SectionB: Living World Flashcards
1
Q
ecosystem definition
A
An ecosystem is a community of plants and animals that interact with each other and their physical environment
2
Q
biotic
A
living
3
Q
abiotic
A
non-living
4
Q
biotic factor example
A
plants and animals
5
Q
abiotic factor example
A
soil light and water
6
Q
producer definition
A
an organism or plant that is able to absorb energy from the sun through photosynthesis
7
Q
consumer definition
A
a creature that eats herbivores and/or plant matter
8
Q
decomposer definition
A
an organism such as a bacterium or fungus that breaks down dead tissue, which is then recycled back into the environment, recycle nutrients back into the soil
9
Q
food chain definition
A
the connections between different organisms that rely on one another as their source of food
10
Q
food web definition
A
a complex hierarchy of plants and animals relying on each other for food
11
Q
2things that happen as you go up the trophic levels
A
energy decreases
biomass decreases
12
Q
case study ecosystem
A
freshwater pond
13
Q
example of a food chain in a freshwater pond
A
algae, mayfly, caddis,fish, kingfisher
14
Q
what would happen if a pond owner added a new predator, perch, into the ecosystem
A
amount of fish would decrease
heron would decrease as their food has decreased
increase in smaller creatures as there will be less predators
15
Q
biome definition
A
a large global ecosystem e.g. desert, tropical rainforest
16
Q
tropical rainforest distribution
A
close to the Equator
high temperature and heavy rainfall
South America
17
Q
desert distribution
A
roughly 30 degrees north and south of the equator
Antarctica=largest cold desert
Sahara=largest hot desert
18
Q
savanna grassland distribution
A
between 15-30 degrees north and south of the equator
wet and dry seasons
wildfires when dry
thunderstorms when wet
19
Q
Mediterranean distribution
A
40-45 degrees of the equator
hot sunny dry summers
mild winters
olive trees and fruit trees grow here
20
Q
biome formation
A
parallel to lines of latitude, this is due to the climate they need to be formed by global atmospheric circulation
21
Q
temperate coniferous and deciduous woodland distribution
A
roughly 30-40 degrees north of the equator
deciduous shed leaves in the winter to maintain moisture
Europe
22
Q
tundra distribution
A
60-70 degrees north from the arctic circle
low growing plants
northern canada and across northern europe
23
Q
polar distribution
A
acrtic, antarctica and greenland. above the arctic and antactic circle
24
Q
how does latitude influence the location of global ecosystems
A
between polar and ferrell- the suns rays are concentrated over a larger area so it is colder
hadley- suns rays are concentrated over a small area so it is hot
25
biomes listed from north to south
```
polar
tundra
t.d woodland
mediterranean
desert
savanna grassland
tropical rainforests
```
26
what type of climate does the rainforest have
equatorial
27
biodiversity definition
the variety of plants and animals species in a biome or ecosystem
28
how many of the world's plants and animals live in the rainforest
over 50%
29
what is the soil like in the rainforest
heavy rainfall leaches away nutrients leaving an infertile iron-rich soil
30
what is the soil in the rainforest called
latosol
31
characteristics of the emergent layer
plants reach 60m in height
trees have buttress roots to stabilise them
animals=eagles,monkeys and bats
32
characteristics of the canopy
plants are 25-45m in height
leaves have drip tips
leaves are large to absorb light
33
characteristics of the under canopy
plants recieve 2-15% of sunlight
10m in height
lianas climb trees to get to sunlight
34
characteristics of the forest floor
plants only get 1-2% sunlight
air is damp and humid- little rainfall
3.5m plants
animals=cockroaches, beetles and earthworms
35
plant adaptation of height
tall to reach sunlight
36
plant adaptation of drip tips
to drip water to lower layers
37
plant adaptation of a straight trunk and little branches
as there is no room to fully grow
38
plant adaptation of lianas
to reach sunlight
39
plant adaptation of buttress roots
stabilise the tree
| nutrients on the surface
40
plant adaptation of shallow roots
soil is latosol and is infertile
41
what are epiphytes
live on trunks and branches
get nutrients from other trees
search for sunlight
42
sloth adaptations
very slow so its unseen
strong long arms to climb
green algae to camouflage
sleep 15-20 hours a day to conserve energy
43
poison dart frog adaptations
bright colours to warn predators
secrete enough toxin to kill 100 humans
suction pods to cling to trees
44
deforestation definition
permanent destruction of forests in order to make the land available for other uses
45
where is deforestation happening the most
Brazil and Indonesia
| they account for 40% of deforestation
46
6 causes of deforestation in Malaysia
```
logging
mining
hydro-electric power
population pressure
subsistence farming
commercial
```
47
causes of deforestation in Malaysia- logging
log timber- build homes and pulp- to make paper
Malaysia became the world's largets tropical wood exporter in the 1980's
they have shifted to selective logging so only fully grown trees can be felled
48
causes of deforestation in Malaysia- mining
they mainly extract tin and metal
metals are extracted by smelting, bull dozing and chemicals to join metals
more recently in borneo oil and gas have been extracted
49
causes of deforestation in Malaysia- hydro-electric power
in 2011 they opened the Bakun Dam which was 205m, the highest outside of China
700 square km of farmland was flooded to build the dam
the benefits of HEP is that it is renewable energy and supplies energy for industrial Malaysia
50
causes of deforestation in Malaysia- population pressure
in the past it was encouraged to move to the countryside to ease pressure on the growing cities
between 1950-1980 37,000 sq/km acres of land cut down
infrastructure, roads,shops, schools and hospitals were developed to provide for the movement of people
51
causes of deforestation in Malaysia- subsistence farming
subsistence farming is poor farmers relying on clearing rainforest to the farm the land to feed families
slash and burn is felling then burning areas of rainforest which causes out of control fires
land is cleared for a few years then farmed, nutrients extracted through leaching
52
causes of deforestation in Malaysia- commercial farming
palm oil platations is to blame for 6 million acres lost in Borneo (39% of forests)
plantation owners are given tax insentives to encourage deforestation
palm oil is used for processed food, cosmetics and cleaning products
53
9 impacts of deforestation in Malaysia
```
global warming
losing oxygen
desertification
loss of habitats
lack of medicine
homeless tribes
loss of biodiversity
shortage of food
soil erosion
```
54
impacts of deforestation in Malaysia global warming
global warming has increased as there are less trees to photosynthesise
55
impacts of deforestation in Malaysia losing oxygen
the rainforest provides 20% of the global oxygen
56
impacts of deforestation in Malaysia desertification
as there is no vegetation to absorb rain so the ground is baked hard by the sun, farmers will lose their jobs as crops can't be grown
57
impacts of deforestation in Malaysia loss of habitats
70% of the world's plants and animals live in tropical forests and they are losing their habitats
58
impacts of deforestation in Malaysia lack of medicine
could mean the end of medical research and local populations who rely on the animals and plants in the forests for hunting and medicine
59
impacts of deforestation in Malaysia homeless tribes
tribes homes and hunting grounds will be destroyed, some tribes may be killed by the workers when defending their homes
60
impacts of deforestation in Malaysia loss of biodiversity
many plants and animals could become extinct e.g. Pandas
61
impacts of deforestation in Malaysia shortage of food
exotic foods will become rarer and more expensive
62
impacts of deforestation in Malaysia soil erosion
soil is now loos and therefore is prone to leaching and wind erosion, this dramatically reduces the likelihood of replantation
63
sustainable definition
actions to meet the demands of the present without comprimising the ability of future generations' needs
64
why should rainforests be protected for future generations biodiversity
half of plants and animals live here
65
why should rainforests be protected for future generations water
20% of fresh water is from the amazon basin
66
why should rainforests be protected for future generations medicine
2000 plants could have healing properties
| 25% of all medicine has came from here
67
why should rainforests be protected for future generations uses of trees
natural resources
68
why should rainforests be protected for future generations global warming
so climate change is prevented
if trees are cut down then more carbon dioxide will be released which is a greenhouse gas so will contribute to global warming and produce effects such as the ice caps melting
69
why should rainforests be protected for future generations tribes
indigenous people could become extinct, they are currently harmless
70
sustainable management of deforestation international agreements- FSC
forest stewardship council
means it comes from legal, well-managed forests
is on everything from garden furniture and DIY materials to toilet tissue and stationary
71
sustainable management of deforestation international agreements-Debt reduction
countries can be encouraged to conserve areas of rainforest in exchange for a reduction of their national debt
2010 the USA signed an agreement to convert a brazilian debt of £13.5 million into a fund to protect large areas of tropical rainforest
72
sustainable management of deforestation selective logging
as opposed to clear felling, only the tallest fully grown trees are felled, this was introduced in Malaysia in 1977
73
sustainable management of deforestation conservation and education
the rainforest can be preserved in conservation areas such as national parks or nature reserves, these areas can be used for education, scientific research and tourism
recently large international businesses have supported conservation projects in exchange for carrying out scientific research or the provision of raw materials
74
sustainable management of deforestation ecotourism
through income generated by ecotourism, local people and government benefit from retaining and protecting the rainforest trees, this is a more sustainable option than cutting them down for short-term profit. It minimises environmental damage and employs local people
75
cold environment definition
cold environments experience temperatures which are at or below 0 degrees for long periods of time
76
example of a cold environment
Antarctica which experiences temperatures below zero throughout the year. In addition Northern Canada which experiences cold winters
77
what biomes consist of cold environments
polar and tundra
78
polar climate
winter below -50 degrees, low precipitation
79
tundra climate
winter -20 degrees
brief summers can be quite warm
precipitation (snow) can be high
80
polar soil
permanently covered by ice so will be frozen throughout the year
81
tundra soil
permafrost but will melt in the summer on the surface releasing carbon dioxide
water logged as water is trapped by the permafrost
82
polar plants
moss can be found on the edges of ice
83
tundra plants
low growing flowering plants such as bearberries
| low bushes and small trees may grow in warmer regions
84
polar animals
polar bears are adaptated to retain heat with their thick fur
penguins lay eggs on land and bring up their young before returning to the ocean
85
tundra animals
more food options so arctic fox and arctic hares live here
| birds and insects are more common in the summer
86
arctic fur adaptations
deep thick fur and short legs and ears to keep warm and reduce heat loss
white fur to camouflage
87
polar bear adaptations
42 teeth to hunt
large paws to swim
white fur to camouflage
4 inches of fat for warmth
88
cold environment case study
Svalbard
89
where is Svalbard
Norweigan territory in the Arctic ocean and the most northernly inhaibted group of islands in the world
located to the east of greenland and the north-east of the UK
90
longyerbyen population
2700
91
opportunities for development
mining
tourism
energy production
fishing
92
challenges for development
extreme temperatures
construction
services
accessibility
