year 2 chap 12 Flashcards
how does wasting food impact the environment?
- growing crops and livestock for food requires water, energy, minerals in the soil and other resources on earth
- wasting food is essentially wasting Earth’s limited resources.
how do our actions negatively impact the environment?
- wasting food
- using more electricity
- using more water
- creating excessive waste
how does using more electricity impact the environment?
- in Singapore, electrical energy is obtained by burning natural gas (which is a limited resource)
- when we use more electricity, more fuels are burnt to generate electricity
- more carbon dioxide is given off which contributes to climate change.
how does using more water impact the environment?
- only 1% of Earth’s water is considered fresh water, making it a limited resource
- as consumption of water increases, fresh water decreases more quickly
how does creating excessive waste impact the environment?
- when excessive waste is produced, more waste needs to be disposed
- improper disposal pollutes the air, water and land
- for example, waste that is disposed in the oceans can poison or kill marine organisms which consume it.
how can using only the amount of resources that we need help converse the environment?
- it will help ensure Earth’s resources will last long enough for future needs
- it will also reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the effects of climate change
what are some actions we can take to conserve the environment?
- reducing the use of fossil fuels
- reducing consumption
- introducing environmentally friendly practices
- reforestation
how does reducing the use of fossil fuels conserve the environment? and how can we do it?
- using energy-efficient appliances will help reduce the use of fossil fuels for powering cars and electrical appliances
- taking public transport or walking instead of taking a car
how does reducing consumption conserve the environment? and how can we do it?
- we can reduce the need for raw materials such as wood which thus reduces deforestation
- by minimising the use of paper, reusing items and recycling are ways to reduce consumption
how does introducing environmentally friendly practices conserve the environment? and how can we do it?
- it reduces the emission of greenhouse gases thus reducing the effects of climate change
- initiatives such as “bring your own bag” encourages us to be more environmentally friendly
how does reforestion conserve the environment? and how can we do it?
- reforestation protects soil that stores carbon, when plants take in CO₂ during photosynthesis, they help store carbon and reduce the amount of CO₂ in the air
- by planting more trees
what are the physical factors of the environment that affect survival?
- pH
- temperature
- salinity (concentration of salt)
- availability of water
- air, water, light and minerals
what can physical factors of the environment be measured by?
data loggers and probes
how do organisms that are suited to live in their specific environments survive long enough to reproduce?
they have adapted to their environment and have adaptive traits that enable them to grow well in their environment
adaptive traits can either be?
structural or behavioural
what does structural adaptations mean?
physical characteristics of an organism that helps it survive in its habitat
what does behavioural adaptations mean?
different behaviours of an organism that allow it to survive in its habitat
what happens to the animals that are unable to adapt when environmental conditions in habitats change?
organisms that are unable to survive under the new conditions will die :)
what happens to the animals that are able to adapt when environmental conditions in habitats change?
- the animals that are able to survive will go on to reproduce
- their offspring will have similar adaptive traits and thus be able to survive under the new environmental conditions
what are the physical factors of a rainforest?
- air is warm and has high humidity
- rainfall is frequent and abundant
- average temps are high and daily temp range is narrow
- large amt of sunlight reaches the tree canopy but little reaches the ground
- minerals are plentiful and mainly found near the surface of the soil
- soil is usually acidic
what are the physical factors of a mangrove forest?
- immersed in seawater at high tide and becomes dry at low tide
- exposed to fresh water when it rains
- exposed to a lot of sunlight
- seawater carries many minerals to the habitat
- seawater is highly alkaline
what is an organism?
give an example please
- a singular animal that is usually adapted to the environment it lives in
- a fish
what is a population?
give an example please
- organisms of the same kind living in the same environment
- a group of fishes
what is a community?
give an example please
- different populations of plants and animals living and interacting in a particular environment
- a group of fishes living alongside water snails, frogs and seaweed