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Geography > Living world - ecosystems > Flashcards

Living world - ecosystems Flashcards

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1
Q

what is an ecosystem?

A

a complex natural system made up of plants, animals and the environment - both at small and large scale

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2
Q

what is a biome?

A

a global ecosystem with flora and fauna that are adapted to their environment

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3
Q

what are biotic features?

A

living parts - eg. plants and animals

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4
Q

what are abiotic features?

A

non-living parts - eg. climate, soil and light

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5
Q

Where is Epping Forest (deciduous forest)?

A
  • NE of London
  • M11 + M25 run through it
  • south of Cambridge
  • site of special scientific interest (SSSI)
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6
Q

What is a producer?
link to epping forest

A
  • organisms that convert energy from the environment into glucose
  • eg. oak trees in deciduous forest through photosynthesis
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7
Q

what is a consumer?
link to epping forest

A
  • organism that gets energy from eating producers
  • eg. caterpillar that eats leaves from a tree or birds or foxes (apex predator)
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8
Q

what is a decomposer?
link to epping forest

A
  • organism that breaks down plant + animal material and returns nutrients to the soil
  • eg. bacteria and fungi found in woodland
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9
Q

what is nutrient cycling?

A

a set of processes where organisms extract minerals for growth from soil and water, pass them through the food chain, and ultimately end back in soil and water

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10
Q

what is a food chain?

A

shows the direct links between producers and consumers as a single line

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11
Q

what is a food web?

A

shows the complex hierarchies of interlocking food chains in an ecosystem

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12
Q

what are the levels on food chains/webs called?

A

trophic levels

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13
Q

what is the apex predator?

A

the consumer at the top of the food chain/web - it has no predators

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14
Q

what are the 3 components of the nutrient cycle?

A

soil, biomass and litter

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15
Q

what is nutrient cycling like in deciduous forest?

A
  • large biomass store - tall trees + dense undergrowth
  • large soil store - lots of humus
  • high flow rate - vigorous cycle of new growth each year
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16
Q

how long does it take for an ecosystem to reach a sustainable balance?

A

thousands of years

17
Q

how does change impact an ecosystem?

A

one small change can seriously disrupt the balance of the ecosystem

18
Q

what two types of changes affect ecosystems?

A
  • natural changes
  • changes due to human activities
19
Q

what natural changes can happen to an ecosystem?

A
  • changes to the habitat/species
  • extreme weather events - eg. droughts can dry up water sources, killing aquatic creatures and other things that depend on them.
20
Q

what changes do humans make to ecosystems?

A
  • agriculture
  • tourism
  • fishing
  • deforestation
21
Q

what are the effects of agriculture to a pond ecosystem?

A
  • fertilisers can contaminate water with nitrates and encourage the growth of algae - ponds become oxygen depleted and fish die
  • ponds may be drained for farming - all pond life will die
  • hedgerows removed to make larger fields - habitats destroyed, altering plant animal balance
  • woods cut down - bird habitats destroyed + nutrient cycle affected
22
Q

Where is Yellowstone National Park?

A
  • in the USA
  • in the NW corner of the state of Wyoming
23
Q

what change had occurred in the Yellowstone ecosystem?

A

wolves had been exterminated by humans to make it safer for them and for cattle

24
Q

what was the effect of changing the Yellowstone ecosystem?

A

losing the wolves meant elk had no predators so there was elk overpopulation which meant the ecosystem became overgrazed

25
Q

what was done to restore balance in Yellowstone ecosystem?

A

wolves were reintroduced

26
Q

what were the benefits of restoring balance in Yellowstone?

A
  • elk were constantly moving - nature had a chance to recover
  • cottonwoods, aspens and poplars came back and cleared the river
  • beavers returned
  • elk population was brought back under control - 20000 to 10000 in 8 years
27
Q

how are biomes distributed across the world and why?

A

they form broad belts parallel to lines of latitude due to global atmospheric circulation

28
Q

what are some causes of biomes?

A
  • solar energy - the poles are heated gently, at the equator heat is more concentrated so it is heated more strongly
  • global wind patterns - convection currents (warm ocean moves north, cold ocean moves south)
29
Q

what causes variation within biomes from east to west?

A
  • ocean currents
  • winds
  • distribution of land and sea
  • altitude
30
Q

What are the main biomes globally?

A
  • polar
  • tundra
  • deciduous forest
  • desert
  • Mediterranean
  • temperate grassland
  • tropical grassland (savannah)
    coniferous forest
  • tropical rainforest
31
Q

describe the polar biome

A
  • found at the arctic and antarctica
  • dry conditions, low temps of -50C very little life
32
Q

describe the tundra biome

A
  • between arctic circle and 60-70 degrees N
  • cold, windy, dry - short tough grass
  • fragile - easily damaged by development
33
Q

describe the deciduous and coniferous forest biomes

A
  • both found 50-60 degrees north
  • coniferous dominates further north - needles reduce moisture loss and maximise photosynthesis
  • deciduous trees drop their leaves in winter due to lack of sunlight
34
Q

describe the desert biome

A
  • 30 degrees N + S of equator
  • 1/5 of earth’s surface
  • high daytime temps, low nighttime temps + very low rainfall = only very specialised life forms
35
Q

describe the Mediterranean biome

A
  • isolated biome in S Europe + N Africa
  • hot, sunny, dry summers + mild winters = olive groves and citrus fruits
36
Q

describe the temperate grassland biome

A
  • 30-40 degrees N+S of equator and always inland
  • warm dry summers + cold winters = grasses for grazing animals
37
Q

decribe the savannah biome

A
  • 15-30 degrees N+S of equator
  • distinct wet + dry seasons = large herds of grazers and their predators
38
Q

describe the tropical rainforest biome

A
  • close to the equator
  • 6% of earth’s surface
  • high temperatures + heavy rainfall - ideal conditions for vegetation

Geography (7 decks)

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