Land Cover Change

Question 1

Define Biome.

Answer 1

A large geographical area of distinctive plant and animal groups, which have adapted to the particular environment.

Question 2

What are two factors that determine the type of biome that exists in a location?

Answer 2

Climate and geography.

Question 3

Define biodiversity.

Answer 3

The variety of organism and the way they interact and depend on each other in a biome.

Question 4

What is biomass?

Answer 4

The actual amount of organisms within a biome or an individual ecosystem.

Question 5

What are 5 different biome types?

Answer 5

Forest
Grassland
Desert
Tundra
Aquatic

Question 6

Define environment.

Answer 6

The living and non-living elements of the earth’s surface and atmosphere. It includes human changes to the earth’s surface.

Question 7

Define anthropogenic biomes.

Answer 7

The result of sustained direct human interactions with the ecosystems.

Question 8

Define abiotic.

Answer 8

Without life, components; climate factors (sunlight, precipitation, humidity, wind), inorganic substances (carbon cycles), organic substances (lipids, proteins, carbs).

Question 9

Define biotic.

Answer 9

With life, components; producers (plants), consumers (herbivores, carnivores, omnivores), decomposers (fungi, bacteria).

Question 10

What is biodiversity loss?

Answer 10

The loss of species, genetics and ecosystem diversity.

Question 11

Define climate change.

Answer 11

The long-term change of global/regional/local climates.

Question 12

Define sustainablitity

Answer 12

Meeting the needs of current and future generations, through simultaneous environment, social and economic adaptation and improvement.

Question 13

What are populated forests? What do they include? What are some factors that may modify the natural ecosystem?

Answer 13

Forest near agricultural lands or urban settlement. Reserves where roads, picnic areas and tourist accomodation are found. Logging, introduction of plants and animals.

Question 14

What are remote forests? Examples of remote forests? Why are these forests likely to get exploited?

Answer 14

Forests that are located far from large populations and are largely untouched. Forests in northern Canada, Russia and the core of the Amazon. They get exploited because of their high biodiversity and resource potential (e.g. mining, timber).

Question 15

What are wild forests? Examples?

Answer 15

Forest that have vast tree cover and total lack of civilisation and human interaction. Equatorial and boreal forests of the northern hemisphere.

Question 16

What did Australian forests look like before colonisation? How much have these forests changes? Why has this change occurred? What happened to the rest of the forests?

Answer 16

Mainly native vegetation.
Around 85% of Australia is vegetated by native species (in arid and semi-arid areas)
Forests and woodlands used to cover 55% of Australia but now only 42%.
This has a correlation to the intensively used rural and urban land use zones.
Large areas of remaining forests and woodlands are now protected as national parks and reserves.

Question 17

What are the two levels of agriculture?

Answer 17

Intensive and extensive. The more intensive the activity the more changes to the natural environment.

Question 18

What are the two types of agriculture?

Answer 18

Croplands and rangelands.

Question 19

What are croplands? What do they involve? What are some examples?

Answer 19

They include irrigated and rain-fed farming systems. intensive populated cropping systems and remote extensive cropping systems.
SE Asia - rice farming - village based, intensive, food production for locals, large rural communities
Europe, North America, Australia - moderate intensive cropping - near large populations - intensive dairying, market gardens, vineyards, orchards
Australia (WA, SA VIC NSW) - Extensive cropping - far away from urban settlements - wheat-sheep belt

Question 20

What can rangelands be divided into? What do they often rely on? Examples? Is biodiversity here low? Why is stock management vital?

Answer 20

Populated and remote systems.
Natural pastures to support herds of domesticated animals (cattle, sheep, goats, camels)
The Maasai and Zulu in Africa
Australia: found in the semi-arid area, often grazing of sheep (for wool) or cattle (for meat), found on large pastoral properties
Yes (overgrazing is a serious issue in some countries)
To ensure retention of a reasonable level of biodiversity

Question 21

What does urban regions include? What dominates the landscape? How much of the worlds population live in these settlements?

Answer 21

Major cities, regional towns, and urban villages.
Densest biome.
Human structures and built land cover
Over 50% of the human population

Question 22

What type of biomes do most major cities occupy?

Answer 22

Temperate forest biomes, e.g. central park, New York.

Question 23

What are 5 things that influence the location of urban land use?

Answer 23

• Resources
• Accessibility
• Defence
• Government
• Cultural values

Question 24

What is the urban land use like in Australia? How did it alter the natural environment?

Answer 24

It reflects a European history (e.g. sea travel, exploration of coast). The use of resources (timber/stone) for building and water for population.

Question 25

What are the human impacts of urban land use?

Answer 25

Residents/industries consume natural resources (water, energy, land)
Waste
Introduction of animals and plants

Question 26

What are the pressures of urban land use?

Answer 26

Population growth (increase amount of space needed)
Economic growth
Increased traffic congestion
Climate change

Question 27

What is reactive nitrogen? What does it do?

Answer 27

It is all forms of nitrogen (biological, photochemical, radiatively) that are active. They are capable of cascading through the environment and causing an impact through smog, acid rain and biodiversity loss.

Question 28

What are ecosystem services? What do these services include?

Answer 28

The benefits people obtain from ecosystems.
Food and water
flood and disease control
cultural services (spiritual, recreational, cultural benefits)
supporting services (nutrient cycles that maintain the conditions of life on earth)

Question 29

What are the relationships between ecosystem services and anthropogenic biomes?

Answer 29

Food and water : Quality and yield/overexploitation, invasive species
Flood and disease control : Deforestation/building infrastructure on flood plains
Cultural services : Particularly important to indigenous peoples
Nutrient cycling : Deforestation can lead to changes in the water, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorous and sulphur cycles

Question 30

What are the processes of land cover change?

Answer 30

Irrigation (Aral sea) and reclamation (man-made islands; Rokkō Island - Japan (Kobe)
Industry and mining (WA)
Rangeland modification
Agriculture intensification (increased yield per hectare; Asia - rice farming)
Deforestation (Sumatra, Amazon, Borneo etc)
Urban land growth (Jakarta, Tokyo)

Question 31

Define land cover change.

Answer 31

The change in the biophysical and built environment, primarily bought about by human activity.