SOIL RV questions Flashcards
Outline four impacts of intensive farming on soil.
- Deforestation and vegetation removal through harvesting leave the soil bare and expose it to soil erosion by wind and rain. This may lead to desertification.
- Monoculture depletes specific nutrients and leads to a decline in soil fertility.
- Using large machines compacts the soil, leading to a decline in soil structure and its ability to hold water.
- Excessive use of pesticides can kill soil organisms, leading to loss of soil biodiversity.
Outline how named additives can enhance the characteristics of soil.
- Manure increases nutrient content.
- Sand improves soil drainage.
- Clay improves water-holding capacity.
- Mulch prevents water loss from evaporation.
Describe the impact that deforestation has on soil nutrients.
Deforestation decreases the amount of nutrients in soil because a lack of roots means that nutrients can leach from the soil more easily.
Suggest two ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from food production.
eat local food, decrease packaging
Explain how socio-cultural factors can impact food production systems. (7p)
- religion
- socio economic status (income - richer, more meat / poorer, more grains)
- growing concern for animal welfare can affect farming methods
- growing concern for ones own diet can make a person more conscious about the food eaten, thereby driving food production systems.
5.education + knowledge of sustainable farming methods - Socio-cultural factors such as cultural and migration patterns can impact the use of the land since cultures may have different concepts of the use of the land.
- The desire for more sustainable food can lead to the growth of more local foods
shelter belts
trees planted to slow down the wind and reduce erosion by wind
Contour ploughing
ploughing along the natural slopes of the land and this is done to reduce water erosion
Soil conditioners
added to restore the nutrient and chemical balance in the soil
Terracing
the construction of ridges or channels across a slope to reduce water erosion
Explain how the second law of thermodynamics would influence food production. (2p)
The second law of thermodynamics explains how energy transformations in living systems can lead to a loss of energy from the system, so the yield from food production is lower if there are more transformations. Basically, longer food chains are more inefficient, so the yield from a high trophic level is lower.
Describe possible mitigation strategies for two named impacts of urbanisation on soil. (7p)
Erosion is increased by infrastructure construction because the soil is left bare during construction -> Keep soil wet so it does not blow away, Plant grass to hold soil in place.
compaction -> Build compact cities that require fewer roads and thus fewer impermeable surfaces, Build storm drains
Soil fertility is reduced because the above-ground ecosystem biomass is reduced and so adds less detritus to the soil -> Design cities with natural areas that support a healthy soil food web.
Identify one of the impacts of the Green Revolution on farming systems.
increased fossil fuel use
Describe the effect of anthropogenic activities on two ecosystem services provided by biodiversity.
(4p)
water purification -> A biodiverse range of specialised plants and microbes filter and purify water.
Climate regulation -> Deforestation generally increases the albedo of an area, thus cooling it down
soil fertility -> Pesticides and fertilisers may harm the soil organisms that break down organic matter, meaning nutrients are not recycled for plants
Which process reduces storages of soil nutrients?
Soil Leaching. Soil leaching is the process where soil nutrients or contaminants are washed away from the surface soil into the subsurface or nearby water bodies due to factors like heavy rainfall or irrigation.
