Paper 3 Flashcards
What is the Malthusian theory?
That human population grows faster than food supply and as a result, disasters will occur e.g. war and famine
Is the Malthusian theory reliable?
Malthusians will point to recent wars and breakouts of Ebola etc.
How could you argue against the Malthusian theory?
- That food and resource production methods have become more efficient and able to create larger amounts
- That as economies have developed their birth rates have fallen
What is the Boserupian theory?
That as demand reaches an unsustainable level, human intelligence will solve the issue
Is the Boserupian theory reliable?
- Boserupians will point out that in the 20th century the population increased to 6 billion people and there has not yet been a population crash
- Green revolution - improvements of farm machinery, pesticides and selective plant breeding
How could you argue against the Boserupian theory?
Talk of how there is an AIDs pandemic and a rapid increase in refugees fleeing fighting and war zones
What percentage of the world’s species live in the TRF?
Between 50% and 90%
What are reasons for high biodiversity in the TRF?
- Conditions for plant growth are very good
- They are ancient ecosystems and have been supporting species for thousands of years
(6) What are adaptions of the flora in the TFR?
- Layers of the rainforests
- Drip tips
- Emergent
- Buttress roots
- Lianas
- Epiphytes -
What is an epiphyte?
an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water
What are lianas?
long-stemmed, woody vines that are rooted in the soil at ground level and use trees, as well as other means of vertical support, to climb up to the canopy to get access to well-lit areas of the TRF
What are buttress roots?
large, wide roots on all sides of a shallowly rooted tree
What are drip tips?
waxy, downward facing leaves that prevent moisture from accumulating and causing mould to grow
(4) What are fauna adaptations in the TRF?
- Monkeys prehensile tails - climbing
- Green Boas ability to hang from the branch
- The sloth has strong claws - defence
- Toucan with its strong beak
(4) What are direct threats to the TRF?
- Deforestation
- Commercial agriculture
- Subsistence agriculture
- Mining
What is an indirect threat to a TRF?
Climate change
3 facts about deforestation:
- Around half of the rainforests in the world have been cleared
- In 2006 an estimated 7.3 million hectares were cleared - 36 football pitches a minute
- If deforestation continues at this rate all TRFs will be gone in 100 years
What is commercial agriculture?
When crops are grown and sold for profit. Most of the Amazon is cleared for cattle farming - Brazils main export is beef
What is subsistence agriculture?
When people clear the TRF for themselves - increasing as population increases
What is commercial hardwood logging?
When rainforest timber is sold and is very expensive. Many countries have laws preventing this, however there is still illegal trade
What 3 things cause hardwood logging?
- Corrupt police and governments
- Demand is high for hardwood timber such as rosewood and mahogany
- Locals are often poor and see it as a way to make money
How does the warming climate affect the TRF?
The warmer temperatures are causing less rainfall as climatic conditions are shifting toward the poles - less rainfall and more droughts
What would seasonal weather do to rainforests?
- There will be less resistance to new pests and diseases
- More species would become extinct as they won’t be able to survive the climate changes
What doe CITES stand for?
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
What does REDD stand for?
Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation
What are 4 methods of sustainable rainforest management?
- Ecotourism
- Sustainable agriculture
- Social benefits
- Rainforest restoration and replanting
What are challenges of sustainable rainforest management?
- Funding is scarce - NGOs
- Hard to provide satisfaction for all
(5) What are flora adaptations of the T?
- Conical shape
- Tall strong trunk
- Flexible branches
- Needles
- Stand tightly packed together
Why are trees a conical shape in the T?
To help them shed snow
Why do trees have pine needles?
evergreen needles limit the water lost due to transpiration, and their dark green colour increases their absorption of sunlight
(4) What are fauna adaptations of the T?
- Thick fur coats for insulation
- Smaller ears and tails to avoid heat loss and frostbite
- The ability to hibernate, allows body temperatures to fall while they sleep in their den
- A winter camouflage to blend into the scenery + white fur fibres provide better insulation - a reflection of light
What are threats to the taiga?
- Commercial logging
- Oil and Gas
- Acid precipitation
- Forest fires
- Pests and diseases
Name a direct threat to the Taiga:
logging - removes key biotic factors
Name an indirect threat to the Taiga:
Mining minerals and extraction of gas and oil - CO2 production + hazards of leaks
Name to methods of Taiga management:
- National Parks - protection
- Sustainable forestry
What does OPEC stand for?
The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries
What does ESPO stand for?
East Siberia - Pacific Ocean pipeline
3 facts of international oil trade:
- Japan is the third biggest oil consumer
- The ESPO pipeline is more efficient than getting oil from the middle east as it can arrive in a matter of days not weeks
- Dependance on the middle east means higher susceptibility to price fluctuation
Athabasca tar sands potential:
- Estimated 180 billion barrels of bitumen within the sand deposits
What are the 4 concerns for regarding the Athabasca tar sands?
- Most tar sand extraction is carried out by surface mining. Which means vegetation is cleared and loss of habitats
- Large amounts of water are extracted from local rivers and lakes, threatening wildlife
- To extract it takes a lot of energy hence lots of C02 is produced
- Mining has caused leaks into the rivers, and lakes - 11 million litres of toxic waste reaches the Athabasca river daily
How does energy efficiency reduce demand for energy?
Provision of the same service using less energy e.g. efficient light bulbs
How does energy conservation reduce demand for energy?
Not using as much energy e.g. switching off lights when not using them
What are 5 aspects of a house which is super efficient and low carbon?
- Solar panels
- Cavity wall, internal wall and underfloor insulation
- Motion sensor lighting in most rooms
- Double glazing
- Draft proofing
How much is energy use is transport responsible for?
20% of world consumption
3 methods of increasing efficient transport?
- private cycle lanes
- Cycle schemes e.g. Boris Bikes (London)
- Congestion charges
(4)What resources does the Biosphere provide?
- Food
- Medicine
- Building materials
- Fuel resources
Give 3 examples of food from the Biosphere:
- Fish and meat
- Natural vegetation can be replaced with crops like wheat and rice
- Sustainable harvesting of fruits, berries and nuts
Give 3 examples of medicine from the Biosphere:
- The periwinkle plant is used to treat leukaemia and Hodgkin’s disease
- The aloe plant has soothing properties and aloe vera is used in many cosmetics
- Poppies are the source of the painkiller morphine
Give 3 examples of building materials from the Biosphere:
- Straw, the dry stalks of cereal plants, is used for roofing and insulation
- Animal dung can be mixed with clay and straw to make bricks
- Timber is essential for construction comes from trees
Give 3 examples of fuel resources from the Biosphere:
- Wood from trees and shrubs
- Animal dung is dried and burnt as fuel
- Biofuels convert plant products to fuel through a range of different processes. One example is Bioethanol, made by fermenting crops like sugarcane
What type of growth is population?
Exponential
What are 3 reasons for growth in food demand?
- urbanisation
- industrialisation
- affluence
Urbanisations affect on food demand:
The world is 54% urban and by 2050 it is projected to be at least 66%.
What will happen to food production due to population growth?
Current levels of food production will need to double by 2050 to feed the world’s population
What will happen to demand for water?
The demand for water will increase by 55% by 2050.
What will happen to affluence by 2030?
The number of middle class people will grow from 1.8 Billion to 4.9 Billion by 2030
Explain how Urbanisation will cause a boost in demand for water:
As large numbers of people become concentrated in one area, the local water supply becomes under a lot of pressure as everyone wants water to drink, wash and clean with. Often cities exhaust locally available water (e.g. from aquifers beneath the city) and have to transport water from other regions, which is expensive and adds to the cost of living.
Explain how Industrialisation will cause a boost in demand for water:
Many industrial processes require large volumes of water as part of manufacturing. Even if industries do not need water for their products or provide their services, industries require a lot of power and power stations require very large amounts of water for cooling processes.
