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NATURAL RESOURCES Flashcards

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AP® Biology flashcards Biology 101 flashcards
1
Q

What are the resources on Earth?

A

Air, water and soil are the resources on Earth.

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2
Q

Define Lithosphere.

A

The outer crust of the earth is called Lithosphere.

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3
Q

Define Atmosphere

A

The air that covers the earth like a blanket is known as the atmosphere.

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4
Q

Define Hydrosphere.

A

Water covers around 75% of earth’s surface, it is found underground. These comprise the hydrosphere.

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5
Q

Define Biosphere

A

The life supporting zone of the Earth where the atmosphere, the hydrosphere and the lithosphere interact making life possible is known as the biosphere.

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6
Q

How does the percentage of CO2 remain fixed in the atmosphere.

A

Despite of the human activities like burning of fossil fuels and forest fires the percentage of carbon dioxide remained fixed in the atmosphere because: -

  1. Green plants convert carbon dioxide into glucose molecules in the presence of sunlight.
  2. Marine animals use carbonates is dissolved in water to make their shells.
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7
Q

How does the atmosphere help in controlling the climate.

A

Since air is a bad conductor of heat it helps in maintaining an average temperature throughout the day and here. It helps in preventing a sudden increase in the temperature during the daylight hours and slows down the escape of heat during the night.

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8
Q

Factors affecting the movement of wind

A
  1. Uneven heating of the earths atmosphere
  2. Earths rotation
  3. Mountain ranges
  4. Variations in pressure conditions
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9
Q

How is rain formed?

A
  1. Water bodies are heated
  2. Water vapor rises in the air due to biological activities
  3. The hot air rises up carrying water vapor with it. As it rises, the air condenses to form tiny droplets which is facilitated by the dust particles around which acts as the nucleus.
  4. These water then grew bigger through further condensation.
  5. When these droplets have grown big and heavy, they fall down in the form of rain (or sleet, hail, snow depending on the climate of that place.
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10
Q

Effects of air pollution

A
  1. The inhalation of these gases that contain these pollutants is dangerous and can lead to allergies, cancer, heart diseases etc…
  2. The oxides that are released by the burning of fossil fuels can cause acid rain.
  3. Smog is a visible form of air pollution.
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11
Q

Importance of water

A
  • All reactions take place within our body and within all the cells occur between substances that are dissolved in water.
  • Substances are transported from one place to another in a dissolved form.
  • Terrestrial life forms require fresh water for this because their bodies cannot tolerate or get rid of high amounts of dissolved salts in saline water .
  • The availability of water decides not only the number of individuals of each species that are able to survive in a particular area but it also decides the diversity of life there.
  • Water is one of the major sources that determine the life on earth.
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12
Q

Define air pollution

A

An increase in harmful suspended particles in the air is called air pollution.

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13
Q

Causes of Air pollution

A

Air pollution is mainly caused due to the burning of fossil fuels and emission of toxic gases from industries and automobiles causing undesirable changes in the quality of air natural phenomena like forest fires volcanic eruption, etc… is also responsible for air pollution.

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14
Q

What is water pollution

A

Water pollution can be defined as the contamination of water bodies with industrial and agricultural effluents. When water gets polluted, it adversely affects all lifeforms that directly or indirectly depend on this source.

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15
Q

Factors affecting water pollution

A
  1. Water dissolves the fertilizer and pesticides that we use some percentage of these substances are washed away in water bodies.
  2. Sewage from our towns and cities and the waste from factories are also dumped in rivers or lakes.
  3. Specific industries also use water for cooling in various operations and later return it’s hot water into water bodies. This change in temperature can affect the marine life.
  4. Temperatures of water in rivers can be affected when water is released from dams. The water inside the deep reservoir would be cooler than the water at the surface which gets heated by the sun.
  5. The addition of undesirable substances to water bodies, These substances can be fertilizers and pesticides or other poisonous substances like mercury salts which are used in paper industry or disease causing bacteria lead to one and that causes cholera.
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16
Q

Effects of water pollution

A
  1. The addition of undesirable substances to water bodies, These substances can be fertilizers and pesticides or other poisonous substances like mercury salts which are used in paper industry or disease causing bacteria lead to one and that causes cholera.
  2. Removal of undesirable substances from water bodies like dissolved oxygen which is used by plants and animals. Any change in the dissolved oxygen can adversely affect the aquatic organisms.
  3. Aquatic organisms are used to certain range of temperature a change in this temperature can be dangerous for the organisms and can affect their breeding. The eggs and larvae of various animals are particularly susceptible to temperature changes.
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17
Q

Describe the importance of atmosphere for life.

A
  1. The atmosphere keeps the average temperature of the earth.
  2. The ozone layer protects us from UV rays.
  3. Winds are generated due to the movement of air present in the atmosphere.
  4. It contains all gases which are essential for retaining life on earth.
  5. It helps us to hear sound.
  6. The biogeochemical cycles won’t be possible without the atmosphere.
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18
Q

What is soil?

A

Soil is a mixture, it contains small particles of rock. It also contains bits of decayed living organisms which is called humus. It also has various forms of microscopic life.

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19
Q

Factors affecting the weathering of soil

A
  1. The Sun: - the sun heats up rocks during the day so that they expand. At night these rocks cooled down and contract. This expansion and contraction of rocks leads to the formation of cracks on the rock and would eventually break up into smaller pieces.
  2. Water: - water could get into cracks in the rocks formed due to uneven heating of the rock by the sun this water will later freeze leading to the cracks to widen.
    - fast flowing waters often carry big and small particles of rock downstream. These rocks rub against each other causing the rocks to wear down to smaller particles. The water takes this particle and deposit further down its path.
  3. Wind: - strong winds rubs against rocks and erodes them. The wind also carries sand and deposit them like water does.
  4. Living organisms: - plants like lichen and Moss grow on the surface of the rocks causing them to break up into smaller pieces. While growing they release substances that cause the rock surface to powder.
    - the roots of big trees sometimes go into the cracks in the rocks and ask the roots grow bigger the crack is forced to become bigger.
20
Q

How is the type of soil decided?

A
  1. Average size of particles.

2. The soil quality is decided by the amount of humus and micro-organisms present in it.

21
Q

How does humus help the soil?

A

Humus is the major component of the soil which helps in deciding the soil structure because it causes the soil to become more porous allowing water and edge to penetrate deep underground.

22
Q

What are the factors that decide which plants will thrive on that soil?

A
  1. Amount of humus

2. Depth of soil

23
Q

Demerits of modern farming.

A
  1. Modern farming methods involves the use of fertilizers and pesticides. Use of substances over long periods of time can destroy the soil structure by killing the soil or microorganisms that recycle nutrients in the soil.
  2. It also kills earthworms which are instrumental in making the humus rich. The soil can be turned barren if sustainable practices are not followed.
24
Q

What is soil pollution?

A

The removal of useful components from the soil and the addition of other substances which adversely affect the fertility of the soil and kill the diversity of organisms that live in it. This is called soil pollution.

25
Q

Factors leading to soil erosion

A
  1. Flowing water
  2. Strong winds
  3. Deforestation
26
Q

How can we prevent soil erosion?

A

We can prevent soil erosion by planting more trees. The vegetative cover on the ground has a role to play in the percolation of water into deeper layers.

27
Q

What is the water cycle?

A

The whole process in which water evaporates and falls on the land as rain and later flows back into the sea via rivers is known as the water cycle.

28
Q

Justify the statement “Rivers carry many nutrients.”

A

Water is capable of dissolving a large number substances. As water flows through or over rocks containing soluble minerals, some of it gets dissolved in the water. Thus rivers carry many nutrients from the land to the sea and these are used by marine organisms.

29
Q

List the process where oxygen is used in the oxygen cycle.

A
  1. Combustion
  2. Respiration
  3. Formation of oxides of nitrogen
30
Q

Oxygen is released back into the atmosphere through the process of___________.

A

Photosynthesis

31
Q

Nitrogen fixing by bacteria does not take place in the presence of________.

A

Oxygen

32
Q

Difference between oxygen and ozone

A

Oxygen is safe to be used while ozone is poisonous.

33
Q

What is the function of ozone layer?

A

The ozone layer absorbs harmful radiations from the sun. This prevents those harmful radiation from reaching the surface of the earth where they may damage many forms of life.

34
Q

How is the ozone being depleted?

A

Various man-made compounds like CFCs they found to persist in the atmosphere. Once they reach the ozone layer they would react with the ozone molecules. This resulted in a reduction of the ozone layer and recently have discovered a hole in the ozone layer above Antarctica.

35
Q

What are CFCs?

A

Carbon compounds having both fluorine and chlorine which are very stable and not degraded by any biological processes.

36
Q

What is the percentage of oxygen in the atmosphere?

A

21%

37
Q

What are green houses?

A

Heat is trapped by glass and hence the temperature inside a glass enclosure must be higher than the surroundings. This phenomenon was used to create an enclosure where tropical plants could be kept warm during the winters in colder climates. Such enclosures are called greenhouse gases.

38
Q

What is the greenhouse effect?

A

An increase in the percentage of any greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would cause the average temperature to increase worldwide and this is called the greenhouse effect.

39
Q

What is global warming?

A

An increase in the carbon dioxide content in the atmosphere would cause more heat to be retained in the atmosphere and lead to global warming.

40
Q

Why is carbon dioxide a greenhouse gas?

A

Carbon dioxide is one of the greenhouse gases because it has the ability to prevent the escape of heat from the earth.

41
Q

Name one of the suspended particles.

A

Hydrocarbons

42
Q

Define biogeochemical cycle.

A

The ways in which an element or compound such as water moves between its various living and nonliving forms and location in its biosphere is called a biogeochemical cycle.

43
Q

What is soil erosion?

A

It is the removal and thining of the fertile top soil from a region due to climate and physical processes such as high rainfall, wind, etc…

44
Q

Name two biologically important compounds that contain both oxygen and nitrogen.

A

Proteins and Nucleic acid.

45
Q

Role of respiration in Oxygen cycle.

A

It releases CO2 and water by consuming O2

46
Q

What is the contribution of photosynthesis (or plants) in Carbon cycle?

A

Photosynthesis removes CO2 from the atmosphere and converts it into carbohydrates. When plants die, they get converted into coal inside the earth. Coal when burnt, produces CO2 which then escapes into the atmosphere. Thus, photosynthesis holds an important place in the Carbon cycle.

47
Q

CO2 is necessary for plants. Why do we consider it as a pollutant?

A

CO2 is considered as a pollutant because the increasing concentration of CO2 is harmful. So apart from CO2 being essential for photosynthesis, it is also a greenhouse gas. Higher concentrations of CO2 is one of the causes of greenhouse effect and global warming.

Biology (10 decks)

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