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Geography > Paper 3: People And The Biosphere > Flashcards

Paper 3: People And The Biosphere Flashcards

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1
Q

How does temperature affect plant growth?

A

Temperature is one if the most important factors. Most plants need temperature over 5°C to grow, so length of growing season varies from place to place.

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2
Q

How does precipitation affect plant growth?

A

Plants need water. Plants grow if precipitation is spread across all seasons, but not if there is a dry season or water is frozen in winter.

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3
Q

How does sunshine affect plant growth?

A

Sunshine hours and intensity affect photosynthesis and therefore plant growth. More hours of sunshine and higher the intensity the higher the rate if photosynthesis.

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4
Q

What is the relationship between temperature, precipitation and biome type?

A

In areas with high precipitation, warm areas and sunshine forest biomes are found. In areas with very dry and/or very cold seasons other types of biomes replace them. E.g grass land.

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5
Q

What is a biome?

A

A large area characterised by certain types of plants and animals.

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6
Q

What are the 9 types of biomes?

A
  • Tundra
  • Boreal forest (Taiga)
  • Temperate deciduous forest
  • Temperate grassland
  • Mediterranean
  • Hot desert
  • Tropical rainforest
  • Tropical grassland (savanna)
  • Other biomes (ice, mountains)
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7
Q

What does latitude mean?

A

How far north or south a location on Earths surface from the equator.

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8
Q

How does latitude influence biome type?

A

It influences it because temperature and sunshine intensity is controlled by latitude.

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9
Q

How does temperature vary in proportion to latitude?

A
  • Locations near the equator are warmer than the poles because sunlight is more intense.
  • near the equator, the suns rays are at a high angle in the sky all year.
  • as latitude increases (towards poles) winter becomes longer and and colder, and the climate more seasonal.
  • in polar areas sunshine intensity is low; lack of heat and light limits plants growth.
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10
Q

How does rock and soil types influence an ecosystem?

A

When rocks undergo chemical weathering, they release nutrients and chemicals into the soil. Soils can be acidic, neutral or alkaline depending on rock type. The acidity and alkalinity of soil influences the plants that will grow there.

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11
Q

How does water availability and drainage influence an ecosystem?

A

Some plays can grow with their roots in waterlogged soil or boggy areas. Others prefer drier soil. How wet the soil is depends on several factors:

  • the amount of precipitation
  • the amount of evaporation from the soil (influenced by temperature)
  • how permeable the soil is; sand soils are dry and clay soils wet.
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12
Q

How does altitude influence an ecosystem?

A

Height affects biomes in 3 ways:

  • temperature drops by 6.5°C for every 1000m increase in height.
  • at high altitudes, below freezing temperatures are common, which limits the types of plants that can grow.
  • rainfall usually increases with height.
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13
Q

What is altitudinal zonation?

A

The change in ecosystems at different altitudes caused by alterations in temperature, precipitation, sunlight and soil type.

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14
Q

What 2 parts do biomes consist of?

A

Biotic: the biotic (living) part is made up of plants (flora) and animals (fauna) life.

Abiotic: the abiotic (non-living) part includes the atmosphere, water, rocks and soil.

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15
Q

What do local factors mean?

A

Differences that alter animal and plant species in a biome from one we would expect.

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16
Q

How does altitudinal zonation patterns form?

A

As temperature and precipitation conditions change with height, changes occur to the eco system. This forms a pattern called altitudinal zonation.

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17
Q

What is the biosphere?

A

The living layer of Earth between the lithosphere and atmosphere. E.g the oceans, forests (etc). It is the living layer of earth.

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18
Q

Where are tropical rainforests belt found?

A

Tropical rainforests are found between the the tropics in South America, Africa and Asia.

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19
Q

Where is the Taiga belt found?

A

In a belt stretching across Canada, Northern Europe and Russia.

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20
Q

How is precipitation influenced by latitude?

A

Because of high and low pressure zones.

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21
Q

How is the earths pressure zones divided and how does this affect precipitation?

A
  • North and South of the equator there are 3 major convection cells in the atmosphere.
  • precipitation is high at the rising parts of the cells because air pressure is low.
  • at the descending parts of the cells air pressure is high so precipitation is low.
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22
Q

Where are forest biomes found?

A

In areas of low pressure and high rainfall at the boundary between cells.

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23
Q

Where are dry, desert biomes found?

A

In high pressure areas, lack of precipitation prevents tree growth so that deserts form.

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24
Q

What does forest biome consist of?

A

Deciduous trees that lose their leaves in autumn. The first is dominated by oak and other species such as ash and hazel.

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25
Q

What do local factors include?

A
  • rock and soil type
  • water availability and drainage
  • altitude (height of land)
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26
Q

What do the different local factors of rock and soil type, water availability and drainage and height produce?

A

They produce different ecosystems, which are localised biomes. Differences in soil or drainage mean that conditions favour some plants more than others, altering the type of eco system.

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27
Q

Why can’t trees grow above the tree line?

A

Because it is too cold above the tree one for them to grow.

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28
Q

How are biotic and abiotic linked?

A
  • Energy provided by photosynthesis to plants.
  • plants take in carbon dioxide and give put oxygen. (Opposite occurs in animals). Nitrogen is also exchanged between atmosphere, plants and soil.
  • energy flows along food chain form plants to herbivores to carnivores to detritivores to decomposers (e.g fungi) that consume dead plants and animals.
  • precipitation moves through the soil, plants and animals and back into atmosphere via respiration and evaporation.
  • when animals and plants die, decomposition returns to soil.
  • weathering of rocks provides soil nutrients.
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29
Q

What provisioned goods does the eco system provide?

A
  • Food: nuts, berries, fish, game, crops
  • fuelwood
  • timber for buildings and other materials
  • genetic and chemical materials
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30
Q

What supporting services does the eco system provide?

A
  • nutrient cycle
  • photosynthesis and good web
  • soil formation
31
Q

What regulating services does the ecosystem provide?

A

(These services link to the other physical systems and help keep the planet healthy:

  • storing carbon and emitting oxygen, which keeps the atmosphere balanced.
  • purifying water and regulating the flow of water within the hydrological cycle.
32
Q

On average what have some scientists and economists predicted that the value of a biome such as a rainforest is worth each year?

A

US$4-6 trillion as they provide humans with a huge range of goods and services.

33
Q

Give examples of services and goods rainforests can provide:

A

Goods- physical materials such as, timber from trees, or fish caught in a lake.

Services- these are functions e.g how forests prevent flooding or or trees add to oxygen in the atmosphere.

34
Q

How does the importance of ecosystems services vary globally and locally:

A

Globally:
The role of the ecosystem in maintaining a healthy Atmosphere is globally important. Trees take in carbon dioxide and store the carbon helping regulate the climate.

Locally:
Provisioning services are locally important. In some parts of the world local people depend on coral reef for coral, or a forest for timber and fuel.

35
Q

What kind of people directly rely on the eco system for their livelihood?(give an example)

A

Indigenous people, who are native to the land. E.g the Efe people of the Ituri rainforest in the Congo basin of Africa. Only 30,000 of them remain today.

36
Q

Hie indigenous people use the rainforest?

A
  • small circular houses are built form wood and leaves; these are temporary as they often move to find food.
  • wood for cooking with fire.
  • Efe people hunt monkey and antelope for bush meat as well as river from rivers.
  • they gather wild yams, nuts, berries and mushrooms from forest.
  • use plants and wild honey to make traditional medicine.
  • hunt in the forest for hog and sell its meat to others in region as well as trade for rice.

They also worship the rainforest

37
Q

What is meant by ecosystem services?

A

Collective term for all the ways humans benefit from the ecosystem.

38
Q

What is slash and burn farming and how is it done?

A

This way for arming is used by up to 500 million people world wide. It works like this:

  • farmers clear small areas of forest by cutting and burning.
  • ash from burning adds nutrients to the soils
  • land is farmed for 5-6 years but after that the soil becomes infertile and farmers move onto a new area.
39
Q

What happens to land after slash and burn farming has taken place on it but moved on?

A

Forest gores back in the abandoned patches of land over time. This type of exploitation destroys small areas of rainforest but it does regrow over time.

40
Q

What are large biomes cleated by TNC’s often used for?

A
  • commercial farming, cattle ranching or to grow fodder crops I have as soybean that are fed to the cattle.
  • commercial crops such as palm oil, coco bean/ cereals
  • mining metal ores such as copper, iron
  • timber used to make paper, furniture or construction wood.
  • construction of demand and reservoirs for hydroelectricity power and supply water to cities.
41
Q

What effect does commercial exploitation have on the eco system and who benefits from it?

A

Once a biome had been cleared for commercial exploitation it can never grow back. Commercial exploitation of biomes makes profits for TNCs, jobs for people and money for government.
But…
Ecosystem services are destroyed. Areas that water once forest no longer store carbon, prevent flooding or can be used for recreation.

42
Q

What is the nutrient cycle?

A

Nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus move between the biomass, litter and soil as part of a continuous nutrient cycle which keeps both plants and soils healthy.

43
Q

What does carbon sink mean?

A

Carbon sinks are natural stores for carbon-containing chemical compounds, like carbon dioxide or methane.

44
Q

How would earths climate be very different without biomes (especially rainforests)?

A

Natural hazards would be more common such as flooding. By regulating carbon dioxide levels it keeps the atmosphere in balance, which is very important. To grow food healthy soils are needed and water is provided by the hydrological cycle. Ecosystems/ biomes are important because they provide us with these.

45
Q

How does a forest biome store the carbon which is found on the planet?

A
  • jokes store carbon as biomass (leaves, branches, trunks, roots and animal tissue.
  • when plants and animals die the dead biomass ends up in the soil- making soil an important carbon sink.
46
Q

What ways can humans destroy biomes and affect carbon stores and how can humans add carbon to the atmosphere?

A
  • biomes such as trees are burned and soil destroyed, releasing their carbon stores. E.g slash and burn.
  • humans destroy biomes e.g through deforestation so biomes absorb less carbon.

This increases the global warming affect.

47
Q

What ways can humans affect the nutrient cycle?

A

Removing biomes e.g logging timber takes away a huge nutrient store. Deforested areas are at risk from soil erosion, removing yet another store. Heavy rain and surface run-off can wash away litter.

48
Q

Name the nutrient stores:

A

Biomass, soils and Litter

49
Q

What factors add and take away nutrients to the nutrients stores?

A

Precipitation: rainfall adds nutrients
Decay: litter decomposes returning nutrients to the soil.
Fallout: dead plants and animals become litter on the soil surface.
Growth/uptake: as pansy grow they take nutrients from the soil.
Weathering: the chemical breakdown of rocks adds nutrients to the soil.
Leeching: nutrients are washed out of the soils as water moves through.
Runoff: water washes litter away removing nutrients.

50
Q

3 main impacts biomes have on our eco system globally?

A

Help keep:

  • healthy soil
  • healthy air
  • clean water provided by hydrological cycle.
51
Q

Define what is meant by carbon sequestration?

A

Biomes are important carbon sinks. They store carbon by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and ‘locking’ it up in biotic materials. The process which makes this work is photosynthesis.

52
Q

What process enables carbon sequestration to work?

A

Photosynthesis:

Carbon dioxide + water (+sunlight) ➡️ glucose + oxygen

53
Q

How much carbon do biomes on land absorb each year?

A

Biomes on land absorb about 120 billion tonnes of carbon each year from the atmosphere, and the same amount is released. Biomes and soil together stores 2850 billion tonnes of carbon.

54
Q

Why is the hydrological cycle (provided by biomes) so important?

A

Because they provide humans with a clean, reliable water supply. Destroying a forest biome can have serious impacts on the water cycle.

55
Q

What 4 impacts does destroying a forest (or area of forest) have in the surroundings?

A

1) no trees means a decrease in interception so more rainfall hits the soil directly = more soil erosion. Also means more surface run off= higher water level = more flooding.
2) no trees =less infiltration of water into soil= means ground water supplies which are important for many people are lower
3) flooding becomes more frequent and river water is made dirty by the soil washed into river.
4) no forest = soil dries out quickly = overall evaporation is reduced = fewer clouds and less rain and a dries more desert like climate.(less transportation = less clouds = droughts)

56
Q

Define what is meant by natural resources?

A

Material found in the environment that are used by humans, including land, water, fossil fuels, rocks, minerals and biological resources like timber or fish.

57
Q

Why is the demand for natural resources such as food, energy and water rising?

A

Rising population- greater demand for these resources leading to more destruction of forests for farmland.

Increasing urbanisation- more people live in towns and cities that have sprawled over biomes.

increasing wealth of people- means people use more energy and therefore more fossils fuels as they can afford to use energy.

58
Q

What sort of implications does humans use of natural resources have on biomes?

A
  • Biomes can be directly destroyed to create land for farming, housing, factories, mining or projects like hydroelectric power stations, reservoirs and damns.
  • obtaining timber, fish or hunted animals from biomes can degrade them, by removing key species.
  • Human use of natural resources can pollute the wider environment, which damages biomes. E.g burning fossil fuels, polluting the atmosphere and dumping waste into rivers, polluting water.
59
Q

Compare the data for population, average global income and % of people living in towns and cities from 1975 to 2015.

A

1975
Population: 4.1 billion
Average global income: US$3700 per person.
% of people loving in towns and cities: 38%

2015
Population: 7.3 billion
Average global income: US$10 400 per person.
% of people loving in towns and cities:5%

60
Q

What countries have gone through industrialisation from 1970 onwards and what affect has this had on industry and job type?

A

Counties in Asia such as, South Korea, China, India and Thailand. They have seen a dramatic shift from people living in the countryside and working farms to people moving to cities and working in factories and offices.

61
Q

Give some examples of how Asia has industrialised?

A
  • In 1998 China had no railway. By 2015 it had 19,000km of railway with trains able to run up to 200kmh.
  • between 2000-2015 the number of cars in India increased from 6million to 30million.
  • Thailand’s urban population was 17 million in 1990 by 2015 it had doubled to 34million.
  • In 1980 the average South Korean ate 11kg of meat a year by 2013 it had risen to 43kg.
62
Q

Why aren’t developed countries such as The Uk not having rapid growth (population and economic)?

A

Because they went through the industrialisation process over 200 years ago. So Europe’s population is barley growing at all.

63
Q

Why do developing regions have a sudden need for more natural resources?

A

The combined impact of population growth, industrialisation, urbanisation and rising wealth has led to dramatic increase in demand for resources.

64
Q

Over all what statistics show that Asia has changed since 1975 - 2015?

A 
Asia’s population has grown by 78% from 1975.
Water consumption has increased by 70%.
Oil consumption has increased by 220%.
Coal consumption has increased by 624%
Meat consumption has increased by 513%
65
Q

Why have Industrial changes occurred in Asia?

A
  • Asia has 2 billion more people today compared to 1975, on average they are richer than then so use far more energy resources.
  • as people get richer their diets change. They eat more, especially meat, fat and dairy products.
66
Q

What is meant by 2030 the perfect storm?

A

First suggested by John Beddington. The idea argues that by 2030 the world will be running out of resources. Geographers have been worrying about this for the last 200 years. There are two view points.

  • Pessimistic
  • Optimistic
67
Q

What is the pessimistic view on 2030 the perfect storm?

A

Population will eventually grow so large that the planter will run out of food, water, energy and other resources, leading to a crisis. People who believed this are called Malthusians e.g:
Thomas Malthus
John Beddington

68
Q

What is the optimistic view on 2030 the perfect storm?

A

As population grows humans invent new ways and technology to allow more food to be grown and more resources to be supplied. People who beloved this are called Boserupians. E.g.
Ester Boserup

69
Q

What do Malthusians believe and why?

A

Malthus wrote an essay in 1798 called ‘An Essay on the Principle of population’ he argued that population would increase geometrically e.g (1,2,4,8,16) whereas food production could only be produced arithmetically e.g (1,2,3,4,5). If this continued population would eventually outstrip food supply which would lead to the ‘population versus resource crisis’.

70
Q

Using Malthus’ view what 2 ways could prevent the ‘population Vs resource crisis’?

A

Positive checks- war, starvation and famine would reduce population. E.g Ireland and potato famine one 1800’s.

Preventative checks- people marrying later, having fewer children.

THE BALANCE BETWEEN POPULATION AND FOOD SUPPLY WOULD THEREFORE BE RESTORED.

71
Q

What was the Boserup’s view and why?

A

In 1965 she published a book called ‘The conditions of Agricultural Growth’. She argued that ‘necessity is the mother of invention’ as population grows innovative humans create new ways of producing more food. She wrote this book at an optimistic time and the reflects this. Development of computer and space exploration were being discovered. Examples of her view today are (using technology such as) farm machinery, fertilisers and GM crops.

72
Q

Why do scientists today still refer to Malthus’ view?

A
  • Although there have been no global crisis since 1798 there has been examples of famine (Irish potato famine in 1840) and (Ethiopian famine 1984-85.)
  • The earth provides resources for 7 billion people so far but that doesn’t mean it can for 12 billion people in the future.
73
Q

Why do scientists today still refer to Boserup’s view?

A
  • Food production has become more technically advanced, just like she said it would.
  • some resources are finite such as, fossil fuels, but renewable resources pile solar power and sustainable resources like hydroelectricity may sustain more people.
74
Q

What is the second part of the 2030 debate?

A

Crisis might occur because the quality of the resources are too poor rather than the quantity becoming too small. E.g.

  • rivers and lakes may become so polluted that their water is unsustainable.
  • soils may become eroded and infertile that few crops grow on them.
  • when oil and gas run out we may turn to burning very dirty polluted coal.

Geography (11 decks)

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