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GCSE Biology > Humans and their environment > Flashcards

Humans and their environment Flashcards

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1
Q

What two things have happened to the human population over the past two years?

A
  1. It is growing exponentially.

2. The standard of living has improved a lot over the past 50 years.

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2
Q

What 4 things has an increase in human population and standard of living led to?

A
  1. Raw materials, including non-renewable energy resources are being used up quickly.
  2. More and more waste is being produced (so more landfill sites are needed).
  3. Improper handling of waste is causing pollution.
  4. There is less land available for plants and animals.
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3
Q

What 4 things is less land available for land and animals due to?

A
  1. Farming.
  2. Quarrying.
  3. Building.
  4. Dumping waste.
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4
Q

What 3 things may waste produced by human activity pollute?

A
  1. Water.
  2. Air.
  3. Land.
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5
Q

How is water polluted?

A

With sewage, fertilisers or toxic chemicals.

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6
Q

How is air polluted?

A

With smoke and gases, such as carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen, which contribute to acid rain.

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7
Q

How is land polluted?

A

With toxic chemicals like pesticides and herbicides, which may be washed from land into waterways.

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8
Q

What will happen if waste isn’t properly handled and stored?

A

More pollution will be caused.

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9
Q

What is the greenhouse effect?

A

A process that describes how gases in the atmosphere, such as methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2), prevent excess heat from escaping from the Earth’s surface into Space. As a result, more heat is radiated back to Earth. This is causing global warming.

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10
Q

Why is the level of greenhouse gases rising?

A

Because larger quantities are being released into the atmosphere.

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11
Q

What is an increase of greenhouse gases being released into the atmosphere due to?

A
  1. The increase of cattle and rice fields (methane).

2. The burning of chopped-down wood and industrial burning (carbon dioxide).

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12
Q

What 5 things could a rise in the Earth’s temperature by only a few degrees lead to?

A
  1. Significant climate change.
  2. A rise in sea level.
  3. Reduced biodiversity.
  4. Changes in migration patterns, e.g. in birds.
  5. Changes in the distribution of species.
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13
Q

Where can carbon dioxide be sequestered?

A

In oceans, lakes and ponds.

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14
Q

What does carbon dioxide being sequestered mean?

A

It is taken from the atmosphere and stored in water.

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15
Q

Why is carbon dioxide being sequestered important?

A

It removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

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16
Q

What does deforestation involve?

A

The large-scale cutting down of trees for timber and to provide land for agricultural use.

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17
Q

What 2 things is agricultural land created by deforestation used for?

A
  1. Crops for biofuels based on ethanol.

2. Cattle and rice fields to provide more food.

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18
Q

What is a negative effect of an increase in cattle and rice fields.

A

These organisms provide methane and this has led to increases in methane in the atmosphere.

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19
Q

Where does deforestation mainly occur?

A

In tropical areas.

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20
Q

What 5 devastating things has deforestation led to?

A
  1. Increased release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere through burning and the decay of wood by microorganisms.
  2. Reduced rate at which carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere by photosynthesis.
  3. Increased amount of methane in the atmosphere, which is produced by organisms like cattle, since land created by deforestation is mainly used for cattle.
  4. Reduced biodiversity.
  5. Loss of organisms that could be of use in the future.
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21
Q

What does the destruction of peat bogs and other areas of peat result in?

A

The release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

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22
Q

What could help reduce the problem of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere as a result of the destruction of peat?

A

Using peat-free composts.

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23
Q

What can microorganisms be used to produce?

A

Biofuels.

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24
Q

How do microorganisms produce biofuels?

A

From natural products by a form of anaerobic respiration, also known as fermentation. All oxygen must be excluded for this to happen.

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25
Q

How can biogas be produced?

A

By fermentation from a wide range of plant products and waste materials containing carbohydrate.

26
Q

What is biogas mainly made up of?

A

Methane.

27
Q

What can waste from sugar factories or sewage works be used for?

A

To provide biogas on a large scale.

28
Q

Where are large-scale biogas generators often located?

A

Near sewage works or sugar factories, where the waste can be easily transported. This cuts down on costs.

29
Q

Who can smaller biogas generators supply the energy needs of?

A

Individual families of farms.

30
Q

How is waste collected for use in smaller biogas generators?

A

From kitchens and livestock, and is then digested by bacteria to produce biogas.

31
Q

How much gas do smaller biogas generators make?

A

Enough for a small village or a family.

32
Q

What is biogas used for?

A

Cooking on simple stoves and for heating and lighting homes.

33
Q

What does the production of biogas depend on?

A
  1. The temperature of the generator.
  2. The rate of fermentation.
  3. They type of waste used.
34
Q

What do biogas generators need?

A
  1. A way of putting in the waste material.
  2. A way of removing the digested waste material.
  3. A way of removing the biogas and transporting it to where it’s needed.
35
Q

Describe how the human population is increasing.

A

Exponentially.

36
Q

List four reasons why there is less land available for plants and animals.

A
  1. Farming.
  2. Quarrying.
  3. Building.
  4. Dumping waste.
37
Q

What can pollutant gases such as sulphur dioxide cause?

A

Acid rain.

38
Q

Give two reasons why deforestation is occurring.

A
  1. For timber.

2. For land for farming.

39
Q

What effect does deforestation have on the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and why?

A

It increases. As there are less trees, less carbon dioxide is absorbed from the atmosphere during photosynthesis.

40
Q

What happens at each stage of a food chain?

A

Less material and less energy are contained in the biomass of the organisms.

41
Q

What does a loss of material and energy at each stage of a food chain mean?

A

It is is more efficient to produce food from plants, rather than from animals, because plants are at the beginning of the food chain.

42
Q

In what two ways can producing food be made more efficient?

A
  1. By reducing the number of stages in the food chain.

2. By restricting the energy lost by livestock.

43
Q

What does intensive farming involve?

A

Animals such as chickens or pigs being housed close together in indoor pens.

44
Q

What are four advantages of intensive farming?

A
  1. Accommodation can be cheap and secure from predators.
  2. Environmental conditions can be controlled, e.g. light and temperature.
  3. Energy isn’t wasted on movement or heat, making energy transfer efficient.
  4. Cheap product for the farmer to sell.
45
Q

What are four disadvantages of intensive farming?

A

1, Disease can spread very quickly in crowded conditions. Sometimes this means that expensive antibiotics must be used at a cost to the farmer.

  1. Behaviour of animals can cause them to fight with each other leaving some animals injured or even dead.
  2. Animal welfare standards may not be met. Some people consider intensive farming to be cruel.
  3. Environmental conditions are controlled by using equipment that relies on burning fossil fuels, e.g. generating electricity for heaters or lights.
46
Q

What are two advantages of sustainable food production?

A
  1. It uses methods that allow food to be produced for consumption now.
  2. It uses methods that conserve resources so that food can continue to be produced in the same way by future generations.
47
Q

What is an example of sustainable food production?

A

Fish stocks.

48
Q

What is happening to fish stocks in the ocean?

A

They are declining.

49
Q

What 2 things are being done to ensure the fishing industry can continue and fish stocks can be reserved?

A
  1. The mesh size of nets has been increased to prevent young fish being caught before they reach breeding age.
  2. Quotas for different types of fish are put in place to control the amount caught, so that a breeding population is maintained.
50
Q

What are food miles?

A

The distances that food travels from where it is grown to where it is bought.

51
Q

Where does food travel?

A
  1. Where product is grown.
  2. Packaging factory.
  3. Distribution depot.
  4. Supermarket.
  5. Home.
52
Q

What are two environmental effects of food miles?

A
  1. The burning of fossil fuels commonly provides the fuel for transporting food.
  2. Burning fossil fuels increases the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
53
Q

In what three ways can food miles be reduced?

A
  1. By buying products grown in Britain.
  2. By buying products grown locally.
  3. By buying products grown from farmers’ markets.
54
Q

What is mycoprotein?

A

A protein-rich food suitable for vegetarians made by using Fusarium, a type of fungus.

55
Q

How does Fusarium grow?

A
  1. In a fermenter.
  2. In glucose syrup.
  3. In aerobic conditions.
56
Q

What is done to the fungus to produce mycoprotein?

A

The biomass is harvested and purified.

57
Q

What process produces fuels from natural products?

A

Fermentation.

58
Q

What does biogas largely consist of?

A

Methane.

59
Q

Give two reasons why amounts of greenhouse gases are increasing in the atmosphere.

A
  1. Increased number of cattle and rice fields.

2. More wood being burned.

60
Q

What type of microorganism produces a protein-rich food?

A

Fungus.

61
Q

How are fishermen conserving stocks of fish?

A
  1. Increasing the mesh size of nets.

2. Increasing quotas of other types of fish.

GCSE Biology (5 decks)

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