Flashcards
Living Environment
Flashcards do conjunto (22)
- 1Name the different conditions that allow for Life on Earth.Distance from the sun (right temp range - 0-40 - to allow liquid water), Earth's rotation axis (creates seasonal variation), rotation speed (reduces temp extremes), Mass of Earth (pressure to hold in gases in atmosphere - C, H, O, N, and to stop water boiling), and Magnetic field (deflect 'solar wind' and damaging insolation).
- 2How did early photosynthetic organisms change the environmental conditions on Earth?CO2 is absorbed, reducing atmospheric levels. O2 levels are increased, which reacts with UV to form O3 (more life). Small amounts of nutrients can support life for a long time without depleting (biogeochemical cycles). Transpiration returns water to the atmosphere, so there's increased rainfall & plant growth.
- 3Why do we need to conserve wildlife (plants and animals)?Resources, new food species, medicines biomimetics, physiological research, pest control species, genetic resources (CWR), ecosystem services (food/biogeochemical cycles/atmosphere/soil/pollination/seed dispersal/interspecies relationships/ habitat provision).
- 4What are the threats to wildlife? Include examples in your discussion, both from humans and from natural sources.Direct exploitation: food, fashion, pets, entertainment, furniture, ornaments, medicines. Eradication of competitors/ threats. Habitat destruction: urban development, deforestation. Changes to: Abiotic: pH, water availability/ turbidity/ dissolved O2, physical damage, temp. Biotic: seed dispersal species/pollinators, food chain impacts. Introduced predators/ pathogens/competitors.
- 5How do we conserve species, both in the UK and abroad?Providing legislation/protocols for the legal protection of species and their habitats/trade controls. AI, cloning, cryopreservation, embryo transfer. Habitat design & creation: control biotic and abiotic factors. Captive breeding & release programmes. Seed banks/micro-propagation.
- 6Have a general overview of how we conserve habitats in the UK.We can manage heathland by allowing it to grow, then burning it in a controlled way. This keeps the growth in check and the ash makes the ground fertile. On chalk and grasslands, we can graze animals (sheep/cows) to keep the grass short and prevent tall vegetation from growing.
- 7Discuss the ecological conditions and threats to tropical rainforests.Conditions: huge biodiversity, high light, constant warm temps, deciduous trees, regular high rainfall, no distinct seasons, stable abiotic conditions. Threats: fuelwood collection, timber harvesting, climate change, tourism, clearance for alternative land uses (reservoirs, mineral extraction, agriculture).
- 8Discuss the ecological conditions and threats to coral reefs.Conditions: high light intensity in shallow water, constant salinity, low turbidity, warm temperatures (25-29), constant immersion. Threats: fishing, physical damage, coral bleaching, collection of ornaments/souvenirs, pollution, coastal development, sedimentation, loss of associated habitats, introduced species.
- 9Discuss the ecological conditions and threats and conservation efforts in deep water reefs.Conditions: no symbiotic algae, cold, little/no light.
Threats: deep water trawling, expansion of oil and gas exploration, ocean acidification linked to GCC.
Conservation: establish protected areas to stop damaging activities such as trawling. - 10Make a list of biotic and abiotic factors found in an ecosystem and include examples of how they can relate to different species.Biotic - producers, consumers, predators, decomposers, invasive species, pollinators, seed dispersal species, food chain impacts from exploitation.
Abiotic - dissolved oxygen, light intensity, turbidity, salinity, water availability, soil type, temperature, pH. - 11Label a population growth curve and describe what each trend means.
- 12Discuss conservation in tropical rainforests.Establish protected areas to protect the TRF and species such as an endemic plant in Cameroon that produces a chemical that may help treat HIV, & high-value timber (e.g. mahogany) in Belize. Conduct debt for nature swaps, where one country cancels another's debt if they agree to conserve a wildlife habitat.
- 13Discuss conservation in coral reefs.MPAs (fixed buoys, educate swimmers, ecotourism), tourism control (ban spear fishing/souvenir collection, protect turtle nesting beach), fishing control (min/max catchable size, restrict bad methods, no-take zones), sustainable exploitation (e.g. Belize ban on soft coral removal), reef creation (sunken structures/ reef balls).
- 14Discuss conservation in mangroves.Designate them as protected areas. Recolonisation/replanting. Natural regeneration can be quick, as mangrove trees produce seeds that germinate before they fall into the sea, where they are carried away by currents. If it touches sand, the roots anchor it to the seabed.
- 15Discuss conservation in oceanic islands.Stop or reverse the damaging effects of human actions, such as the eradication of introduced species (rabbits/goats/cats/ rats), preventing the exploitation of species (marine turtles/giant tortoises), and stopping habitat change/destruction by restricting tourist/urban/agricultural developments.
- 16Discuss conservation in Antarctica.Antarctic Treaty (1959) - 52 countries, no commercial exploitation of mammals, regulate fishing, only long term residents = researchers, waste removal/discharge sewage in currents, tourism control (no holidays, only 1 cruise ship, education, protective clothes), no nuclear testing/ military activity/resource exploitation.
- 17Describe primary and secondary succession. Use examples such as bare rock and unmanaged ponds.Primary: hydrosere (water), lithosere (bare rock), psammosere (sand). Pioneer species are adapted to extreme abiotic conditions. Time passes, populations rise, the habitat changes: new species can colonise. Continues until a climatic climax community develops. Secondary: starts from bare soil after disturbance.
- 18How do we manage landscapes for public enjoyment?We deflect natural succession by creating a plagioclimax. E.g. heathland (burning), chalk grassland (grazing), garden lawn (mowing), fields (ploughing), woodland (coppicing at intervals of 8-20 years).
- 19List and describe the designations used by the UK, EU and international agreements. (Special protected area (SPA), Special area of conservation (SAC), Area of special scientific interest (SSSI), and Ramsar sites)SPA - EU member identifies areas important to birds + protects them. SAC - EU member identifies important habitats + protects them. SSSI - protect areas with the best examples of UK's flora/fauna/ geological/physiographical features (NNRs = best examples). Ramsar sites - most countries, wetland conservation.
- 20List and describe the designations used by the UK, EU and international agreements. (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), International whaling commission (IWC), Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ), National/Country Park)CITES - ensures international trade in wild species doesn't threaten their survival. IWC - protect whales (quotas/ sanctuaries/no-take etc). MCZ - protects important UK marine areas. National Park - protected by national governments for 'wild nature' conservation. Country Park - area for recreation in countryside.
- 21Describe sampling techniques and link them to which type of organisms you would be sampling.Systemic sampling: samples taken using a chosen interval distance or spacing. A continuous line or belt transect can be used in an environmental gradient.
Random sampling: a grid with coordinates is set up in the area and sampling sites are selected using a random number generator. - 22Describe the capture-mark-recapture technique and state Simpson's index of biodiversity.Lincoln Index: catch, count, mark & release a sample of the population. Later, catch and count a second sample. Count how many have marks.
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- Q & A flashcards for the whole of the living environment topic in Environmental Science AQA A level.
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