Topic 3- Living World- Key Words

Question 1

Biodiversity.

Answer 1

The variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat.

Question 2

Commercial Farming.

Answer 2

Farming to sell produce for a profit to retailers or food processing companies.

Question 3

Consumer.

Answer 3

Creature that eats herbivores and / or plant matter.

Question 4

Climate Change.

Answer 4

A long term change in the Earth’s climate, especially a change due to the increase in the average atmospheric temperature.

Question 5

Debt Reduction.

Answer 5

Countries are relieved of some of their debt in return of the conservation of rainforests.

Question 6

Decomposer.

Answer 6

An organism such as a bacterium or fungus, that breaks down dead tissue, which is then recycled into the environment.

Question 7

Deforestation.

Answer 7

The chopping down and removal of trees to clear an area of a rainforest.

Question 8

Desertification.

Answer 8

The process by which land becomes drier and degraded as a result of climate change, human activities or both.

Question 9

Ecosystem.

Answer 9

A community of plants and animals that interact with each other and their physical environment.

Question 10

Eco Tourism.

Answer 10

Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the well-being of the local people and may involve education.

Question 11

Food Chain.

Answer 11

The connection between different organisms that rely upon one another as their source of food.

Question 12

Food Web.

Answer 12

A complex hierarchy of plants and animals relying on each other for food.

Question 13

Fragile Environment.

Answer 13

An environment that is both easily disturbed and difficult to restore if disturbed.

Question 14

Global Atmospheric Circulation.

Answer 14

The worldwide system of winds which transport heat from tropical to polar latitudes. In each hemisphere air also circulates through the entire depth of the troposphere which extends to 15km.

Question 15

Hot Desert.

Answer 15

Parts of the world that have high average temperatures and very low precipitation.

Question 16

Infrastructure.

Answer 16

The basic equipment and structures that are needed for a country or region to function properly.

Question 17

Intermediate Technology.

Answer 17

Technology that is suited to the needs, skills knowledge and wealth of local people in the environment in which they live. It usually combines simple ideas with cheap and readily available materials, especially for use in poorer countries and is environmentally friendly.

Question 18

Logging.

Answer 18

The business of cutting down trees and transporting the logs to sawmills.

Question 19

Mineral extraction.

Answer 19

The removal of solid mineral resources from the Earth. These resources include ores, which contain commercially valuable amounts of metal such as aluminium and iron; precious stones, such as diamonds; solid fuels such as coal.

Question 20

Nutrient Recycling.

Answer 20

A set of processes organisms extract minerals necessary for growth from soil or water, before passing them on through the food chain- and ultimately back the soil and water.

Question 21

Over Cultivation.

Answer 21

Exhausting the soil by over cropping the land.

Question 22

Overgrazing.

Answer 22

Grazing too many livestock for too long on the land, so it’s unable to recover it’s vegetation.

Question 23

Permafrost.

Answer 23

Permanently frozen ground, found in polar and tundra regions.

Question 24

Producer.

Answer 24

An organism or plant that is able to absorb energy from the sun through photosynthesis.

Question 25

Polar.

Answer 25

The regions of the Earth surrounding the north and south poles.

Question 26

Selective Logging.

Answer 26

The cutting out of trees that are mature or inferior to encourage the growth to the remaining trees in a forest or wood.

Question 27

Soil Erosion.

Answer 27

Removal of top soil faster than it can be replaced, due to natural (water and wind action), animal and human activity.

Question 28

Subsistence Farming.

Answer 28

A type of agriculture producing food and materials for the benefit of only the farmer and their family.

Question 29

Sustainability.

Answer 29

Actions and forms of progress that meet the needs of the present without reducing the ability of the future generations to meet their needs.

Question 30

Tundra.

Answer 30

The flat, treeless, artic regions of Europe, Asia and North America, where the ground is permanently frozen.

Question 31

Wilderness Area.

Answer 31

A natural environment that has not been significantly modified by human activity.