T7 People And The Biosphere Flashcards
Climate
The long-term average weather conditions of an area. Affect the type of biome.
Biome
A large-scale global ecosystem with distinctive vegetation.
Ecosystem
Abiotic and biotic factors within an area and their interactions.
Describe the distribution of the worlds biomes
Tropical rainforests are located either side of the equator in Alinia. They are generally found 15° north and south of the equator. key locations could be South America West Africa and Southeast Asia. Despite this, there are no tropical rainforest in Africa even though it’s on the equator.
Tropical rainforest ecosystem climate and characteristics
Climate:
Hot (due to equatorial sunshine)(25-28°C) and humid w high precipitation (2000mm) all year round > no seasons.
Day length same all year round.
characteristics:
Evergreen trees growing quickly and adapted to receiving most light.
Dense vegetation provides much food for wide food web.
Nutrient rich shallow soil due to fast decomposition and leaching.
Temperate forest climate and characteristics
4 distinct seasons w warm summers/cold winters.
High rainfall.
Shorter winter days and longer summer days.
Supports fewer plant species than tropical but more than boreal. Broad leafed, deciduous woodland
Thick, nutrient rich soil
Taiga climate and characteristics
Short summers and long cold winters below -20°C, low precipitation, clear skies.
Evergreen plants w coniferous trees like pine or fir. Low biodiversity and productivity, thin, nutrient poor, acidic soil.
Tropical grassland climate and characteristics
Low rainfall, wet and dry seasons. (Ranges between 35°C and 15°C) found around equator.
Grass, scrub and small plants. Thin, nutrient rich soil (leaching occurs in wet seasons)
Temperate grasslands climate and characteristics
Hot summers and cold winters (between 40°C and -40°C) low precipitation. Far from equator so sunlight varies.
Dominated by grass and small plants w fewer species than tropical. Thick and nutrient rich soil.
Desert climate and characteristics
V hot temperatures in day (45°C) and cold at night (0°C). Low precipitation (<250mm annually). Area of high atmospheric pressure w clear skies for maximal sunshine.
Sparse plant growth and little animal species due to harsh conditions and lack of precipitation.
Little leaf litter, dry conditions mean little decomposition and so thin and nutrient poor soil.
Tundra climate and conditions
Located at higher altitudes low temperatures and little rainfall. Continuous daylight in summer and little in winter.
Coldness and lack of sunlight mean few plant species and so animal species who eat vegetation.
Little leaf litter, low precipitation, temperature and permafrost layer produces thin and nutrient poor soil.
Local factors affecting biome type
Altitude Rock type Soil type Drainage Sea distance Latitude Prevailing winds
How does altitude affect biomes
Higher altitude= lower temp (100m up =-1°C)
Exposure to wind and relief rainfall
Steeper slopes= thinner soil
Hardier species as reach higher altitudes
Temps accommodate different species, allowing for gradient in biotic factors
Relief rainfall
When warm, moist air forming clouds condenses at mountains before warming, descending to form a rain shadow.
Rock type effect on biome
Permeability links to drainage factors
Erosion rates affect plant growth
Soil type
How does soil type affect biomes
Nutrient cycle
Facilitation of animals/plants
Fertility and so frequency of plant types
How does drainage affect biomes
Impermeability leads to waterlogged land, preventing plant growth and leading to swamp/ bog ecosystems w specialist vegetation
How does latitude affect biomes
Distance from equator affects atmospheric pressure and so temperature/climate of each biome.
How does sea distance affect biome
Smallest range of temperatures closest to the sea as ocean changes temp slowly
Landlocked countries have greater temp ranges
How does prevailing winds affect biome
Land prevailing wind provides warmer summers and colder winters
Ocean prevailing winds provide warmer winters and cooler summers
Biotic
Living components of an ecosystem
Abiotic
Non-living components of an ecosystem
Biodiversity
Variety of biotic components in an ecosystem
Goods provided by the biosphere
Food (natural vegetation used by indigenous people, sustainable harvesting of berries, nuts and fruits, fish/meat)
Medicine (medicinal properties of plants like Madagascan periwinkle cure illness)
Building materials (timber exploitation, straw for roofing/insulation)
Fuel (wood from trees/shrubs, dried dung burnt, biofuels, indigenous use animal fat)
Services provided by the biosphere
Global atmospheric circulation (trees/animals exchange gases so organisms can breathe, preventing global warming, lowering pH of oceans, controlling earth temp) Hydrological cycle (plant uptake decreases flooding and soil erosion, slowly releasing water into atmosphere) Nutrient cycle (provided by rotting material, maintaining soil structure/fertility, allowing plant growth, interception prevents leaching)
Characteristics of the rainforest
Climate is the same all year round with no definite seasons, hot (20-28°C and wet (2000mm rainfall annually) equatorial climates, high level of plant adaptations and biodiversity, dense and lush vegetation, evergreen trees, constant supply of nutrients in the soil which is cycled quickly
Convectional rainfall
Rising, warm pockets of air that cool and condense to form clouds that produce heavy rainfall and thunderstorms.
Layers of rainforest
Forest floor (bottom) Shrub layer Understory layer Canopy layer Emergent layer
Emergent layer
Hardwood, evergreen trees that have broken through dense canopy layer below to reach sunlight.
Monkey/bird habitat
Canopy layer
Dense layer, habitat to tree snakes, birds, tree frogs… as there’s much food available.
Understory layer
Young trees with large leaves capture sunlight and are habitat to many insects
Shrub layer
Dark area/ habitat to shade-loving plants and animals.
Adaptation
Change/development to suit/ survive the environment
Lianas
Woody vines w roots in ground, climb up trees to reach sunlight, growing in canopy.
Trunks
Tall and thin to allow trees to reach sunlight. Smooth bark allows water to flow down to roots much faster.
Drip tips
Waxy, smooth cuticles and pointed tips maximise water shedding so as to prevent water accumulation which leads to water-borne bacteria transmission and rotting.
Buttress roots
Large roots with ridges create a large surface area to support large trees.
Epiphytes
Plants that live on branches of trees high in the canopy, receiving nutrients from air and water.
(Symbiotic relationship)
Sloth adaptations
Large claws allow grip to hang upside down
Fur grows away from feet to shed water
Green algae allows camouflage from predators
Slow movement is difficult to spot from predators
Primate adaptations
Tail allows balance for climbing
Long strong limbs aid in climbing through forest.
Nutrient cycle
How nutrients are transferred around an ecosystem.
Rainforest nutrient cycle
Rapid as hot/damp conditions speed up rate of decomposition of dead plant material, providing plentiful nutrients easily absorbed by plant roots.
Are cycled quickly due to high demand for nutrients and plant leaching.
Food chain
Succession of organisms that eat another organism, supported by the main producer.
Trophic level
The position an organism occupies in the food chain
Tropical rainforest food webs
Complex as there is a high biodiversity and therefore a multitude of animals within/between trophic levels. Wide range of biotic factors enable symbiosis and interactions.
Reasons for deforestation
Transmigration HEP mining Timber Crop growth Cattle farming
How is deforestation identified in TRF
GIS
Geographical information systems
How does poverty lead to deforestation
developing countries use TRF for agriculture and sustenance farming
How does debt lead to deforestation
Countries profit from TRF exports to relieve national debt
How does development lead to deforestation
TRF sacrificed to build infrastructure for countries wealth and economic development
Economic impacts of deforestation
Short ten economic gain
Revenue used for development
Soil erosion decreases agricultural profit
Social impacts of deforestation
Loss of traditional culture
Loss of indigenous tribe land
Loss of potential medicine
Unsustainable use leads to resource loss
Environmental impacts of deforestation
Soil erosion
Less trees, less transpiration leads to drought and forestry death
Loss of animal habitats leads to extinction
Sustainable
Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the needs of the future
Sustainable logging and replantation
Selective logging of mature forestry preserves canopy while allowing TRF recovery as younger trees gain space and sunlight. Also ensures every tree lost is another planted.
Methods of sustainable exploitation
Sustainable logging and replantation Education Ecotourism International agreements Agro-forestry Slash and burn
Ecotourism
Encouragement of sustainable tourism increases employment and uses profit to protect and conserve
International agreements to increase sustainability
Debt-for-nature swaps involve one country’s cancelling of another’s debt in turn for TRF conservation.
Agro-forestry
Multicropping for a constant nutrient cycle
Slash and burn
Cut and burn forestry, leaving nutrient rich soil to harvest crops before moving on when infertile
Global actions to protect rainforest
CITES
REDD
CITES
Convention on international trade in endangered species, working against exploitation of TRF resources in low supply/ endangered species by legally requiring countries to prevent over-exploitation of resources
Positives of CITES
Legally binding to 183 parties
Protects species and reduces extinction
Across borders (multilateral)
Negatives of CITES
Requires international cooperation as crosses borders so can be difficult to reinforce.
Implementation varies nationally as parties adopt own domestic legislation
REDD
Reducing emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation, works internationally across borders to reduce emissions as a result of deforestation or forest degradation.
Positives of REDD
Provides monetary incentives to investors, therefore fitting in with competitive market place
Mitigates climate change
Increases biodiversity and watershed
Dependent on local communities as creates sustainable social benefits and a political voice.
Negatives of REDD
Requires further investment
Rainforest ownership is often unclear
Carbon fraud and corruption
Strict monitoring required
Location of Taiga
Higher latitudes between 50° north and arctic circle where sun’s rays are weaker.
Eg. Canada, Russia..etc
Taiga characteristics
Evergreen plants w coniferous woodland (eg. Pine and fir)
Low biodiversity (smaller food web and so low productivity)
Thin, nutrient-poor, acidic soil due to needles, sub-zero temperatures and lack of sunlight slows rate of decomposition
Coniferous trees adaptations
Cone shape and flexible branches maximise precipitation shed so as to prevent damage.
Tall and narrow, dense canopy.
Acidic pine needles decompose to form acidic soil, preventing other plant growth decreasing nutrients in soil.
Waxy coating on needles prevents forest damage and limits water loss
Shallow roots support tree but don’t enter permafrost layer beneath
Taiga nutrient cycle
Slow due to:
Low precipitation and cold weather reduces chemical weathering.
Waxy needles decompose slowly and so release nutrients slowly.
Small biomass store as trees grow over limited time period.
Litter is largest store as pine needles decay slowly in cold/dry temps
Threats to taiga:
Polluted water Wildfires Carbon emissions Flooding Tar sands Commercial exploitation HEP dams
Tar sands
Mixture of fossil fuel oil and sediment mined and heated for oil.
Deforestation to extract and develop infrastructure.
Cover 150000 km squared of taiga (holding 1.7 trillion barrels of oil)
Toxic waste produced
Destroys forest and ecosystem, using up 2-4 tonnes of water for every 1 tonne of oil
Commercial exploitation
Taiga softwood is global main source of softwood timber
Clearcutting for construction/paper mills
Illegal logging doesn’t replant
HEP dams
Much energy produced (income)
Floods large area of taiga, releasing toxic waste into water supplies
Migration route disruption
Those in favour of taiga protection, why?
Environmentalists, indigenous groups, scientists
Fragile ecosystem that takes long time to recover (plants grow slowly due to long, cold winters and nutrient lack)
Low biodiversity so small change has large impact
Carbon sink
Indigenous cultural importance
Those in favour of exploitation, why?
Businesses, government, residents
Valuable resources aid economic development locally and nationally
Medicines lead to new cures
Employment opportunities and income to isolated areas
Exports boost GDP
Exploitation affects fraction of vast biome
Renewable exploitation possible
Renewable forms of exploitation
Conservation statuses
Sustainable forestry
National parks
Conservation statuses
Positives?
Negatives?
Reserve areas of global importance, enforcing additional protection and conservation
Provides funding to protect species from hunting, development or pollution
/ difficult to reinforce (particularly over vast landscapes)
Funding source?
National parks
Positives
Negatives
Preserve taiga ecosystems and biodiversity by researching abiotic/biotic components of ecosystem.
Serves as tourist destination (employment and revenue)
/large predators can’t survive in small landscapes, tourists want to see large predators so will leave, tourists damage ecosystem (‘human wildlife conflict occurrences’?), migrating species left unprotected, government under pressure to develop gdp,
Sustainable forestry
Positives?
Negatives?
Trees that are cut down and replanted with native taiga species and forestry carefully managed.
Allows migration through preservation of wildlife corridors/habitats
/ expensive, long term planning needed, narrows biodiversity w commercially valuable trees planted.
Taiga and TRF
similarities
Differences
Wide-scale deforestation
Carbo sink aid
Exploitation of resources
Large vs small biodiversity
Arid vs humid climates
3 general threats to world’s biomes
Pests
Wildfires
Acid rain
Acid rain impacts
Climate change impact?
Acidification of water bodies/soil causes animal species to die
Limestone and soil erosion.
More pollutants released further worsens effects
Wildfires impacts
Climate change effects
Hot and dry summers/ storms lead to deforestation, pollution, regeneration of forestry w nutrient rich soil.
Drier and warmer summers will worsen impacts and forests won’t be given chance to regenerate properly, fire-tolerant species will dominate while other species will die (or go extinct)
Pests impacts
Global warming effects?
Disease and damage to ecosystems reduces commercial value of forestry, alter ecosystem, reduces biodiversity due to competition, storms cause insects to infest new areas.
Global warming improves living conditions of pests so will be able to live higher up, storm frequency will be higher
Physical resources
Natural materials found below the earth’s surface, soil and rock.
Energy resources
Resources used specifically for heat.
(Eg fossil fuels, coal, gas, oil can be burnt to drive generators to create electricity). Domestically or industrially consumed.
Most valuable resource globally.
Mineral resources
Materials quarried or mined from the ground in raw form and then heated and purified to become usable materials.
Biological resources
Resources with a biological origin, trees and vegetation or crops.
Flow resources
Renewable resources
Eg. Wind, solar, HEP, tidal…
Recyclable resources
Reusable resources like biofuels and nuclear power.
Stock resources
Non-renewable, finite stores
Eg. Fossil fuels
Factors affecting a country’s production of energy
Geology Tectonic plates Relief Climate Development
Geology effect on energy production
Fossil fuels found in sedimentary rocks are major sources of energy.
Tectonic plate impact on energy production
Plate boundaries provide access to geothermal energy. Volcanic heat stored in magma heats water to generate electricity.
Relief effect on energy production
High rainfall and suitable relief have HEP. Large volumes of water can travel down valleys enabling dam construction.
Climate effect on energy production
Wind allows for wind energy.
Long hours of sunlight allows for solar panels.
Development effect on energy production
Investment and use of new tech allows development of new energy resources.
Environmental impacts of energy generation
Acid rain (acidification of oceans, water sources, soil) Air pollution Animal extinction Landscape scarring Oil spills Deforestation Climate change
Why has oil consumption increased
Industrialisation Globalisation Transport increase Tech development Trade links Higher disposable income Population rise Urbanisation
Reasons behind Oil price fluctuations
Supply and demand Movement of money Exogenous shocks Alternative energy resources Market speculation Oil supply capping
Energy security
Lack of dependency on oil producing nations, therefore leaving you less vulnerable to oil price shocks. Secure and rapid energy flow is vital to rapid economic growth.
Positives to ESPO pipeline
Increases energy security Decreases dependent on the Middle Eastern oil Aids economic growth Less Malacca strait pirate attacks Expands energy supply options More rapid pipeline
Negatives to ESPO pipeline
Russia sees China as a potential threat so is reluctant to commit to large energy supply.
Russian history of switching off energy supplies upon international strains.
OPEC
Organisation of petroleum exporting countries.
Responsible for 40% of world’s oil, controlling 80% of it.
Conventional sources
Traditional/ usual methods of fossil fuel extraction such as oil and gas which are running out.
Unconventional
New and different methods of oil extraction
Fracking
Hydraulic fracturing involves pumping water (mixed with chemicals) at high pressure into the ground to break shale rock layers which then release natural gas.
Positives of fracking
Doubles global energy availability
Less polluting compared to other fuels (eg coal)
Employment
Increase energy security
Negatives of fracking
Chemicals can leak and damage/poison local environment. Tremors Shale only forms in some areas Much water is wasted. Leads to further oil drilling
Eco-footprint
Measure of area of land needed to:
Provide all resources and services consumed, absorb all waste produced
Ways to reduce energy demand
Energy efficiency
Energy demand/conservation
BedZED
Beddington zero energy development Low flow taps and dual flush toilets Treated waste water for toilets Green and public transport Planted rooves and passive ventilation
Hybrid buses
Low emission public transport running on fuel or battery
Congestion charge
Vehicle fee going into London, reducing drivers and idle cars
Road tax
Bigger engines have higher taxes, encouraging people to buy cars with smaller engines.
Boris bikes
Encourages cycling
Inaccessible and dangerous
Methods to increase energy security
Efficiency Conservation Local/renewable energy Diversification of resources Infrastructure and transport of energy
Factors affecting energy security
Exogenous factors Technological advancement Conservation Resources Reserve supply Diversification
Hydrogen fuel cells
Positives
Negatives
Clean, no greenhouse gases/pollution, efficient
Energy needed to produce hydrogen gas from water w fossil fuels
Hard to store safely
Biofuels
Positives
Negatives
Fewer toxins/emissions
Cheaper than fossil fuels
Reusing waste
Much water and land needed to grow
Deforestation
HEP
Reliable and consistent
Flexible production
Conserves water supplies
Expensive
Spoil natural landscape
Farmland displacement
Impact ecosystem
