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bio component 1 > human impact on environment > Flashcards

human impact on environment Flashcards

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Biology 101 flashcards
1
Q

what are planetary boundaries?

A

a threshold value for a global process that is affected by human activity

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2
Q

what are the 9 planetary boundaries?

A

climate change
biodiversity
land use
biogeochemical cycles
ozone
ocean acidification
freshwater
aerosol
novel entities

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3
Q

what are the causes of climate change?

A

burning fossil fuels
deforestation
increase in greenhouse gases

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4
Q

what are the consequences of climate change?

A

increase global temos
impacts on wind patterns/rainfall
thermal expansion / melting of ice caps

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5
Q

what are the possible remedial measures for climate change?

A

stop burning fossil fuels
reduce deforestation
alternative fuel sources

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6
Q

what are the causes of loss in biodiversity?

A

habitat destruction

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7
Q

what are the consequences of loss in biodiversity?

A

reduction in species / extinction

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8
Q

what are the possible remedial measure for loss in biodiversity?

A

monitor it
species conservation
education
international trade agreements

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9
Q

what are the causes of land use change?

A

change for food and biofuel production, urbanisation and livestock farming

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10
Q

what are the consequences of land use change?

A

crops grown for export so insufficient crops for local use
reduced biodiversity

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11
Q

what are the possible remedial measure for land use change?

A

reduce meat consumption
more efficient crops

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12
Q

what are the causes of biogeochemical cycles reaching boundary?

A

use of fertilisers containing nitrate and phosphates

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13
Q

what are the consequences of biogeochemical cycles reaching boundary?

A

eutrophication

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14
Q

what are the possible remedial measure for biogeochemical cycles?

A

reduce use of fertilisers

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15
Q

what are the causes of ozone reaching boundary?

A

manufacture and use of CFC’s in aerosols/refrigerators

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16
Q

what are the consequences of ozone reaching boundary?

A

ozone layer destruction
harmful UV rays not absorbed

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17
Q

what are the possible remedial measures to restore ozone layer?

A

montreal protocol
manufacture and use of CFC’s are banned

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18
Q

what are the causes of ocean acidification?

A

greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels
CO2 dissolves in seawater forming H2CO3 which releases H+ ions

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19
Q

what are the consequences of ocean acidification?

A

low pH causes calcium carbonate to leach out of corals/shells/exoskeletons so softer shells so organisms are more vulnerable

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20
Q

what are the possible remedial measure for ocean acidification?

A

reduce fossil fuel use

21
Q

what are the causes of change in freshwater use?

A

increased water use for irrigation and industry
climate change
pollution of water
change in land use

22
Q

what are the consequences of change in freshwater use?

A

reduction in freshwater availability

23
Q

what are the possible remedial measure for change in freshwater use?

A

stop irrigation of non food crops
reclaim waste water from industry
use desalinated water

24
Q

what are the causes of aerosol boundary being crossed?

A

atmosphere contains minute particles (ash + soot) from combustion and coal power stations

25
Q

what are the consequences of aerosol boundary being crossed?

A

increased respiratory problems and lung cancer
can build up on leaves and reduce photosynthesis

26
Q

what are the causes of novel entities boundary being crossed?

A

inorganic pollutants
synthetic organic pollutants

27
Q

what are the consequences of novel entities boundary being crossed?

A

bioaccumulation in food chains

28
Q

what are the possible remedial measure for novel entities?

A

banning

29
Q

what is biodiversity?

A

number of species and individuals of each species in a given place at a given time

30
Q

what are endangered species?

A

a species that is at risk of extinction

31
Q

what are extinct species?

A

a species that has no living members

32
Q

what are reasons for extinction?

A

natural selection
non contiguous populations
habitat destruction
pollution and oil spills
overhunting
competition from introduced species

33
Q

how does natural selection cause extinction?

A

human activities causing habitats to change faster than new mutations allow species to adapt

34
Q

what are non contiguous populations?

A

groups become isolated from each other so cannot interbreed so less genetic diversity for a healthy population

35
Q

why is conservation important?

A

for food
aesthetic
medicine
keystone species (ecosystems would fail without them)
building materials

36
Q

how can we conserve?

A

protected areas
education
legislation to protect habitats and enhance biodiversity
trade agreements
breeding programs
seed/sperm banks
reintroduction
ecotourism

37
Q

what is agricultural exploitation?

A

hedgerows removed to make larger fields
more fertilisers causes eutrophication

38
Q

what are the problems caused by deforestation?

A

causes soil erosion
causes droughts / lowland flooding
habitat destruction
contributes to global warming

39
Q

what are forest management plans?

A

coppicing
selective cutting
long rotation times

40
Q

what is coppicing?

A

tree trunk is cut
leaves stool
shoots can still emerge
can be cut on rotation to provide timber of different widths

41
Q

what is selective cutting?

A

removing some trees rather than all trees at same time so soil is less vulnerable to erosion

42
Q

what are overfishing problems?

A

small nets catch fish before they are sexually mature
large nets catch non target fish
trawlers drag nets through water and damage ocean beds causes habitat loss

43
Q

what are ways to reduce overfishing?

A

larger net size
quotas
exclusion zones restrict fishing in breeding areas
legislation controlling size of fleets
consumers can choose to eat sustainable fish or less fished species
fish farming

44
Q

what are the disadvantages of fish farming?

A

parasites and disease spread quickly
fish waste and waste food cause eutrophication
fish can escape and outcompete native wild fish
farmed fish are often fed with other fish

45
Q

why is environmental monitoring important?

A

avoid losses in biodiversity
retain species diverse areas free from development
halt any changes that might bring about species loss

46
Q

why should scientists be involved in decisions?

A

able to analyse and evaluate data
they should be independent and not under financial pressure to implement changes

47
Q

what are environmental countermeasures?

A

re-routing roads to avoid areas of high biodiversity
avoiding wind turbines in Hird bird areas
tunnels under roads for hedgehogs etc
identify future needs
erecting rest boxes
green bridges linking habitats

48
Q

why are the conflicts between governments, famers and conservationists?

A

all have different priorities and under different pressures

bio component 1 (5 decks)

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