Topic 5 on the wild side Flashcards
succession
Is the progressive change in the composition and diversity of a species in a community in one place over a period of time
primary succession
starts in a newly formed habitat where there has never been a community before.
Climax community
stable final community
nature of species present depends on environment
have lower biodiversity when preceding stages in succession as dominant species out compete others.
pioneer species
the first species to colonise
They are the only species that can cope with the extreme conditions
secondary succession
occurs where there is habitat destruction
on bare soil where an existing community has been cleared
soil already contains seeds (seed bank)
deflected succession
community that remains stable because of human activity prevents succession
this prevents the loss or change in biodiversity in certain areas.
different methods for studying climate change
- temperature records
- studying peat bogs
- pollen grains in peat bogs
- dendrochronology
- changing rainfall patterns
- ice cores
temperature records
1650 to present only in certain places may have been collected with less accurate equipment
dendrochronology
study of tree rings
every year produce new layers of xylem vessels the diameter of these vary from season to season.
wide vessels in spring. narrow in summer and they produce none in autumn and winter
different width of rings tells us the condition of that year
can’t give precise dates
but can go back 3,000 years
ice cores
goes back 400,000 years
as water freezes bubbles of air become trapped with in the ice the ratio of the different O2 isotopes gives an estimated average air temperature when ice was formed
peat bogs
peat is the accumulation of partially decayed organic matter
anaerobic and acidic conditions prevent decay.
as absence of oxygen and low pH reduces activity of microorganisms
by studying plant and insect remains especially pollen grains tells us about air temperature.
pollen grains
goes back 20,000 years
pollen grains from peat
- plants produce vast amounts of pollen
- pollen grains have a tough outer layer resistant to decay
- each species of plant has distinct pollen
- peat forms in layers the deeper it is the older. use carbon-14 dating to work out age
- each species has a set of optimum ecological conditions. allowing us to infer what temperature conditions where like.
changing rainfall patterns
an increase in rainfall amount in winter slight decrease in spring and increase in rainfall on wet days means total rainfall increased on wet days. But less total rainfall as there are less wet days. these changes are consistent with climate model
greenhouse gas
a gas in the atmosphere that stops the infra-red radiation from escaping creating a greenhouse effect keeping the earth warm
carbon dioxide
greenhouse gas
strong correlation between temperature and CO2 concentration.
CO2 concentration has been rising since 1750 due to the industrial revolution
rise in CO2 concentration leads to a rise in temperature followed by a rise in CO2 released from the oceans leading to further warming
methane CH4
greenhouse gas
produced by anaerobic decay of organic mater in landfill. incomplete combustion of fossil fuels absorbs more IR than CO2 but has a shorter retention time could be reduced by better waste recycling and using bio fuels
when burned produces CO2 and H2O
why is global warming a controversial issue
science cannot prove theories only disprove them
in complete knowledge of climate system data sets being used to make predictions has limitations
there is not precise way to measure CO2 produced
what are the ethical arguments surrounding climate change and global warming
- well all have the right to choose whether or not we use fossil fuels to achieve good standard of living
- we have a duty to allow others to improve their standard of living
- we have a duty to preserve the environment for the next generation
what other factors affect climate change other than CO2
- other greenhouse gases
- aerosols - extremely small particles or liquid droplets
- degree of reflection on earth surface covered by ice or snow.
- the fraction of earth covered with ice and snow
- extent of cloud cover
- changes in the sun radiation
why are climate change predictions often incorrect
- limited data
- limited knowledge of how climate system works
- limitations in computing resources
- failure to include all factors affecting the climate
- changing trends in factors included e.g faster than expected loss of snow or ice or greater CO2 emissions
why do climate models predict a cooler UK
as the Artic sheet ice reduces there is an influx in fresh water into north Atlantic which freezes at 0oc expands rising to the surface rather than sinking as salt water does at that temperature
the north Atlantic drift breaks down as a result stopping bringing warm waters to Britain causing surface temperature in north west Europe to fall by 5oc
why are trees particularly vulnerable to climate change
they are unable to grow, reproduce and disperse seeds quickly enough to cope with changing conditions.
their distribution changes more slowly than the climate changes
what changes in populations and ecosystems caused by climate change
- changing distribution of species
- altered development and life cycles
increasing temperature means photosynthesis rate becomes
faster leading to faster growth
warmer conditions leads to increase in temperature crop yield
in cooler climates photosynthesis is temperature limited a rise in temperature will result in faster photosynthesis as enzyme catalysed reactions occur more quickly. Above a certain temp plants enzymes work more slowly.