Sustaining Ecosystems

Question 1

Ecosystem

Answer 1

A community of plants and animals that interact with one another and the non-living environment around them

Question 2

Flora
(Plants)

What does it do?

Answer 2

This provides food and homes for fauna and humans

Question 3

Fauna
(Animals)

Answer 3

They help scatter seeds from flora around the ecosystem or biome

Question 4

Autotrophs

Answer 4

Organisms that can convert solar energy into food energy by photosynthesis

Question 5

Heterotrophs

Answer 5

Organisms that consume other organisms as a food source as they cannot make their own food energy

Question 6

Food chain

Answer 6

Shows the direct links between producers and consumers in the form of a chain

Question 7

Food web

Answer 7

Shows all the connections between producers and consumers in a rather more complex way

Question 8

Photosynthesis

Answer 8

Carbon dioxide + water =
Glucose + oxygen

Question 9

Trophic cascade

Answer 9

The transfer of energy through an ecosystem because of food chains

(At each level some energy is lost)

Question 10

Biome

Answer 10

A large ecosystem.
An area on the Earth that has similar climate, plants and animals

Question 11

What are the 8 major biomes?

Answer 11

• Tundra
• Taiga
• Desert
• Tropical rainforest
• Polar
• Temperate forest
• Mediterranean
• Temperate grassland
• Savannah

Question 12

Conventional rainfall
(3 steps)

Answer 12

1. Sun heats the land and air and hot air rises
2. Air cools and condenses to form clouds
3. Rain can then occur

Question 13

Goods

Answer 13

Things we can physically use

Question 14

Services

Answer 14

Things that we are provided with. We do not take these things

Question 15

Large scale Case Study

Answer 15

The Arctic

Question 16

Small scale Case Study

Answer 16

Malaysia

Question 17

Emergent Layer

Definition

Rainforest

Answer 17

The tallest trees in the forest. they can reach up to 50m high

Question 18

Canopy

Definition

Rainforest

Answer 18

The next layer below the emergent. It is a continuous blanket of leaves and roughly 30m high.
* Recieves 70% of sunlight
* Recieves 80% of rain

Question 19

Under Canopy

Definition

Rainforest

Answer 19

The next layer under the canopy. Consists of trees up to 20m high

Question 20

Shrub layer

Definition

Rainforest

Answer 20

The lowest layer where only small trees and shrubs live. They have adapted to living in the shade as less than 5% of the sunlight reaches the floor.

Question 21

Tree adaptations

Rainforest

Answer 21

• Buttress roots - Help support tallest trees
• Drip-tips - Shed excess water from leaves

Question 22

Goods that are provided by tropical rainforests

Examples (9)

Answer 22

• Fruit/ vegetables
• Nuts
• Oils
• Flavourings
• Fibres
• Wood
• Rubber
• Medicine
• Gums/ resins

Question 23

Services provided by the rainforest

Examples (4)

Answer 23

• Photosynthesis/ providing oxygen
• Reduce flood risk for locals
• Habitat for endangered flora and fauna (e.g. orang-utan)
• Source of income for indigenous people via tourism and agriculture

Question 24

Ways the rainforest is being destroyed

Examples (4)

Answer 24

• Tourism
• Dam construction
• Logging
• Mineral mining

Question 25

Arctic Council | Who's in it? (8) ## Footnote *Arctic*

Answer 25

* Russia * USA * Canada * Greenland * Norway * Iceland * Finland * Sweden

Question 26

Arctic | Polar bears or penguins? ## Footnote *Arctic*

Answer 26

Polar Bears

Question 27

Antarctica | Polar bears or Penguins? ## Footnote *Arctic*

Answer 27

Penguins

Question 28

How do people use the Arctic? ## Footnote *Arctic*

Answer 28

* **Fishing**- Around 70% of world's white fish here * **Scientific research** - Astronomers, finding meteorites, gases trapped in the ice * **Mineral exploitation**- 30% of untapped gas and 13% of untapped oil here * **Shipping routes** - Quicker to transport goods

Question 29

Ninginganiq National Wildlife Area (NNWA) | What is it? ## Footnote *Arctic*

Answer 29

* Established in 2010 to protect marine habitat of the Bowhead whale * Has largest conc of Bowhead whales in Canada * Largest NWA in Canada * On the east coast of Baffin Island

Question 30

Threats to the NNWA ## Footnote *Arctic*

Answer 30

* Increased ship traffic * Climate change * Wildlife harvest

Question 31

Challenges to the Arctic ## Footnote Arctic

Answer 31

* Climate change - Ice is losy by rate of 13% yearly * Russio-Ukraine war * Economic development - Resources are being sought after and this can cause certain species to be pushed away from natural habitat

Question 32

Ice Age | Definition

Answer 32

When the Earth has permanent ice sheets

Question 33

Glacial Periods | Definition

Answer 33

The colder periods that usually last about 100,000 years

Question 34

Interglacial periods | Definition

Answer 34

The warmer periods that normally last about 10,000 years

Question 35

Greenhouse gases | 3 ## Footnote Facts

Answer 35

* Most occur naturally * Water vapour has largest effect as it is most prominent * Diff gases have diff global warming potential

Question 36

Global warming potential | Definition

Answer 36

The potential that each gas has to trap and absorb different amounts of radiation

Question 37

Evidence for past climates | 4 ## Footnote Examples

Answer 37

* Geological fossil evidence * Ice cores * Ocean sediments * Historical records

Question 38

Eccentricity | Definition ## Footnote Milankovitch Cycles

Answer 38

* The stretch of the Earth's orbits * On a cycle of 100,000 yrs

Question 39

Precession | Definition ## Footnote Milankovitch Cycles

Answer 39

* How the Earth's axis of rotation changes * On a cycles of 26,000 yrs

Question 40

Obliquity | Definition ## Footnote Milankovitch Cycles

Answer 40

* The tilt of the Earth * On a cycles of 41,000 yrs

Question 41

Sunspots | Definition

Answer 41

Storms on the Sun's surface, so our output from the Sun isn't constant