T7:People And Biosphere Flashcards
What is the biosphere?
The biosphere is the part of Earth where living things (plants, animals, and people) exist. It includes land, water, and air, and it helps support life.
What is an ecosystem?
An ecosystem is a place where living things (plants, animals) and non-living things (air, water, soil) work together. Plants grow using sunlight, water, and nutrients from the soil. Animals eat plants or other animals for energy.
What is abiotic and biotic?
Biotic: Living things in an ecosystem (plants, animals, bacteria).
Abiotic: Non-living things in an ecosystem (water, sunlight, soil, air).
What is the definition of a biome?
a large scale ecosystem found across the globe; each biome has its own group of plants and animals and climate which makes it unique and distinctive.
What are are some examples of biomes?
Tundra, boreal forest, temperate forest, tropical rainforest, tropical grasslands
Definition of local factors
local factors are things that affect a place on a small scale
What are indigenous groups?
communities of people who have lived in a particular area for a long time, and have unique cultures, traditions, and languages that are closely tied to the land. They are the original inhabitants of a region before outside groups came in.
What are natural services?
benefits that the environment or ecosystems provide. These are often called natural services. For example: Forests prevent flooding by absorbing water and slowing down runoff.
What are TNCS?
Transnational Corporations (TNCs) are companies that produce and sell products and are
located in more than one country – e.g. Apple.
Definition of goods (provisioning services)
Goods are physical, natural products we get from the environment that we can use or sell.
What are supporting services?
The natural processes that help other ecosystems work properly. They support life and make it possible for all other services (like food or clean water) to exist. An example of this is photosynthesis which gives energy to plants.
What are cultural services?
Cultural services are the non-material benefits people get from nature. They’re about how ecosystems inspire, relax, or entertain us.
What are regulating services?
The natural processes that help control and balance the environment. An example of this is air purification through CO2 absorption through trees.
Why has the amount of food, energy and water people consume risen over time?
Increasing average wealth means people use more energy resources such as fossil fuels in the manufacture of consumer good. Increased population contributes to this aswell
What is interception?
Interception refers to the process where rainwater is caught and stored by vegetation (like trees, plants, and grass) before it reaches the ground.
What is transpiration?
Transpiration is the process by which plants release water vapor into the atmosphere through small openings in their leaves called stomata. It is a major source of moisture in the atmosphere.
Why is having no trees bad for soil?
The soil dries out very quickly so overall evaporation is reduced which can mean fewer clouds, less rain and a drier climate.
What is the nutrients cycle?
Biomass: Plants and animals absorb nutrients from soil.
Litter: Dead plants/animals fall to the ground, creating organic matter.
Decomposition: Decomposers break down litter, releasing nutrients into the soil.
Soil: Soil absorbs and stores nutrients from decomposed material.
Biomass: Plants absorb nutrients from the soil, starting the cycle again.
What is exploitation in tropical rainforests?
refers to the unsustainable use of the forest’s natural resources by humans, often for profit.
Benefits of exploitations in tropical rainforests
profits for TNCs, Jobs for people, and income for government.
What is Slash and Burn farming/shifting cultivation?
A farming method where vegetation is cut and burned to clear land. The ash adds nutrients to the soil for short-term farming. This is common in rainforests.
What is a biome?
A large-scale ecosystem with a distinct climate, soil, flora, and fauna (e.g., tropical rainforest, tundra).
What determines biome distribution?
Climate: Temp & rainfall
Latitude: Sun intensity and day length
Altitude: Higher = colder, fewer species
Soils: Nutrients and drainage
Rock type: Water retention, acidity
Global biome types & features?
Tropical rainforest: Hot, wet, dense vegetation
Savanna (tropical grasslands): Warm, seasonal rainfall, scattered trees
Desert: Hot, dry, sparse vegetation
Temperate forest: Mild summers, winters, rainfall, deciduous trees
Boreal forest (taiga): Cold, low rainfall, conifers
Tundra: Cold, dry, permafrost, moss and lichen
