People And The Biosphere

Question 1

What is a biome?

Answer 1

Biomes are large - scale global ecosystems with distinctive vegetation.

Question 2

What is an ecosystem?

Answer 2

An ecosystem includes all the living and non living things in an area

Question 3

What determines what type of biome form?

Answer 3

The climate in area determines what type of biome forms.

Question 4

Why are their different biomes?

Answer 4

Different parts of the world have different biomes because they have different climates.

Question 5

Biotic component is?

Answer 5

The biotic components are the living parts of a biome eg plants and animals

Question 6

What are abiotic components?

Answer 6

Abiotic components are the non living parts - eg soil, water, rocks

Question 7

The different components interact with each other. Give an example.

Answer 7

Water availability affects the plants that can grow - eg if the soil is very dry, only dessert plants such as cacti will be able to survive. Plants take in water from soil and release it into the atmosphere. Providing moisture for further rainfall.

Question 8

Biome distribution is affected by local factors. Name as many factors as you can.

Answer 8

Altitude
Rock Type
Soil type
Drainage

Question 9

What is the biosphere?

Answer 9

The biosphere includes all parts of Earth that are occupied by living organisms - its the plants, animals, bacteria, and fungi as well as the soil ans water they live in.

Question 10

Living organisms provide loads of goods that people need to survive. Give examples.

Answer 10

Food - many indigenous people get all of their food directly from plants and animals. Some grow food for their own use.
Medicine - lots of plants have medicinal properties and are used to cure illness and keep people healthy.
Building materials - trees and plants are often used as building materials.
Fuel - indigenous people rely on plants and animals for fuel for cooking and keeping warm

Question 11

Humans are exploit the biosphere. Give reasons why.

Answer 11

Demand for energy - is increasing as the worlds population increases and people have more electrical devices.
Demand for water - is also increased because of increase in global population, people use water for washing etc
Minerals - such as gold and iron are used in building, scientific instruments, electrical appliances

Question 12

How does Biosphere help to regulate the gases in the atmosphere?

Answer 12

Plants take in Carbon Dioxide and give out oxygen during photosynthesis.
Animals take in oxygen from the air and give out Carbon dioxide when they breathe.

Question 13

Maintaining the balance of gases in the atmosphere is important because:

Answer 13

Most living things need oxygen to survive
Increased levels of Co2 lead to global warming
Increased levels of Co2 can also make oceans acidic, affecting the organisms that live there.
Some Co2 is needed to keep the Earth warm enough to support life

Question 14

The biosphere helps to keep soil healthy:

Answer 14

Plant roots and animals spread nutrients through the soil - this helps to maintain soil structure and fertility, which allows plants to grow.
The roots of vegetation also hold the soil together - without this, the soil can be eroded by wind and rain

Question 15

What is a water cycle?

Answer 15

The water cycle is the movement of water between the land, bodies of water and the atmosphere.

Question 16

The biosphere helps to regulate the water cycle

Answer 16

Water is taken up by plants, so less reaches river. This helps to prevent flooding and soil erosion.
Plants also help to regulate the global water cycle by storing water and releasing it into the atmosphere slowly

Question 17

What is population project?

Answer 17

Predictions of how many people there will be in the world in the future

Question 18

Does increased demand for one resource mean increased demand for another?

Answer 18

Yes, more people means more food needs to be grown, which increases demand for water.

Question 19

What factors are increasing the demand for resources?

Answer 19

Increasing wealth
Urbanisation
Industrialisation

Question 20

Why is Increasing wealth a reason for an increase in demand for resources?

Answer 20

Wealthier people have more disposable income, which means they have more money to spend on food and they often buy more than they need

Question 21

Why is urbanisation a reason for an increase in demand for resources?

Answer 21

Urbanisation tends to increase resource consumption because food and water have to be transported long distances to meet the increased demand in cities, and waste needs to be improved - this increases energy use.

Question 22

Why is Industrialisation a reason for an increase in demand for resources?

Answer 22

Industrialisation is increasing the production of processed goods, e.g foods such as margarine. This increases the demand for ingredients such as palm oil.

Question 23

What was Malthus’s theory?

Answer 23

He thought that population was increasing faster than supply of resources, so eventually there would be too many people for the resources available. He believed when this happened, people would be killed by catastrophes such as famine, illness and war, and the population would return to a level that could be supporte by the resources available.

Question 24

What was Boserup’s theory?

Answer 24

Her theory was that however big the world’s population grew, people would always produce sufficient resources to meet their needs. She thought that, if resource supplies became limited, people would come up with new ways to increase production.