waste management, land use, global warming Flashcards
describe how waste produced by humans can reduce biodiversity
Pollution kills plants and animals which can reduce biodiversity
what does the rapid increase in population and increase in standard of living mean
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.
Where can pollution occur
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.
how waste can lead to water pollution and the problem of this
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
how waste from human activities is polluting the air and the problem of this
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
how waste from human activity can pollute the land
and why this is a problem
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
solution to pollution and reduction of biodiversity due to pollution
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
describe how humans reduce the amount of land available for animals and plants
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)
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
All of this means that there is less land available for animals and plants
Due to the reduction in habitats, this reduces biodiversity
importance of peat bogs
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
what is peat used for
peat is used to produce garden compost for gardens and farms
peat is burned to release energy e.g. to generate electricity
Describe how the destruction of peat bogs reduces biodiversity and releases CO2 into the atmosphere
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
problem with peat
once peat has been extracted and used for compost, it begins to decay
Describe how the destruction of peat bogs releases CO2 into the atmosphere
The decay or burning of the peat releases carbon dioxide into the
atmosphere.
the co2 released contributes to climate change
impact of many gardeners no longer buying compost made with peat and buying more expensive alternatives
Alternatives are more expensive
Meaning if farmers had to use peat-free compost, then that could increase the price of food
describe the biological consequences of global warming
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
what is meant by peer review
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
advantages of peer review
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
what contributes to global warming
Levels of carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere are
increasing, and contribute to ‘global warming’.
current increase in temp. caused by…
examples..
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
how is methane produced
methane is produced by bacteria in paddy fields, which are used to grow rice
methane is also released by cows when they pass wind
co2 and ch4 are examples of
greenhouse gases - they trap heat in the atmosphere - this leads to global warming
how we can reduce the loss of biodiversity
how we can reduce the negative effects of humans on biodiversity
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
what are trophic levels
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
describe how decomposers break down dead plant or animal matter
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).
herbivores are
animals that eat plant or algae - called primary consumers
carnivores that eat herbivores are called….
secondary consumers
a carnivore is a
an animal that eats another animal
what is a tertiary consumer
a carnivore that eats other carnivores
trophic levels are the
positions of a food chain
what are trophic level 1-4
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
What is an apex predator
Apex predators are carnivores with no predators
Describe what is meant by a pyramid of biomass
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———
Explain how biomass is lost between the different trophic levels
why does the amount of biomass decrease for each trophic level
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
what is the biomass
the mass of all the organisms at a certain trophic level
ensure pyramids of biomass are to scale - include
Only around 1% of the light energy that falls on producers is actually absorbed and used for photosynthesis
Only approximately 10% of the biomass from each trophic level is
transferred to the level above it.
why does the number of organisms at each trophic level tend to decrease
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
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
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
