The living world - case studies & examples Flashcards

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1
Q

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

A

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
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2
Q

Example: Name the producers in your chosen small scale ecosystem

A

Producers include hawthorn bushes & blackberry bushes

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3
Q

Example: Name the consumers in your chosen small scale ecosystem

A

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

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4
Q

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

A

Blackberry Bush → Ladybird → Sparrow → Sparrowhawk

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5
Q

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

A

See mind map

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6
Q

Case Study: How big is the Amazon?

A

Largest rainforest on earth - 8 million km2

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7
Q

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

A

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

destroyed by deforestation

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8
Q

Case Study: Name the causes of deforestation and their %

A
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
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9
Q

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

A

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

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10
Q

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

A

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

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11
Q

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

A

New roads have opened up areas of forest that were

previously too hard to get to

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12
Q

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

A
  • 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
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13
Q

Case Study: Explain of global warming can affect the Amazon

A

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

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14
Q

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

A
  • 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
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15
Q

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

A
  • In 2008 Brazil made $6.9 billion from trading cattle

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

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16
Q

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

A

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

17
Q

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

A

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

18
Q

Case Study: Name 5 opportunities for economic development in Sahara

A
  • Mineral Resources
  • Oil and Gas
  • Solar Energy
  • Tourism
  • Farming
19
Q

Case Study: Explain how mineral resources have been beneficial

A

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

20
Q

Case Study: Explain how oil and gas have been beneficial

A

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
21
Q

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

A

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

22
Q

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

A

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

23
Q

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

A

Many people are fascinated by remote and exotic desert locations

24
Q

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

A

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

25
Q

Case Study: Explain how tourism is in the Sahara currently

A

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

26
Q

Case Study: Where is farming possible and why?

A

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

27
Q

Case Study: Give an example of the Sahara providing water

A

Aswan Dam provides a year-round water supply in Egypt

28
Q

Case Study: What makes development challenging? Name 3 factors

A
  • Inaccessibility
  • Extreme Temperatures
  • (Little) Water Supply
29
Q

Case Study: Explain how the extreme temperatures makes development challenging

A
  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
30
Q

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

A
  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
31
Q

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

A

It’s small - only 2 million

32
Q

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

A
  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
33
Q

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

A

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