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Geography > Sustainable Biomes > Flashcards

Sustainable Biomes Flashcards

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1
Q

List the 5 types of biomes

A
  1. Forests
  2. Grasslands
  3. Deserts
  4. Tundra
  5. Aquatic
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2
Q

List the types of forests

A
  1. tropical
  2. temperate
  3. coniferous
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3
Q

List the types of grasslands

A
  1. Savanna
  2. Grassland
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4
Q

List the types of deserts

A
  1. hot
  2. cold
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5
Q

List the types of aquatic biomes

A
  1. freshwater
  2. marine
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6
Q

Describe tropical rainforests

A

Humid, rainy, biodiverse, reddish soil with low nutrients

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7
Q

Describe temperate forests

A

Often turned into urban environments, seasonal, brown soil ideal for agriculture

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8
Q

Describe coniferous forests

A

evergreen, cool climate

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9
Q

Describe savannas

A

Have small trees and grass

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10
Q

Describe grasslands

A

have little to no trees and lots of grass

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11
Q

Describe hot deserts

A

diurnal temperature, dry, arid, shrubs, cacti, pale soil with low organic material

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12
Q

Describe cold deserts

A

snowy, cold, dry, arid, pale soil with low organic material

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13
Q

Describe tundras

A

cold, permafrost, precipitation, flora but no trees, seasonal, shallow and poorly developed soil

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14
Q

Describe freshwater biomes

A

smaller, less fauna

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15
Q

Describe marine biomes

A

saltwater, bigger

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16
Q

What is the top green line called?

A

Tropic of Cancer (23.5°)

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17
Q

What is the bottom green line called?

A

Tropic of Capricorn (23.5°)

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18
Q

What is the red line?

A

Arctic circle (66°)

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19
Q

What is the red line?

A

Antarctic circle (66°)

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20
Q

What is orographic lifting?

A

mountain precipitation

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21
Q

List the steps of orographic lifting

A
  1. moist, warm air blows onshore from ocean
  2. air rises over mountain and cools causing moisture to condense and fall as precipitation
  3. dry air descends and warms, promoting evaporation
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22
Q

What are the two slopes of the mountain in orographic lifting?

A

Rainy windward slope and dry leeward slope

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23
Q

What is a rain shadow?

A

the side of a mountain range that blocks out rain

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24
Q

Deserts usually form on the…

A

leeward side of mountains

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25
Q

What happens for every 100m increase in elevation?

A

Temperature drops by 0.65°C

26
Q

What are the three uses of biomes?

A
  1. Food
    1. plants (rice, wheat)
    2. animals
  2. Fibres
    1. cotton
  3. Industrial materials
    1. wood
    2. building materials and metal (mining)
    3. sand
27
Q

What are the characteristics of soil determined by?

A
  • temperature
  • rainfall
  • rocks and minerals which make up the bedrock
28
Q

Explain the soil of tropical rainforests

A
  • 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
29
Q

Explain the soil of deserts

A
  • 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
30
Q

Explain the soil of tundras

A
  • 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
31
Q

Explain the soil of temperate forests

A
  • 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
32
Q

List 5 human alterations to biomes

A
  1. vegetation removal
  2. agriculture
  3. land terracing
  4. irrigation
  5. mining
33
Q

List positives and negatives of vegetation removal

A

positive:

  • farming
  • land space
  • urbanisation

negative:

  • loss of habitats
  • climate change - no trees to absorb CO2
34
Q

List positives and a negative of land terracing

A

positive:

  • can grow rice
  • harnesses water

negative:

  • crops cause greenhouse gases
35
Q

List a positive and negatives of agriculture

A

positive:

  • creates food for people

negative:

  • overgrazing
  • soil can lose fertility
36
Q

List positives and negatives of mining

A

positive:

  • ores (gold, iron, silver, coal)
  • trade & exports

negative:

  • climate change
  • loses sacred sites for indigenous people
37
Q

List a positive and negatives of irrigation

A

positive:

  • increases amount of crops grown

negative:

  • water is redirected and kills the natural environment
  • rivers lose water
38
Q

List the spheres

A
  1. Hydrosphere
  2. Lithosphere
  3. Atmosphere
  4. Biosphere
39
Q

What are examples of undulating land?

A
  • Stepped land
  • Flattened land
  • Terraced land
40
Q

What is Malthusianism?

A

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)

41
Q

What was the Green Revolution?

A

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.

42
Q

What is agricultural yield?

A

A measurement of the amount of a crop grown or product per unit area of land

43
Q

List environmental factors affecting agricultural yield

A
  • temperature
  • water availability
  • soil
  • topography
    • contour farming
    • land terracing
    • grazing
44
Q

List economic factors affecting agricultural yield

A
  • monoculture
  • polyculture
  • subsistence agriculture
  • commercial agriculture
  • tariffs
45
Q

List technological factors affecting agricultural yield

A
  • 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
46
Q

Describe contour farming

A

planting & harvesting crops along lines that follow the shape of the land. This creates hundreds of mini dams to prevent water being washed away

47
Q

What parts of the hill is used for grazing?

A

The highest, hilliest part

48
Q

What is monoculture?

A

The cultivation of a single crop in a given area. It has a far higher agricultural yield but takes up more space.

49
Q

What is polyculture?

A

the simultaneous cultivation of several crops, it’s more diverse and builds resilience and sustainability

50
Q

What is subsistence agriculture?

A

The practice of growing crops and rasing livestock for your own use without any surplus for trade

51
Q

What is commercial agriculture?

A

Cultivating crops in large quantities primarily for selling in the market

52
Q

What is a tariff?

A

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

53
Q

Describe what GM can do

A
  • 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
54
Q

What is a food staple?

A

foods that are eaten on a regular basis, they’re readily available and inexpensive

55
Q

Give examples of food staples

A

Europe - potatoes

Asia - rice

Australia - wheat

56
Q

Why are plants more common as staple foods?

A

They’re easy and inexpensive to grow

57
Q

How can water be sustained?

A

Collecting it in dams to provide food security

58
Q

What is intensive farming?

A

A method of food production that relies on the mechanisation of agricultural practices usually in places with high population density

59
Q

What is extensive farming?

A

a method of food production that uses small amounts of labour, fertilisers, and capital, usually in areas with lower population density

60
Q

Describe the process of salinisation

A
  1. When land is irrigated, the water seeps into the soil
  2. saline groundwater is concentrated at the surface through evaporation
  3. the accumulation of salt at the surface kills the protective plant cover and leaves the land open to erosion.

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