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Geography OCR B GCSE > Sustaining Ecosystems > Flashcards

Sustaining Ecosystems Flashcards

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1
Q

What is an ecosystem?

A

The interdependence and interactions of plants, animals, soil, water, and climate

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2
Q

What examples of biotic and abiotic factors are there?
[3 each]

A
  • Biotic: Plants, insects, birds
  • Abiotic: Water, soil, gases
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3
Q

What is interdependence?

A

The idea that if one part of the ecosystem changes, it affects many other parts

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4
Q

Where are Polar regions found?

A

Around the North and South Poles

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5
Q

Where are Coral Reefs found?

A

Mostly between 30N and 30S of equator, a few miles off the coast

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6
Q

Where are Grasslands found?

A

At mid-latitudes(30N and 30S)

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7
Q

Where are temperate forests found?

A

Mainly mid-latitudes and 60N, between tropics and polar regions

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8
Q

Where are Tropical Rainforests found?

A

Around the equator, between the tropics(and ITCZ)

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9
Q

Where are hot deserts found?

A

Between 15 and 35N and S of the equator

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10
Q

What is a biome and what are the 3 causes of them?

A
  • A biome is a large scale ecosystem
  • Global circulation(cells)
  • Latitude(solar insolation)
  • Cloud cover, prevailing winds
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11
Q

Temperature, Precipitation, Seasons

What is the climate, flora, and fauna like in Polar regions? [4]

A
  • Cold, less than 10C, with low rainfall
  • Clearly defined seasons; cold summers and colder winters
  • VERY FEW PLANTS; mosses, lichens, short, slow-growing grasses and even trees in warmer areas
  • Polar bears, penguins, whales, seals
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12
Q

Temperature, Precipitation, Seasons

What is the climate, flora, and fauna like in Coral Reefs? [3]

A
  • Warm, lots of sunlight, and shallow, salty water(16-30C)
  • Coral and Algae present and dependent on each other for food
  • 80% of all marine species like fish, shrimps, turtles
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13
Q

Temperature, Precipitation, Seasons

What is the climate, flora, and fauna like in Grasslands? [6]

A
  • Temperate have up to 40C summers and down to -40C winters, and low precipitation, mostly in Spring.
  • Grass and scattered trees; plants have adapted with wide-spreading roots to reach nutrients
  • Bison, wild horses, and mole rats
  • Tropical have up to 35C and down to 15C before and after wet season, and low precipitation
  • Same plants as temperate(i.e. Acacia)
  • Termites, lions, zebras, giraffes
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14
Q

Temperature, Precipitation, Seasons

What is the climate, flora, and fauna like in Temperate forests?[5]

A
  • Warm summers and cold winters, and high rainfall
  • Four distinct seasons
  • Moist rich soil means excellent conditions for plants, so ferns, brambles, bluebells
  • Broad-leaved deciduous trees
  • Fish and mosquitoes, birds, insects
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15
Q

Temperature, Precipitation, Seasons

What is the climate, flora, and fauna like in Tropical Rainforests? [4]

A
  • No seasons; same all year round
  • Sun overhead all year round so hot, rain everyday so high precipitation
  • Dense vegetation cover, so little light reaches the bottom, emergent trees with big roots for stability and growth
  • Gorillas, anacondas, frogs, sloths
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16
Q

Temperature, Precipitation, Seasons

What is the climate, flora, and fauna like in Hot deserts? [3]

A
  • Extreme temperatures with very low rainfall although very variable, can get very hot, and sub-zero in the night
  • Lack of rain means sparse growth; cacti, thornbushes, far stretching roots to reach water
  • Snakes, lizards, scorpions
17
Q

What are the distinctive characteristics of a tropical rainforest? [4]

A
  • Climate
  • Nutrient Cycle
  • Soil fertility
  • Water Cycle
18
Q

What is the nutrient cycle in a tropical rainforest like? [3]

A
  • Trees are evergreen, so dead leaves and other materials fall
  • Warm, moist conditions mean it decomposes quickly due to bacteria,releasing nutrients into the soil and dissolves into rainwater
  • Dense vegetation means a large amount of nutrients are stored in biomass
  • They drop their leaves and animals catch the plants, so the cycle repeats
19
Q

What is the soil fertility like in a tropical rainforest? [2]

A
  • Hot, wet climate means rapid chemical weathering, so a deep soil layer forms
  • Thick leaf layer from decomposing leaves breaks down to form humus
  • Due to fast growing plants rapidly absorbing nutrients they are leached, washed through soil, making it’s quality poor.
20
Q

What is the water cycle like in tropical rainforests? [2]

A
  • Most rain is intercepted by the canopy, so it returns to the atmosphere by transpiration
  • Rain that reaches the soil is absorbed by trees, so if trees are cut down, it causes soil erosion and floods into rivers
21
Q

What is interdependence in tropical rainforests like? [2]

A
  • Leaf cover prevents soil erosion from the warm, wet climate
  • Lack of wind on forest floor means plants rely on bees and insects for pollination
  • Epiphthytes grow high up on other plants to get access to light, but are dependent on rainfall for water
22
Q

Why are tropical rainforests so valuable to humans? [4]

A
  • They store 15% of our CO2 emissions
  • 60 million people live in areas with tropical rainforests
  • 2/3rds of Brazil’s power is hydroelectric from rainforests and rivers within them
  • They contain over 50% of all animal and plant species
  • 25% of modern medicines come from rainforest ingredients
23
Q

What impacts do humans have on rainforests? [3]

A
  • Logging; contributes to climate change AND leads to soil erosion as there is no vegetation cover, and interrupts the water cycle. It is also becoming industrial, adding to climate change
  • Agriculture accounts for 34% of deforestation and uses slash-and-burn, which releases CO2, reduces soil fertility like in logging, and threatens wildlife with fertilisers
  • Mining requires heavy machinery and removal of trees, and uses toxic chemicals which wash into rivers and kill wildlife and pollute water sources
  • Tourists may scare wildlife and damage vegetation with litter. May also require infrastructure, leading to clearing of trees.
24
Q

What is the background to Costa Rica’s environment?[2]

A
  • Began to experience rapid deforestation in the 1960s, with 32,000ha/yr cut down
  • Now there are 28 national parks and 24% of national land area is protected
25
Q

What is eco-tourism and why is it good? Give an example. [3]

A
  • A type of sustainable development that creates local employment while conserving the natural landscape
  • It benefits the locals, is small scale, and consults local communities about projects
  • Eco-lodges; Costa Rica has the Selva Bananito lodge on a 850ha farm providing accomodation and family activities, and the Lapa Rios lodge for more luxury. The former is built from wood discarded by loggers.
26
Q

What are the successes of Eco-tourism in Costa Rica? [4]

A
  • Biodegradable soaps are used for washing
  • Plastic and glass is recycled
  • Hiking trips led by locals increases employment
  • Wildlife walks are low-impact and encourage protection of local flora and fauna
  • Drinking and cooking water is purified using enzymes and water lilies
  • Stein family has set up a charitable trust to create activities like birdwatching and educate people
  • Money from eco-tourism has gone into education and health facilities and has made Costa Rica one of the richest Latin American countries
27
Q

What are the challenges of Eco-tourism in Costa Rica? [4]

A
  • Owned by US Expats; brought criticism over how beneficial it is for poorly paid locals
  • Litter and hotel waste is a problem
  • “Greenwashing” as companies pretend to be eco-friendly by using biodegradable soaps
  • Working population exploited
  • Vehicles carrying tourists create noise pollution
  • People feeding animals means bad habits; monkeys finding food in bins rather than natural forest, leading to ecosystem decline
28
Q

What are the differences between Antarctica and the Arctic? [3]

1 exception in here

A
  • Arctic has hotter summers and winters
  • Arctic has more rainfall than Antarctica
  • Most of the Arctic is oceans, pack ice and icebergs and is somewhat mountainous, while 99% of the Antarctic is covered in ice sheets(it is very flat) and the sea freezes in winter, nearly doubling it’s size
  • Similar wildlife
29
Q

What is interdependence like in the Arctic? [2]

A
  • If temperature increases, ice melts which polar bears rely on for hunting and breeding
  • Cold climate causes plants to grow slowly and decompose quickly, so the soil is low in nutrients, making it harder for growth
  • Ocean currents open up gaps in ice, providing light to water, stimulating growth of algae and production of food from plants
30
Q

What are the human impacts on the Arctic? [4]

A
  • Indigenous people: many now live in towns and cities, with a population of 4million in the Arctic, leading to waste disposal
  • Whaling: brings many species of whale near extinction and since they are slow breeders, it takes a long time to recover
  • Mineral extraction: Arctic has large gas and oil reserves, which is risky as drilling can cause spills and harm habitats, and produce pollution
  • Scientific research: Beneficial as it helps global environmental management, but some dump rubbish in the sea and abandon broken equipment, damaging habitats. Research stations also produce chemical and sewage pollution
  • Fishing: commercial fishing leads to overfishing, which can affect the entire food chain or catch other species in the line
  • Tourism: Increases shipping and air travel, amplifying pollution. Litter and waste disposal damages habitats, and they can disturb breeding colonies or destroy fragile vegetation and erode the landscape.
31
Q

What is the problem with tourism in Antarctic?

A

Tourism has many problems; 36,000 visitors in 2014-15, causing large amounts of pollution

32
Q

What is being done to make tourism more sustainable in Antarctica? [6]

Think IAATO and then Union Glacier

A

IAATO regulations such as:
- Supposed to stay 5m away from wildlife
- No permanent buildings or infrastructure allowed
- Limiting the number of cruise ships and number of people coming must be filed in advance
Also, the Union Glacier Camp is helping by:
- Naturally occuring blue ice runway to prevent permanent infrastructure
- All rubbish is removed and flown back to SA
- Empty fuel drums are recovered and removed from SA
- No permanent structures; camp is removed and rebuilt each summer

33
Q

Not really successes are they?

How successful has the Union Glacier Camp been so far?[3]

A
  • Flight is chartered especially and takes 4.25 hours which creates pollution, so there are questions on how it can ever be sustainable
  • Measures have limited but not removed the impacts of tourists; people still go near animals
  • The management is very small-scale and arguably many of the impacts have come from larger cruise ships
34
Q

What challenges does the Union Glacier Camp face? [2]

A
  • Tourism in Antarctica is likely to increase, with 100,000 people in 2022
  • People go there for wilderness so inevitably break the rules
35
Q

What is the Antarctic Treaty? [3]

A
  • Signed by 12 countries in 1959
  • Establishes the continents as a scientific preserve only to be used for peaceful, scientific purposes
  • Prevents military or nuclear activity there and free sharing of scientific discoveries
  • Signed by 80% of the world’s population in countries
36
Q

What are the key elements of the Antarctic Treaty? [3]

A
  • Antarctica should only be used for peaceful purposes so military and nuclear activity is prohibited
  • Guarantees continued freedom to conduct scientific research
  • Prohibits disposal of radioactive waste there
  • Madrid Treaty bans any resource extraction and designates Antarctica as a preserve for the natural environment
37
Q

How successful has the Antarctic Treaty been? [3]

A
  • Antarctica has never been the scene of any territorial conflict
  • Countries continue to want to join
  • The continent has been revolutionary in scientific research, like the ozone hole
  • The impact of scientists and tourists on fragile ecosystems has proven to be minimal
38
Q

What challenges does the Antartic Treaty face in the future? [3]

A
  • The Treaty only covers land territory
  • Any parties can review the protocol if agreed by the majority
  • Billions of dollars of minerals under the ice put pressure on upholding the terms of the Treaty

Geography OCR B GCSE (9 decks)

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