The living world - case studies & examples

Question 1

Example: Name an example of a small scale ecosystem and what it includes

Answer 1

A hedgerow ecosystem includes:

• Plants that make up the hedgerow
• Organisms that live in it & feed on it
• Soil in the area
• Rainfall & sunshine it receives

Question 2

Example: Name the producers in your chosen small scale ecosystem

Answer 2

Producers include hawthorn bushes & blackberry bushes

Question 3

Example: Name the consumers in your chosen small scale ecosystem

Answer 3

Consumers include thrushes, ladybirds, spiders, greenfly, sparrows and sparrow hawks

Question 4

Example: Draw a food chain including organisms from your chosen small scale ecosystem

Answer 4

Blackberry Bush → Ladybird → Sparrow → Sparrowhawk

Question 5

Example: Draw a food web including organisms from your chosen small scale ecosystem

Answer 5

See mind map

Question 6

Case Study: How big is the Amazon?

Answer 6

Largest rainforest on earth - 8 million km2

Question 7

Case Study: What has been the overall effect of deforestation on the Amazon (give stat)?

Answer 7

Since 1978, over 750,000 km2 (3x size of UK) has be

destroyed by deforestation

Question 8

Case Study: Name the causes of deforestation and their %

Answer 8

65-70% = Commercial (cattle) ranching
20-25% = Small-scale subsistence farming
5-10% = Commercial farming (mostly soy farming)
2-3% = Logging (+ illegal logging)
1-2% = Mineral extraction, road building, energy development, building new settlements

Question 9

Case Study: Explain how population growth and migration causes deforestation in the Amazon

Answer 9

Population growth and migration puts pressure on the Amazon as the Brazilian government offers land in the rainforest to poor people from overcrowded cities

Question 10

Case Study: Explain how small-scale subsistence farming causes deforestation in the Amazon

Answer 10

Many more small-scale subsistence farmers who have no land or whose land has become unproductive are opening up more ares of forest

Question 11

Case Study: Explain why logging is taking place in the Amazon

Answer 11

New roads have opened up areas of forest that were

previously too hard to get to

Question 12

Case Study: Name 2 environmental impacts of deforestation in the Amazon

Answer 12

• Amazon stores 100 billion tonnes of carbon → deforestation releases some of this as carbon dioxide = causes global warming
• Brazil loses 55 million tons of topsoil every year because of soil erosion caused by soy farming

Question 13

Case Study: Explain of global warming can affect the Amazon

Answer 13

Affect creatures living in the forest by altering their habitats and decreasing availability of food and water = some species will adapt to live in higher elevations or latitudes but many will be lost

Question 14

Case Study: Name 5 economic impacts of deforestation in the Amazon

Answer 14

• Economic development has brought wealth to countries
  that were very poor
• Farming makes a lot of money
• Mining industry creates jobs for loads of people
• Logging contributes a huge amount to Brazil’s economy
• Local Brazilian rubber tappers who extract natural rubber from rubber trees = lost their livelihoods as trees have been cut down

Question 15

Case Study: Give an example of the Amazon benefits from farming

Answer 15

• In 2008 Brazil made $6.9 billion from trading cattle

- It’s the world’s 2nd biggest exporter of soy beans

Question 16

Case Study: Give an example of the Amazon benefits from mining

Answer 16

E.g. Buenaventura mining company in Peru employs over 3100 people

Question 17

Case Study: Give a fact about the Sahara regarding its size

Answer 17

The Sahara is Earth’s largest desert (almost the size of US)

Question 18

Case Study: Name 5 opportunities for economic development in Sahara

Answer 18

• Mineral Resources
• Oil and Gas
• Solar Energy
• Tourism
• Farming

Question 19

Case Study: Explain how mineral resources have been beneficial

Answer 19

Morocco is now world’s largest exporter of phosphate (used in fertilisers, cleaning products, batteries, etc)

Question 20

Case Study: Explain how oil and gas have been beneficial

Answer 20

Algeria is a leader in oil exploration and extraction in Sahara Desert:

• 60% of its income comes from oil and gas industry
• Many oil fields including Hassi Messaoud - industry employs over 40,000 people

Question 21

Case Study: Explain how the Sahara is ideal for generating solar power

Answer 21

Has 12 or more hours of bright sunshine and cloudless skies every day

Question 22

Case Study: Explain how solar in the Sahara is being developed

Answer 22

100 km^2 area solar energy development in Tunisia is planned to supply enough electricity to meet the needs of 2 million homes in Western Europe by 2018

Question 23

Case Study: Explain why tourists may be attracted to the Sahara

Answer 23

Many people are fascinated by remote and exotic desert locations

Question 24

Case Study: What touristy stuff is there in the Sahara?

Answer 24

Sandboarding, carting and cross-desert treks are popular tourist activities in Sahara e.g. Camel trekking in Morocco

Question 25

Case Study: Explain how tourism is in the Sahara currently

Answer 25

Remains on small scale, though many people visit cities on outskirts e.g. Marrakech

Question 26

Case Study: Where is farming possible and why?

Answer 26

Water is essential for plant growth so commercial agriculture in Sahara is only possible where there’s enough irrigation water

Question 27

Case Study: Give an example of the Sahara providing water

Answer 27

Aswan Dam provides a year-round water supply in Egypt

Question 28

Case Study: What makes development challenging? Name 3 factors

Answer 28

• Inaccessibility
• Extreme Temperatures
• (Little) Water Supply

Question 29

Case Study: Explain how the extreme temperatures makes development challenging

Answer 29

1. Due to lack of cloud cover, daily temperatures can range from over 40°C during the day to below freezing at night
2. Exposure to high temperatures can cause illness or death + healthcare may be along distance away
3. Hot season is too hot for tourists so employment in tourism industry can be seasonal

Question 30

Case Study: Explain how the Sahara’s inaccessibility makes development challenging

Answer 30

1. Sahara is huge - people & materials have to travel long distances - often by air which is expensive
2. Difficult to provide services e.g. Medical care, to remote regions, making it hard for them to develop
3. Expensive pipelines have to be built to transport oil and gas from remote areas
4. Takes 5 days by truck to transport salt from salt mines in Mali out desert

Question 31

Case Study: What does the harsh conditions mean for the Sahara’s population?

Answer 31

It’s small - only 2 million

Question 32

Case Study: Explain how the Sahara’s water supply makes development challenging

Answer 32

1. Sahara has very low annual rainfall (less than 70 mm in places) + rainfall is unpredictable and most rivers only flow during part of year
2. Providing enough water for workers, industry or irrigation is extremely hard
3. Deep boreholes are used to extract water stored naturally under the Sahara but this isn’t sustainable because isn’t being replenished

Question 33

Case Study: Why are new developments that find ways of supplying water needed? (give example of 1 of these ways)

Answer 33

Desert resources are so valuable ∴ e.g. Phosphate mines in Morocco pipe water from a dam in central Morocco