waste management, land use, global warming

Question 1

describe how waste produced by humans can reduce biodiversity

Answer 1

Pollution kills plants and animals which can reduce biodiversity

Question 2

what does the rapid increase in population and increase in standard of living mean

Answer 2

Rapid growth in the human population and an increase in the standard
of living mean that increasingly more resources are used and more
waste is produced

Unless waste and chemical materials are properly handled, more pollution will be caused.

Question 3

Where can pollution occur

Answer 3

Pollution can occur:
* in water, from sewage (contains both urine and faeces), fertiliser (from farms) or toxic chemicals
* in air, from smoke and acidic gases
* on land, from landfill and from toxic chemicals.

Question 4

how waste can lead to water pollution and the problem of this

Answer 4

Both fertilisers and untreated sewage cause dissolved oxygen levels to fall and this can kill aquatic organisms - if accidentally released into rivers or streams

toxic chemicals released into rivers from factories can kill animals in the river

waste from human activity is reducing biodiversity in aquatic ecosystems

Question 5

how waste from human activities is polluting the air and the problem of this

Answer 5

Burning coal in power stations can release acidic gases and these can cause acid rain

Burning can also release smoke
Air pollution like this can kill plants and animals, and this reduces biodiversity

Question 6

how waste from human activity can pollute the land
and why this is a problem

Answer 6

Millions of tons of waste are dumped in landfills
Landfills destroy habitats for plants and animals

Toxic chemicals can leach out of landfills and also pollute the soil
Toxic chemicals are also dumped directly onto the land
These chemicals can kill living organisms

Question 7

solution to pollution and reduction of biodiversity due to pollution

Answer 7

Waste from human activity is reducing biodiversity
This makes it extremely important that we carefully handle our waste materials, and dispose of them without harming the environment

Question 8

describe how humans reduce the amount of land available for animals and plants

Answer 8

Humans reduce the amount of land available for other animals and
plants by building (houses, factories, shops, airports), quarrying, farming and dumping waste (e.g. in landfills)

Question 9

Humans reduce the amount of land available for other animals and
plants by building (houses, factories, shops, airports), quarrying, farming and dumping waste (e.g. in landfills)

why is this a problem to biodiversity

Answer 9

All of this means that there is less land available for animals and plants
Due to the reduction in habitats, this reduces biodiversity

Question 10

importance of peat bogs

Answer 10

Peat bogs and peat lands contain large amounts of dead plant materials
Conditions in the peat mean that decay is very slow
So peat bogs and peat lands contain a very large amount of trapped carbon

Question 11

what is peat used for

Answer 11

peat is used to produce garden compost for gardens and farms

peat is burned to release energy e.g. to generate electricity

Question 12

Describe how the destruction of peat bogs reduces biodiversity and releases CO2 into the atmosphere

Answer 12

The destruction of peat bogs, and other areas of peat to produce
garden compost, reduces the area of this habitat and thus the
variety of different plant, animal and microorganism species that live
there (biodiversity).
this is reducing the biodiversity

Question 13

problem with peat

Answer 13

once peat has been extracted and used for compost, it begins to decay

Question 14

Describe how the destruction of peat bogs releases CO2 into the atmosphere

Answer 14

The decay or burning of the peat releases carbon dioxide into the
atmosphere.
the co2 released contributes to climate change

Question 15

impact of many gardeners no longer buying compost made with peat and buying more expensive alternatives

Answer 15

Alternatives are more expensive
Meaning if farmers had to use peat-free compost, then that could increase the price of food

Question 16

describe the biological consequences of global warming

Answer 16

Loss of habitats for organisms
Reduction in ice levels in the Arctic
This will cause populations of Arctic organisms such as polar bears to fall as their habitat is reduced

HIGH TEMP CAUSE seawater to expand and ice to melt, causing the sea level to rise
if it keeps rising, it will be bad for people and animals living in low-lying places
it will lead to flooding, resulting in the loss of habitats

As global temperatures rise, animals such as birds and insects may gradually extend their range northwards towards cooler conditions
e.g. many species of mosquito carry diseases that affect humans e.g. malaria
At the moment, these species of mosquitos cannot survive the cold conditions of the UK
However it is possible that with global warming, the range of these insects may spread to the UK and diseases such as malaria may be brought with them

Many species of animals migrate
E.g. in the winter, swallows migrate from the UK to Africa

With global warming, the migration patterns of lots of different animals may change e.g. some birds may migrate further north as more norther areas are getting earmer

some species may become more widely distributed e.g. species that need warmer temperatures may spread further as the conditions they thrive in exist over a wider area
other species may become less widely distributed. e.g. species that need cooler temperatures may have smaller ranges as the conditions they thrive in exist over a smaller area

Global warming could also affect plants
E.g. in the UK, spring plants are flowering earlier due to warmer conditions

As temperatures increase, we may be able to grow crops such as grapes in parts of the UK, where we cannot today
However in other parts of the world, it may be too hot to grow the crops that they need

biodiversity could be reduced if some species are unable to survive a change in the climate so become extinct

Question 17

what is meant by peer review

Answer 17

thousands of scientific papers have been published on global warming
these have been checked by other scientists before being published
scientists call this checking process peer review

the process where scientists check each other’s results and explanations to make sure they are scientific

Question 18

advantages of peer review

Answer 18

peer review helps to detect false claims and makes sure that research published in scientific journals is valid

reports int he popular media e.g. newspapers are not subject to peer review
this means that global warming can sometimes be oversimplified, inaccurate or biased

Question 19

what contributes to global warming

Answer 19

Levels of carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere are
increasing, and contribute to ‘global warming’.

Question 20

current increase in temp. caused by…

examples..

Answer 20

current increase in temp. caused by human activities

humans have released huge amounts of co2 into the atmosphere
this is mainly due to burning fossil fuels such as coal and oil

Question 21

how is methane produced

Answer 21

methane is produced by bacteria in paddy fields, which are used to grow rice
methane is also released by cows when they pass wind

Question 22

co2 and ch4 are examples of

Answer 22

greenhouse gases - they trap heat in the atmosphere - this leads to global warming

Question 23

how we can reduce the loss of biodiversity

how we can reduce the negative effects of humans on biodiversity

Answer 23

breeding programmes for endangered species. these prevent endangered species from becoming extinct.
these are where animals are bred in captivity to make sure the species survives if it dies out in the wild
individuals can also be released into the wild to boost or re-establish a population

• protection and regeneration of rare habitats . This is important for preserving biodiversity
• reintroduction of field margins and hedgerows in agricultural areas
  where farmers grow only one type of crop (in these areas we find very few species of plants and animals)

field margins are areas of land around the edges of fields where wild flowers and grasses and animals are left to grow.

hedgerows and field margins provide a habitat for a wider variety of organisms than could survive in a single crop habitat
both field margins and hedgerows help to preserve biodiversity on farms

• reduction of deforestation and carbon dioxide emissions by some governments
  this could reduce the increase of global warming
  e.g. in countries, large proportions of their electricity is now generated by renewable methods e.g. wind power
  increasing use of renewables will reduce global warming

by reducing deforestation and co2 emissions, governments can reduce the loss of biodiversity

• recycling resources (waste materials) rather than dumping waste in landfill.
  a lot of waste is simply dumped into landfills and this destroys habitats for plants and animals
  if we recycle then less waste ends up in landfills
  This means that fewer habitats are destroyed.
  this has a positive effect on biodiversity

Question 24

what are trophic levels

Answer 24

a stage/the different stages of/in a food chain

they consist of one or more organisms that perform a specific role in the food chain

Question 25

describe how decomposers break down dead plant or animal matter

Answer 25

Decomposers break down dead plant and animal matter (as well as waste products such as faeces) by secreting
enzymes into the environment.
The enzymes digest the dead materials. Small soluble food molecules then
diffuse into the microorganism (the decomposer).

Question 26

herbivores are

Answer 26

animals that eat plant or algae - called primary consumers

Question 27

carnivores that eat herbivores are called….

Answer 27

secondary consumers

Question 28

a carnivore is a

Answer 28

an animal that eats another animal

Question 29

what is a tertiary consumer

Answer 29

a carnivore that eats other carnivores

Question 30

trophic levels are the

Answer 30

positions of a food chain

Question 31

what are trophic level 1-4

Answer 31

trophic Level 1: Plants and algae make their own food by photosynthesis (using energy from the sun) and are called producers.
Level 2: Herbivores eat plants/algae and are called primary consumers.
Level 3: Carnivores that eat herbivores are called secondary consumers.
Level 4: Carnivores that eat other carnivores are called tertiary
consumers. Apex predators are carnivores with no predators

Question 32

What is an apex predator

Answer 32

Apex predators are carnivores with no predators

Question 33

Describe what is meant by a pyramid of biomass

Answer 33

Pyramids of biomass can be constructed to represent the relative
amount of biomass in each level of a food chain

Trophic level 1 is at the
bottom of the pyramid.
-level4-
–level3–
—-level2——
——–level1———

Question 34

Explain how biomass is lost between the different trophic levels

why does the amount of biomass decrease for each trophic level

Answer 34

Losses of biomass are due to:
* not all the ingested material is absorbed, some is egested as faeces
* some absorbed material is lost as waste, such as carbon dioxide and water in respiration and water and urea in urine.

Large amounts of glucose/biomass are used in respiration to release energy

Question 35

what is the biomass

Answer 35

the mass of all the organisms at a certain trophic level

Question 36

ensure pyramids of biomass are to scale - include

Question 37

Only around 1% of the light energy that falls on producers is actually absorbed and used for photosynthesis

Answer 37

Only approximately 10% of the biomass from each trophic level is
transferred to the level above it.

Question 38

why does the number of organisms at each trophic level tend to decrease

Answer 38

Only approximately 10% of the biomass from each trophic level is
transferred to the level above it.
because of this, in most food chains the number of organisms at each trophic level tend to decrease

Question 39

Calculate the efficiency of biomass transfer

in the course of a month, a cow consumer 300 kg of grass biomass and gains 15kg of body mass.
calculate the efficiency of biomass transfer

what does this value show

Answer 39

efficiency = gain in biomass / total biomass intake
efficiency = 15/300 = 0.05

efficiency = biomass transferred to the next level/biomass available at the previous level x100

this reflects the fact that cows move around and maintain a constant body temperature