouse effect refers to the increase in Earth’s average temperature due to higher concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, resulting from human activities.

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11
Q

What are the human causes leading to the enhanced greenhouse effect?

A
  • Transport: Vehicle emissions, airplanes emit CO2.
  • Energy:Powerplants burn a lot of coal to produce energy.
  • Industry:Cement production or chemical production releases a lot of harmful gases into the air like carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide.
  • Agricultural:Cattle release a lot of methane
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12
Q

What are the social impacts of desertification?

A
  • Reduced Agricultural Ouput:Degraded soil and less water lead to lower crop yields=less food
  • Malnutrition:Limited access to nutritious food can lead to health issues.
  • Reduced water supply: Scarcity of drinking and sanitation water.
  • Migration: People may be forcefully displaced as they move to find a place with food.
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13
Q

What are the economic impacts of desertification?

A
  • Decreasing income for farmers
  • Increased rural poverty
  • Spikes in food prices
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14
Q

What are the environmental impacts of desertification?

A
  • Loss of biodiversity
  • River pollution: Sediment from soil runs off into rivers.
  • Reduced plant growth as nutrients are depleted
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15
Q

What are the social impacts of deforestation?

A
  • Displacement of indigenous communities
  • Loss of food, medicines
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16
Q

What are the environmental impacts of deforestation?

A
  • Less precipitation: Interception and infiltration decrease which reduces evapotranspiration and as result precipitation decreases
  • Increase in overland flow: more sedimentation in rivers
  • Fewer CO2 absorption: global warming
17
Q

What are the economic impacts of deforestation?

A
  • Increased income from logging, mining, agriculture
  • Creation of jobs in logging, mining, agriculture
18
Q

What are the social impacts of climate change?

A

Spread of diseases: Increased temps lead to spread of diseases
* Loss of homes and displacement: due to more extreme weather events.

19
Q

What are the environmental impacts of climate change?

A
  • Increased frequency of extreme weather events
  • Sea Level Rise: Flooding low-lying islands
  • Ecosystem damage: Corals, mangroves etc.
20
Q

What are the economic impacts of climate change?

A
  • More land will be abandoned= costs
  • Damage to infrastructure from extreme weather events
21
Q

What are some responses to desertification?

A
  • Education: Sustainable farming methods including agroforestry and crop rotation.
  • Agroforestry: Combining agriculture with forestry-> decreases deforestation, provides organic matter to soil, increases interception and infiltration.
  • Afforestation: Roots help to bind soil, trees intercept rainfall to prevent soil erosion.
  • Fertilizsers, HYV and GM: Increase yield of crops and reduce amount of land cultivated. Also make crops more drought resistant.
  • Contour Stones: Increase infiltration. Reduce amount of soil being washed away. Ensures dead matter stays in one place to return to soil.
22
Q

What is a biome?

A

Biomes are areas of the planet with a similar climate and landscape, where similar animals and plants live

23
Q
A