Unit 4 Flashcards

1
Q

What is the definition of biodiversity?

A

the number and variety of organisms within the area

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2
Q

What is the definition of species diversity?

A

no. of different species and the relevant abundance of each species in a community
high species diversity = high ecosystem health

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3
Q

What is the definition of ecosystem/habitat diversity?

A

variation in the variation in the ecosystems found in the region or the variation in ecosystems across the planet

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4
Q

What is the definition of genetic diversity?

A

variety of genes present that control the inheritable characteristics within a population

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5
Q

What factors may cause there to be a relationship between latitude and species diversity?

A
  • temp = hotter near the equator
  • weather = increased latitudes have cold and harsh conditions
  • light availability
  • nutrients and co2 availability
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6
Q

How can global biodiversity be measured?

A

by the ‘Living Planet Index’ (LPI) which shows a decline of 58% between 1970 and 2012

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7
Q

What are the 5 different human activities that threaten biodiversity?

A
  • habitat loss and degradation
  • species overexploitation
  • pollution
  • invasive species and disease
  • climate change
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8
Q

What is the definition of a direct threat?

A

are immediate human activities that have a direct impact on the area in which the activities are undertaken

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9
Q

What is the definition of an indirect threat?

A

are human activities which may impact ecosystems globally through the consequences of these actions

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10
Q

What are examples of direct threats?

A
  • habitat loss by agriculture
  • species overexploitation
  • whaling
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11
Q

What are examples of indirect threats?

A
  • temp change due to climate change
  • invasive species and disease
  • oil spills
  • plastic pollution
  • burning fossil fuels
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12
Q

What are some examples of local threats to biodiversity?

A
  • land use change
  • resource exploitation (fishing)
  • pollution, waste disposal, degradation of local habitat
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13
Q

What is the definition of anthropogenic climate change?

A

climate change enhanced by human activity

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14
Q

What are some examples of global threats to biodiversity?

A
  • climate change
  • oil spills
  • waterborne disease
  • coral bleaching
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15
Q

Where are tropical rainforests found and how much of the worlds plant and animal species does it contain?

A

about half the plants and animals in the world

found between 25 degrees N/S of the equator

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16
Q

100 years ago, what % of the Earth’s land did tropical rainforests cover, compared to now?

A

100 years ago = 15%
now = les than 3%

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17
Q

What is the main cause for deforestation of tropical rainforests?

A

80% of deforestation is due to agriculture

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18
Q

Why was deforestation increasing in the Amazon?

A
  • push for development
  • provided economic growth
  • one hectare was being cleared every minute
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19
Q

In 2024, when the new president was elected as the Brazilian president, how much did deforestation decrease by in the first 6 months?

A

34% decrease

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20
Q

What is driving the increased demand for the need to clear tropical rainforests?

A

increased population = increased affluence = increased demand

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21
Q

What is the cause and the impacts of logging in the rainforest?

A
  • hardwoods are valuable
  • road building for illegal logging
    impacts = once cleared forest can’t recover
    = Brazil and Indonesia 70 - 80% of logging is illegal
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22
Q

What is the cause and the impacts of cattle grazing in the rainforest?

A

cause - land sold to farmers
- Brazilian beef in high demand
impacts = Brazil is the largest exporter of beef (more cows than people) 232 million to 210 million in 2020

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23
Q

What is the cause and impacts of palm oil in the rainforest?

A

cause - 33% of products in super markets contain palm oil
- can be used in biofuel
impacts = Indonesia and Malaysia produce over 80% of the world’s palm oil
= contributes 4% of worlds greenhouse gases

24
Q

What are the causes and impacts of mining in the rainforest?

A

cause - income e.g. Indonesia mineral deposits form 19% of their exports
impacts = Brazil is the world’s largest iron mine

25
Q

What are the causes and impacts of hydroelectricity in the rainforest?

A

cause - Brazil - energy crisis 2006
impacts = Tacuri Dam in the amazon, flooding and damage to wildlife

26
Q

What % of co2 emissions does the Amazon rainforest store?

27
Q

What has lead to an increase in land grabs in the Amazon rainforest?

A

law enforcement is reduced from covid

28
Q

After COP26, what are the world’s leaders aiming to achieve?

A

end of deforestation by 2030

29
Q

What are the greatest threats to biodiversity in tropical rainforests?

A

logging and cattle ranching

30
Q

What area do coral reefs cover between 30 degrees N/S of the equator?

A

280,000km sq

31
Q

What % of fish do coral reefs habitat?

A

25% of fish and over 2 million marine species

32
Q

What must the minimum water temperature be for a coral reef?

A

18 degrees, water depth less than 30m

33
Q

What is a coral?

A

an animal which captured food with its tentacles
has a symbiotic relationship with zooantheellae algae that lives in its cell and photosynthesises, providing glucose to the coral

34
Q

What % of the world’s coral reef have been killed by bleaching events since 2007?

35
Q

What % of the worlds reefs are under long term threat of collapse?

36
Q

Why do corals bleach, and what conditions do they need?

A

bleaching = a stress response
bleach when the coral is too hot/cold, exposed to freshwater, too much nutrients

37
Q

What is assisted evolution?

A

growing coral in conditions that could lead to stress response only transferring the most resistant to change planted back

38
Q

By 2050, what % of coral reefs will be dead?

39
Q

In East Asia, how many people do coral reefs provide food for?

A

1 billion people

40
Q

What % of the world’s coral reefs are affected by overfishing?

41
Q

What is an example of an area that uses dynamite fishing off?

A

the coast of Tanizania

42
Q

Why do fishermen use the dynamite fishing?

A

don’t have access to proper fishing equipment

43
Q

What impacts does dynamite fishing have on coral reefs?

A

kills everything within its reach, kills juveniles and kill coral reefs cannot recover

44
Q

What is the name of the coal port in the Great Barrier Reef?

A

Abbot Point Coal Port

45
Q

Why is the expansion of this port a major pollution threat to the Great Barrier Reef?

A
  • dredging channels
  • dumping millions of tonnes of sludge into the ocean
46
Q

What % of the Earth’s surface is covered in Wetlands?

A

less than 1%

47
Q

What % of global diversity do wetlands support?

48
Q

What is the case study for Wetlands?

A

The Pantanal in South America

49
Q

How many acres is the Pantanal?

A

42 million

50
Q

How many animal and plant species are located in the Pantanal?

A

animals = 4,000
plants = 3,500

51
Q

How many people does the Pantanal economically support?

A

1.5 million people

52
Q

What are the surrounding uplands of the Pantanal called?

A

Upper Paraguay River Basin

53
Q

How have land use changes in the Upper Paraguay River Basin threaten the wetlands in the Pantanal?

A

basin has lost 58% of its original vegetation
agriculture and monoculture has lead to drying rivers
hydroelectric dams interfere with water flow patterns

54
Q

What are the indirect threats associated with climate change and recent droughts?

A

droughts create bigger impacts, due to further spreading wildfires

55
Q

In 2020, how many wildfires between Jan and July in the Pantanal?

A

3506 fires, 192% increase from 2019

56
Q

What is another case study of Biodiversity in Wetlands?

A

Whixhall Moss