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Geography > The Living World > Flashcards

The Living World Flashcards

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1
Q

what abiotic factors affect the freshwater pond ecosystem

A
  • light
  • oxygen
  • water
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2
Q

examples of a producer in the freshwater pond ecosystem

A
  • algae
  • microscopic plants
  • bulrushes
  • marsh marigolds
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3
Q

examples of a consumer in the freshwater pond ecosystem

A
  • midge larvae
  • fish
  • herons
  • frogs
    etc
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4
Q

examples of decomposers in the freshwater pond ecosystem

A
  • bacteria
  • maggots
  • worms
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5
Q

how can interactions between biotic components be illustrated

A

food chains and food webs

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6
Q

example of a food chain present in the freshwater pond ecosystem

A

algae —> midge larvae —> small fish —> carnivorous fish —> heron

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7
Q

what does the term “interrelated” mean in the context of the freshwater pond ecosystem

A

biotic and antibiotics components within freshwater pond ecosystem are connected to each other and depend on each other

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8
Q

interactions seen above the water in a freshwater pond ecosystem

A
  • birds and other terrestrial animals may scavenge in and around the pond
  • herons take fish from ponds
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9
Q

interactions seen on the pond’s edge in a freshwater pond ecosystem

A
  • lots of oxygen and light, perfect for plants that like boggy but bright conditions
  • provides shelter for insects, frogs and small animals
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10
Q

interaction seen on the pond’s surface in a freshwater pond ecosystem

A
  • plants and algae live on the surface and provide food and shelter for insects and ducks
  • lots of oxygen and light here
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11
Q

interactions seen in the mid-water in a freshwater pond ecosystem

A
  • fish and aquatic insects live in this area as they are adapted to less oxygen and light
  • fish rely on food in the pond or on the pond’s surface
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12
Q

interactions seen at the bottom of the pond in a freshwater pond ecosystem

A
  • low oxygen and little light
  • organic matter falls to the bottom of the pond, providing shelter and food for decomposers like maggots, worms and bacteria
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13
Q

3 sources of nutrients in a freshwater pond

A
  • weathering breaks down rocks and minerals and releases nutrients
  • chemicals in the atmosphere can be washed out within precipitation
  • bacteria absorb chemicals from the air and store in soil
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14
Q

how do nutrients transfer from soils, to plants and animals, back into soils

A

via nutrient cycle

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15
Q

abiotic components

A
  • non-living environmental factors that have influence over the ecosystem
  • climate, light exposure, soil type
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16
Q

biome

A
  • a large, distinct region of the Earth with similar climate, soil, plants and animals
  • also know as global-scale ecosystem
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17
Q

biotic components

A

living organisms that interact with the environment and other organisms within an ecosystem

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18
Q

coniferous forest biome

A

a biome located at high latitudes, characterised by conifer trees and a cold climate

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19
Q

consumers

A

organisms that receive energy from consuming (eating) living organisms

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20
Q

decomposes

A

organisms that break down organic material and real ease the nutrients back into the ecosystem

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21
Q

ecosystem

A

a natural system in which a community of plants and animals interact with each other and their physical environment

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22
Q

eutrophication

A

growth of algae in a body of water due to excess nutrients, leading to the depletion of oxygen in an aquatic ecosystem

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23
Q

food chain

A

a linear relationship showing the biotic interactions which in an ecosystem from a producer to a final consumer

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24
Q

food web

A

a representation of the interactions between multiple producers and consumers within a specific ecosystem, shown through a series of different food webs

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25
Q

mediterranean biome

A

a biome located 40-45°north of the equator (and in isolated spots south of the equator) characterised by mild, most winters and hot, dry summers

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26
Q

nutrient cycling

A

transfer of nutrients through an ecosystem, from the decay of organic material into the production and energy of living organisms

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27
Q

producers

A

organism that convert energy from the environment (mainly sunlight) into sugars (glucose)

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28
Q

temperate deciduous forest biome

A
  • a biome located around 40-50° north and south of the equator
  • lots of deciduous trees (trees that shed their leaves in the cold weather)
  • summers warm
    winters mild
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29
Q

savannah biome

A
  • found between the tropics
  • vegetation is grasses with a few scattered trees
  • low amounts of rain
  • dry
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30
Q

tropical rainforest biome

A
  • found around the equator
  • hot and wet all year around
  • lush forest with dense canopies of vegetation forming distinct layers
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31
Q

tundra biome

A
  • found at high latitudes
  • winters very cold
  • little rainfall
  • summers brief
  • hardly any trees, vegetation includes grasses and low shrubs
  • layer of permanently frozen ground called permafrost
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32
Q

alpine regions

A

cold, mountainous regions with snowy conditions and warmer summers

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33
Q

codl environment

A

regions of the earth that experience sustained below freezing temperatures

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34
Q

environmental fragility

A

the concept of an ecosystem being so sensitive to change that even small changed within the environment can have large and potentially destructive impacts

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35
Q

interdependence

A

concept of multiple things depending on each other for survival

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36
Q

permafrost

A

ground that is permanently frozen for at least two consecutive years

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37
Q

polar biome

A
  • found around north snd south poles
  • very cold, icy and dry
  • not much grows
  • dark for several months each year, growing season very short (2 months)
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38
Q

tundra religions

A

areas of latitudes, characterised by permafrost, low temperatures and short growing seasons

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39
Q

wilderness

A

an area that is untouched by humans and therefore remains unaffected by human activity

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40
Q

buttress roots

A

large, thick tree roots that grow above the ground in tropical rainforests

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41
Q

camouflage

A

an animal adaptation where animals purposefully looking like their surroundings to hide from predators

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42
Q

canopy

A

layer of tropical rainforest where the top of trees touch, forming a dense area of vegetation

43
Q

carbon sink

A

something that absorbs more carbon dioxide than it emits, causing a net loss of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere

44
Q

cattle ranching

A

rearing of cows on large areas of land, usually to produce meat to sell for a profit

45
Q

clear felling

A

a form of logging where all tress in an area are cut down

46
Q

commercial farming

A

forest cleared to make space for cattle grazing or huge plantations and bring in money

47
Q

debt-for-nature swaps

A

agreements where one country reduced the debt owned by another country in return for the owning country putting efforts into environmental conservation

48
Q

decomposers

A

organisms that break down organic material and release the nutrients back into the ecosystem

49
Q

deforestation

A

the permanent removal of trees, usually on a large scale

50
Q

drip-tip

A

an adaptation of a leaf where the end of the leaf is tapered, allowing rainwater to drip off

51
Q

ecotourism

A
  • minimises damage to environment and benefits local people
  • small number of tourists allowed into area at a time to minimise damage
  • local people employed for tourism jobs to make money
52
Q

epiphytes

A

plants that live on the surface of other plants, receiving nutrients from these plants

53
Q

hydroelectric power

A

energy harnessed from the movement of water

54
Q

latosol

A

an iron-rich, infertile soul found in tropical rainforests

55
Q

leaching

A

a process in soiled where minerals are washed away by water (usually rainwater)

56
Q

lianas

A
  • woody vines found in tropical rainforests
  • their roots grow on the forest floor
  • vines stretch high into the canopy
57
Q

logging

A

the process of cutting down tress for wood

58
Q

nutrient cycling

A

movement of nutrients between organic and inorganic components of an ecosystem

59
Q

plantations

A

farms where crops are grown in large amounts with the intention to sell for a profit

60
Q

selective logging

A
  • a form of logging where only certain trees are cut down to reduce the environmental while still keeping the structure and canopy wit soil not left exposed, allows forest to regenerate
  • least damaging type it logging
61
Q

subsistence farming

A

forest is cleared by small- scale farmers who need land to grow food for themselves and their families (indigenous people)

62
Q

transmigration

A

a government scheme that aims to move people from overpopulated urban areas to underpopulated rural areas

63
Q

tropical rainforests

A

a warm wet, biodiverse ecosystem located within the Tropics

64
Q

understory

A

the layer of a tropical rainforest that lies beneath the canopy but above the forest floor

65
Q

temperate grassland biome

A
  • found at higher latitudes
  • more variation in temperature
  • not much rainfall
  • no trees, just grass
66
Q

hot deserts biome

A
  • found between 15° and 35° north and south of the equator
  • little rainfall
  • very hot during day
  • very cold at night
  • shrubs and cacti dusty purée around sandy soil
67
Q

boreal forest (taiga)

A
  • winters are cold and dry
  • summers are mild and moist
  • trees coniferous, evergreen and have needles
68
Q

tropical rainforests: climate

A
  • same all year round, no definite seasons
  • hot (20°-28°C) because sun’s energy is more intense near equator
  • rainfall is very high, 2000mm per year. rains everyday
69
Q

tropical rainforests: plants

A
  • most trees are evergreen to help take advantage of continual growing season
  • many trees very tall and the vegetation is dense, very little light reaches the forest floor
  • lots of epiphytes (plants that grow on other plants and take nutrients from air) orchids
70
Q

tropical rainforests: people

A
  • many indigenous people have adapted to life here
  • make a living by hunting and fishing, gathering nuts and berries and grow vegetables in small garden plots
71
Q

tropical rainforests: soil

A
  • isn’t very fertile, water flushed nutrients away
  • is surface nutrients due to decayed leaf fall, but this layer is very thin as decay is fast in the warm, most conditions
72
Q

tropical rainforests: animals

A

hold more animal species than any other ecosystem

73
Q

biodiversity

A

the variety of organisms living in a particular area, both plants and animals

74
Q

adaptations: howler monkey

A
  • spends lives up in canopy
  • have strong limbs so move around habitat quicker
75
Q

adaptations: harpy eagle

A

has short pointed winds, more quicker

76
Q

layers of tropical rainforest

A
  • emergent trees
  • main canopy
  • under canopy
  • shrub later
77
Q

why is the rainforest being cut down

A
  • commercial farming
  • subsistence farming
  • commercial logging
  • other
78
Q

commercial logging

A

amazon is full of valuable hardwood trees such as mahogany which makes logging extremely tempering to both legal and illegal businesses

79
Q

other

A
  • mineral extraction
  • energy development
  • population growth
  • road building
80
Q

mineral extraction

A

good, iron and copper mined and exported to help boost countries development

81
Q

energy development

A

building hydroelectric dams floods large areas of forest

82
Q

population growth (other)

A

governments offering poor people from overcrowded cities to go migrate and live in rainforest

83
Q

road building (other)

A

destroys and threatens more of the forest by adding in paths or roads to places cars couldn’t get to

84
Q

educate on deforestation

A
  • educate about impacts of it which will encourage people to try and help
  • teach about the alternatives to make money that doesn’t damage the forests
85
Q

sustainable ways to manage rainforests

A
  • selective logging
  • ecotourism
  • replanting
  • education
86
Q

hot deserts: climate

A
  • very little rainfall
  • rainfall patterns vary (maybe once every few weeks)
  • temperature are extreme because of lack of cloud cover (45°C in day and 0°C at night)
87
Q

hot deserts: soil

A
  • lack of leaf fall limits soil fertility
  • little rainfall means soil drys out
  • soil often shallow with gravelly texture
88
Q

hot deserts: plants

A
  • due to rainfall plants growth is sparse
  • plants that do grow don’t need much water (cacti and thorn bushes)
  • many plants may have short life cycles, growing quickly after rain
89
Q

hot deserts: animals

A
  • adapted to harsh environments
  • mammals tend to be small and nocturnal
  • most birds leave desert during harshest conditions
90
Q

hot deserts: people

A
  • people grow a few crops near natural water sources
  • indigenous people often nomadic (keep travelling to find food and water for their livestock)
91
Q

desert plant adaptations

A
  • roots exert extremely long to reach deep water or can spread out wide near surface to absorb water as it rains
  • have large, fleshy stems for storing water
  • thick waxy skin to reduce transpiration (water loss)
  • small leaves to lower surface area and reduce water loss (transpiration)
  • spins contain toxin to protect from predators
  • some only germinate after rains, it too dry the seeds stay dormant (inactive), if rlly wet they grow quickly
92
Q

desert animals adaptations

A
  • nocturnal animals stay cool by sleeping when temperatures are hottest
  • long limbs, long ears to give them a larger surface area to lose heat from
  • live in underground burrows, because temperatures are less extreme
  • bigger animals store fat that they can break down into water (camels)
  • camels have triple eyelids, long eyelashes and the ability to close the nostrils to keep sand out during sandstorms
  • large flat feet so they don’t sink in sand
93
Q

desert biodiversity

A
  • relatively low biodiversity
  • small areas around ephemeral (temporary) ponds ) have the highest biodiversity
  • developing around desert margins means habitats are being divided by roads and threatens animals that migrate large distances to find water and food
  • global warming makes hot deserts hotter and dryer, lots of animals migrate to cooler places
94
Q

desertification physical factors (climate change)

A
  • rainfall, climate change is expected to reduce rainfall, makes dry places more dry, less water to help plants grow so end up dying
  • temperature, makes soil drier
95
Q

desertification human factors

A
  • removal of fuel wood, removal of trees make soil exposed
  • overgrazing, more cattle means eats plants faster than they can re-grow, trampling by animals also erodes soil
  • over-cultivation, if crops are planted in same spot repeatedly all nutrients are used up, plants can no longer be grown in those areas
  • population growth, more people put pressure on leads to more overgrazing
96
Q

strategies to reduce desertification

A
  • water management (use as little water as possible)
  • tree planting (acts as a windbreaker stops wind erosion, protects soil by providing shade)
  • soil management (leaving areas to rest before replanting or grazing on them to recover nutrients)
  • appropriate technology (use cheap, sustainable and easily available materials to build things)
97
Q

polar and tundra environments: climate

A
  • polar, very cold below freezing, winters drop to -40°
  • tundra areas are cold winters reach -50°, warm months only reach maximum of 10°
  • precipitation is low less than 100mm a year in polar and less than 380mm in tundra
98
Q

polar and tundra environments: soil

A
  • ice sheets cover polar areas so no soil is exposed
  • tundra soil is thin and acidic and not very fertile
  • beneath thin soil is layer of permafrost, holding trapped greenhouse gases
99
Q

polar and tundra environments: plants

A
  • polar areas have few plants, lichens and mosses grow on rocks and grasses grow on the coast
  • tundra areas hardy shrubs grasses, mosses and lichens are common, small short trees may grow in warmer areas
100
Q

polar and tundra environments: people

A
  • polar is mostly inhabited but Arctic has some indigenous people and few scientists work in Antarctica
  • tundra has many indigenous people, oil and gas workers in larger towns
101
Q

cold environments plants adaptations

A
  • most plants have become dormant (inactive) to survive cold, dark winters
  • low growing and round shaped to provide protection from wind
  • shallow roots because of layer of permafrost beneath soil layer
  • leaves small to limit amount of moisture lost through transpiration
  • warmer, wetter summer very short, plants have a growing season of just 50-60 days
  • reproduce using underground runners or bulbs to cope with cold snd because growing season is short
102
Q

cold environments animal adaptations

A
  • well insulated to reduce amount of energy used to stay warm (thick fur)
  • hibernate to conserve energy and survive winters
  • animals that don hibernate are able to survive on limited food source
  • birds migrate to warmer areas in winter
  • grow white winter coast for camouflage from predators or sneak up on prey
103
Q

why is it important to conserve wilderness areas in cold environments

A
  • provide habitats for organisms that can’t survive anywhere else
  • scientists study to understand the animals, plants and landforms unaffected by people
  • studying ecosystems help scientists replicate same conditions in managed ecosystems, can help preserve rare species
104
Q

why does it take centuries for cold environments to return to original state after human interference

A
  • plant growth is slow, if destroyed takes time to regrow
  • species are highly specialised so find difficult to adapt to change

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