Sustainable Biomes Flashcards
List the 5 types of biomes
- Forests
- Grasslands
- Deserts
- Tundra
- Aquatic
List the types of forests
- tropical
- temperate
- coniferous
List the types of grasslands
- Savanna
- Grassland
List the types of deserts
- hot
- cold
List the types of aquatic biomes
- freshwater
- marine
Describe tropical rainforests
Humid, rainy, biodiverse, reddish soil with low nutrients
Describe temperate forests
Often turned into urban environments, seasonal, brown soil ideal for agriculture
Describe coniferous forests
evergreen, cool climate
Describe savannas
Have small trees and grass
Describe grasslands
have little to no trees and lots of grass
Describe hot deserts
diurnal temperature, dry, arid, shrubs, cacti, pale soil with low organic material
Describe cold deserts
snowy, cold, dry, arid, pale soil with low organic material
Describe tundras
cold, permafrost, precipitation, flora but no trees, seasonal, shallow and poorly developed soil
Describe freshwater biomes
smaller, less fauna
Describe marine biomes
saltwater, bigger
What is the top green line called?
Tropic of Cancer (23.5°)
What is the bottom green line called?
Tropic of Capricorn (23.5°)
What is the red line?
Arctic circle (66°)
What is the red line?
Antarctic circle (66°)
What is orographic lifting?
mountain precipitation
List the steps of orographic lifting
- moist, warm air blows onshore from ocean
- air rises over mountain and cools causing moisture to condense and fall as precipitation
- dry air descends and warms, promoting evaporation
What are the two slopes of the mountain in orographic lifting?
Rainy windward slope and dry leeward slope
What is a rain shadow?
the side of a mountain range that blocks out rain
Deserts usually form on the…
leeward side of mountains
What happens for every 100m increase in elevation?
Temperature drops by 0.65°C
What are the three uses of biomes?
- Food
- plants (rice, wheat)
- animals
- Fibres
- cotton
- Industrial materials
- wood
- building materials and metal (mining)
- sand
What are the characteristics of soil determined by?
- temperature
- rainfall
- rocks and minerals which make up the bedrock
Explain the soil of tropical rainforests
- high temp causes weathering of rocks and organic matter
- high rainfall leaches nutrients from soil
- reddish from high iron
- organic matter is a shallow layer on the surface
- fertility is lost if trees are removed as the supply of organic material is no longer present
Explain the soil of deserts
- limited vegetation = limited supply of organic material for soil
- high temp breaks down organic material
- pale instead of dark
- lack of rainfall limits plant growth
- lack of vegetation makes surface soil unstable & easily blown away
- soil doesn’t have time to develop and mature
Explain the soil of tundras
- shallow and poorly developed
- includes layers that are frozen for long periods
- subsoil may be permafrost
- covered by ice and snow for most of year
- growing season may be limited to a few eeeks
- soil may contain large amounts of organic material but extreme cold means it breaks down very slowly
- trees are absent; mosses and stunted grasses dominate
Explain the soil of temperate forests
- generally brown in colour, soil has distinctive horizons and is generally around one metre deep
- ideal soil for agriculture; not subjected to the extremes of climate found in high or low latitudes
- moderate climate; temperature and rainfall are sufficient for plant growth
List 5 human alterations to biomes
- vegetation removal
- agriculture
- land terracing
- irrigation
- mining
List positives and negatives of vegetation removal
positive:
- farming
- land space
- urbanisation
negative:
- loss of habitats
- climate change - no trees to absorb CO2
List positives and a negative of land terracing
positive:
- can grow rice
- harnesses water
negative:
- crops cause greenhouse gases
List a positive and negatives of agriculture
positive:
- creates food for people
negative:
- overgrazing
- soil can lose fertility
List positives and negatives of mining
positive:
- ores (gold, iron, silver, coal)
- trade & exports
negative:
- climate change
- loses sacred sites for indigenous people
List a positive and negatives of irrigation
positive:
- increases amount of crops grown
negative:
- water is redirected and kills the natural environment
- rivers lose water
List the spheres
- Hydrosphere
- Lithosphere
- Atmosphere
- Biosphere
What are examples of undulating land?
- Stepped land
- Flattened land
- Terraced land
What is Malthusianism?
the idea that the population will continue to grow faster than food production can keep up with, causing a large portion of the population to die from malnutrition (Malthusian catastrophe)
What was the Green Revolution?
Initiatives occurred between 1950-70 that increase agricultural yield in parts of the world. It created chemical fertilisers, controlled water supply and newer methods of fertilisation.
What is agricultural yield?
A measurement of the amount of a crop grown or product per unit area of land
List environmental factors affecting agricultural yield
- temperature
- water availability
- soil
- topography
- contour farming
- land terracing
- grazing
List economic factors affecting agricultural yield
- monoculture
- polyculture
- subsistence agriculture
- commercial agriculture
- tariffs
List technological factors affecting agricultural yield
- innovations & advancements in farming practices
- satellite monitoring of livestock
- automatic solar-powered livestock weighing
- altering roofs on greenhouses
- drones for pesticide and herbicide application
- sensing soil moisture, water levels, hay storage, and microclimate from phones
- Genetic Modification
Describe contour farming
planting & harvesting crops along lines that follow the shape of the land. This creates hundreds of mini dams to prevent water being washed away
What parts of the hill is used for grazing?
The highest, hilliest part
What is monoculture?
The cultivation of a single crop in a given area. It has a far higher agricultural yield but takes up more space.
What is polyculture?
the simultaneous cultivation of several crops, it’s more diverse and builds resilience and sustainability
What is subsistence agriculture?
The practice of growing crops and rasing livestock for your own use without any surplus for trade
What is commercial agriculture?
Cultivating crops in large quantities primarily for selling in the market
What is a tariff?
A tax imposed by a government on goods and services imported from other countries to increase the price and make imports less desirable or at least less competitive
Describe what GM can do
- Can make food bigger & immune to pests and disease
- terminator seeds require farmers to buy new seeds every year
- unintentional crossing of plants and GMO plants can cause unwanted characteristics
- Non-GMO plants and GMO plants are equally safe to eat
- can be immune to some pesticides and herbicides which can cause overuse of them
- immunity to pests can improve agricultural yield and profit
What is a food staple?
foods that are eaten on a regular basis, they’re readily available and inexpensive
Give examples of food staples
Europe - potatoes
Asia - rice
Australia - wheat
Why are plants more common as staple foods?
They’re easy and inexpensive to grow
How can water be sustained?
Collecting it in dams to provide food security
What is intensive farming?
A method of food production that relies on the mechanisation of agricultural practices usually in places with high population density
What is extensive farming?
a method of food production that uses small amounts of labour, fertilisers, and capital, usually in areas with lower population density
Describe the process of salinisation
- When land is irrigated, the water seeps into the soil
- saline groundwater is concentrated at the surface through evaporation
- the accumulation of salt at the surface kills the protective plant cover and leaves the land open to erosion.
