unit two content Flashcards
biotic
a living organsim, such as plants, animals, fungi, bacteria.
abiotic
a non living feature of the environment such as water, sunlight, soil, air.
lithosphere
the soil and rock crust of the earth and its core of molten rock (earth)
atmosphere
the gases that surround the earth
hydrosphere
all water on earth makes up the hydrosphere (it is found in the atmosphere as rain, oceans, rivers and lakes)
biosphere
a shell that surrounds the earth which is approximately 20km from the deepest oceans to the highest mountains
this shell includes all life on earth and humans can only exist (without assistance) within 4km from this shell
humans have the most impact on the atmosphere (fossil fuels)
producers *
plants
consumers *
animals
food chain
follows a simple path as animals eat each other
food web
shows how plants and animals are interconnected by different paths (many connections)
list a simple food chain
sun producers (plants) primary consumers (rabbit) secondary consumers (owl) decomposers (fungi)
role of a decomposer
breakdown organic material and use the decomposition products to supply themselves with energy e.g; fungi
why are decomposers important
without decomposers, important elements would remain permanently in dead organisms and therefore remain unavailable for use by new generations of organisms
what would be the consequence of removing a component of the ecosystem
disrupts flow of energy limits food sources for predators reduces biodiversity habitat disruption can lead to an imbalance in the ecosystem by increasing the population of an organisms prey
direct impact
are those caused by the action and occur at the same time and place, usually observable
indirect impact
are those that are caused by the action but not immediately. the happen before an event or later in time but are still reasonably foreseeable
snow making machine indirect
- snowmaking machines are large and costly, manufacturing can alter ecosystems / landscapes
- snow making occurs when water levels re low meaning water needs to be transported up the mountain. transportation uses energy burning fuel which pollutes the environment
snow making machine direct
- depletion of water sources in order to make fake snow. negative impacts flora and fauna which rely heavily on the water source
- snow season is extended which places extra strain on the environment leaving it little time to regenerate
what are three effects of natural changes
fire
flood
succession -primary and secondary
primary succession
the change to an area where no soil has existed before (first time)
secondary succession
when a developed ecosystem (soil already exists) gets interrupted by natural distasters (fire, fuels, human destruction e.g. logging farming)
secondary succession occurs faster than primary as the environment has already been developed.
fire
indigenous Australians used to use fire stick farming
controlled burn which rejuvenated the land controlled where the animas moved (for hunting purposes), reduced fuel load
europeans came and stopped fire stick farming. this increased fires and fuel load
flood
leads to finical loss, loss of lives, significant loss around farming (livestock crops)
indigenous interactions
nomadic lifestyle - indigenous australians moved around depending on the seasoning weather
hunter gatherer - the practise of collecting food sources through hunting and collecting
firestick farming
impacts of indigenous interactions
moving around didn’t use up all the resources in one area and allowed time for areas to regenerate and grow
fire stick farming enhanced the regrowth of vegetation
hunter gather lifestyle is sustainable because they only collected what they need
does no require land to be cleared like farming which keeps biodiversity
what are some safe interactions
good planning and preperation
access to evacuation points and emergency plans
access to medical help
complete risk assessment
access to drinking water
codes of conduct
expected range of weather conditions and planning for it
what are some sustainable interactions
facilities available at your locations minimal impact strategies camping and fire restrictions sensitivities to flora and fauna sights of cultural significance
artistic representations
refers to how artists have depicted the outdoor environments overtime
painters, musicians, sculptures etc
artistic depictions of the environment can be different from whats really true
early white settlers did this
artistic representations Nicolas chevalier
a european painter who lived during the late colionial period
Visited and painted Mount Arapiles
he manipulated the painting to make it look more ascetically pleasing.
he made grasses more lush, water more abundant, and more cattle present
what is urbanisation
urbanisation refers to the development and physical growth of towns and cities. the process of urbanisation means that nature; environments are impacted due to the need of extra lan, for the construction of houses, and industry
e.g. edithvale community wetlands centre
negative impacts of urban
land clearing removal of habitats and ecosystems decrease biodiversity levels disruption of ecosystem erosion of creeks and water courses water pollution from litter, soap petrol etc.....
positive impacts of urbanisation
recognition of parks and reserves
provides community education on bird and native species, environments and protection strategies
importance
impacts of urbanisation of waterways (3)
disruption of ecosystems
erosion of creeks/watercourses
loss of stream side vegetation
impacts of urbanisation land
decrease biodiversity levels
introduction of weeds
habitat loss though timber harvesting, mining and clearing of vegetation
