Geography Paper 3 Flashcards
What is the biosphere
The biosphere is the parts of the atmosphere that are occupied by living organisms
How does the biosphere provide food for native people
-Many indigenous people rely on plants and animals for their food. Some indigenous people forage and pick wild fruits, vegetables and nuts from the biosphere. Some inidgenous people also hunt and trap animals and fish from the biosphere
How does the biosphere provide medicine for people
Many people rely on the biosphere for medicine. Lots of plants have medicinal properties and are used to cure illnesses and keep people healthy.
-plant species in the tropical forests have been used to create over 7000 different drugs e.g quinine from the cinchona tree is used to cure malaria
How does the biosphere provide building materials for people
- Trees and plants are often used as building materials for people e.g pine from the tiaga forest is used to make furniture and build houses
- Sap for trees is used as glue or to make houses waterproof
- Reeds and straw is used as roofs and plant fibres are used to make rope
How does the biosphere provide feul for indigenous people
Indigenous people rely on the biosphere for feul for cooking and keepinh warm. Indigenous people use Wood,moss,dried grass and dried animal dung for fuel. In areas with little vegetation people may also use animal fat for fuel
Why is the biosphere being exploited for energy
The biosphere is being exploited for energy to meet increasing demand for energy. Demand for energy is increasing due to population growth and increased use of electronic devices
How is increased demand for energy affecting the biosphere
- Large areas of forests are cleared to make space for the growing of crops to make biofeuls
- Drilling for oil and gas in the tundra is damaging the biosphere as pipelines are melting the permafrost
- Some areas of tropical forests are being flooded by the building of HEP dams
Why is demand for water increasing
Demand for water is increasing because of increases in global population. People are using water for irrigation farmland and washing.
How is increased demand for water damaging the environment
Increased demand for water resources has led to the over exploitation of water in arid areas such as the sahara dessert. This has damaged the biosphere as it means there is not enough in these areas for plants and animals to survive
What are minerals used for and how is demand for them changing
Minerals such as iron and gold are used in building,scientific instruments and in electrical appliances and demand for them is increasing
How is demand for minerals causing damage to the biosphere
Minerals are extracted by mining. Mining causes deforestation and releases toxic chemicals into water sources ,killing animals. Mining also removes large areas of the surface
How does the biosphere help to control the different proportions of gases in the atmosphere
The biosphere helps to control different proportions of gases in the atmosphere as
- Plants take in crabon dioxide and release oxygen during photosynthesis
- Animals give out carbon dioxide and take in oxygen during respiration
Why is mantaining the proportion of gases in the atmosphere important
Maintaining the proportion of gases in the atmosphere is important as :
- Increased levels of Co2 can lead to global warming
- Increased levels of Co2 can make oceans more acidic affecting the organisms that live there
- Too little co2 makes the earth too cool to sustain human life
How do plants and animals help to maintain soil structure and nutrients
- Plants roots and animals spread nutrients throughout the soil . This helps to maintain soil structure and fertility, whivh allows plants to grow there
- Plants roots also hold the soil together and maintain soil structure. This prevents the soil being eroded by wind and rain .
- Vegetation also intercepts rainfall before it hits the ground . This helps to prevent leaching -Where nutrients are washed by rainfall out of the reach of plants
How do plants regulate the global water cycle
- Plants regulate the global water cycle by taking in water. This means less reaches rivers and lakes meaning less flooding
- Plants also store water and release it very slowly back into the atmosphere reducing the risk of drought
What is the main overaching factor increasing demand for resources
-Global population growth is the main factor increasing demand for resources. The UN have predicted that in the highest prediction the global population will reach 14 billion by the end of the century
How can increasing wealth affect resource consumption and increase demand for resources
- Economic development is leading to more people getting wealthier
- Wealtheir people have more disposible income this affects their resource consuption
- They have more money to spend on food so often buy more than they need
- They can afford fridges, TVs and cars all of which use lots of energy and take alot of energy to produce
- They can buy more water intense utilities e.g dishwashers so use more water resources
Why does urbanisation lead to increased demand for resources
- Urbanisation is the proportion of a countries population that are living in urban areas
- Urbanisation tends to increase demand for resources because:Urban areas tend to be more resource intense than rural areas e.g street lamps and neon signs require energy to run and fountains require water
- Food and water also has to be transported long distances to reach urban areas to match increased demand - this increases energy usage
How does industrialisation lead to increased demand for resources
- Industrialisation is the process of a countries main economic activity shifting from primary production to secondary production
- Industrialisation is increasing demand for resources as manufacting and processes requires lots of energy to heat and shape things such as cars and also requires lots of water to cool components
What was Malthus’ theory
- Malthus believed that population was increasing faster than supply of resources and eventually there would be too many people for the resources avaliable.
- He believed that once this point had come ,people would be killed by catasrophes such as famine,illness and war and population would be reduced back to a level that resources could support
- This point is called point of catasropher
What was Boserups theory
- Ester Boserup theorised that however big the worlds population grew ,people would always produce sufficient resources to meet their needs
- She thought if resource supply became limited then people would find new ways to increase production (e.g technological advances) in order to avoid hardship
How do foodchains work
- Foodchains always start with producers. Producers make their own food using energy from the sun.
- Producers are then eaten by primary consumers who are are eaten by secondary consumers who are eaten by tertiary consumers
- All these organisms eventually die and are broken down by decomposers
How are elements of the tiaga ecosystem interdependent upon one and other
- Plants gain their nutrients from the soil, and provide animals that eat them with nutrients. In turn, the animals help spread the plants seeds through their dung . Helping the plants to reproduce
- Herbivores rely on plants such as mosses for food, they will migrate to areas where there are more plants so they can survive .
- The cold climate of the tiaga forest means that plants grow very slowly and decompose very slowly. This means there arent many nutrients in the soil, again affecting plant growth
- In summer the trees absorb heat and provide shade to plants on the floor. This means that the permafrost doesnt thaw
What is the structure of tiaga forests
Tiaga forests have much simpler structures than tropical rainforests.
- There are lots of conifer trees growing quite close together.
- There are not many plants on the forest floor because of the poor soil and the dense canopy that doesnt let much light through. Mosses and lichens are the main type of plant that tends to grow