B18

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What is biodiversity?
A measure of the variety of all different species of organisms on earth or within an ecosystem
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What does a high biodiversity do?
Ensures stability of ecosystems, reduces dependence
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What would nature usually do to cope with a population increase?
Predators, lack of food, disease
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Why has the human population grown so fast?
We grow lots of food, cure diseases, no predators
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What is the effect on land and resources by human population?
More land used for houses, land for farming, quarries, waste pollutes environment
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Because of an increase in standard of living has led to what?
Increase in bodily waste produced
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What happens if waste is not disposed of properly?
Water polluted by sewage, air polluted by sulphur dioxide, land polluted by chemicals
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What happens if sewage is not treated properly?
The soil becomes polluted with unpleasant chemicals and gut parasites
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How does household waste that goes to landfill pollute the land?
Takes up a lot of room, destroys natural habitats and toxic chemicals go into soil
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Where else are toxic chemicals found?
Industrial waste
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How can land be polluted by farming?
Weeds compete with plants, animal and fungal pests attack and eat them, farmers use chemicals to protect crops
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What do weedkillers do?
Kill weeds leave crop unharmed
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What do pesticides do?
Kill pests protect crop
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What is the problem with these chemicals?
They are poisonous so can go into soil which goes into water and can become part of food chain
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If a chemical moves through a food chain, what is this called?
Bioaccumulation
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What does bioaccumulation eventually lead to?
Dangerous levels of toxins in top predators
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What is the problem with nitrates from fertilisers and sewage going into water?
The nitrate ions stimulate the growth of algae and water plants
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What happens because of this?
Other plants die due to competition for light
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What is another reason why the water gets polluted?
There is an increase in micro-organisms that feed on the dead plants and they use respiration so lots of oxygen taken in so levels in water drop
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What happens when the oxygen levels drop?
Not enough oxygen to support fish so they die so decomposed more until nothing left
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What has been done to stop chemical pollution in water?
Strict controls on farm chemicals, sewage treatment and landfill sites
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How can pollution levels in water be measured?
Oxygen + pH using instruments, water analysed to show chemicals and bioindicators
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What are bioindicators?
A bioindicator is any species whose function, population, or status can reveal the qualitative status of the environment.
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How is acid rain formed?
Fossil fuels often contain sulphur impurities which react with O2 to form sulphur dioxide gas
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What are the effects of sulphur dioxide?
Breathing problems for people
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What happens to the gas if it dissolves in rainwater and react with oxygen?
Forms dilute sulphuric acid and nitric acid which is acid rain
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What effects does acid rain have on environment?
Kills leaves, destroys roots, water acidic,
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Why is acid rain snow more dangerous?
All acid released in the first meltwater of spring, causes an acid flush which magnifies effects
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What happens to some acid rain?
Gets carried in wind to other countries
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How can we stop acid rain?
Stop vehicles + factories producing gases, low sulphur dioxide petrol + diesel, catalytic converter filters used for exhaust fumes
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What do biofuels produce?
Carbon dioxide and water when burnt
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What does smoke pollution increase?
The number of tiny solid particulates in air
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What do the particulates do?
Reflect sunlight so less sun hits earth, causes a dimming effect which could lead to cooler temp on surface of earth
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What are the effects of particulates on ?
Damage lungs + cardiovascular system
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What is smog?
Smoke + chemicals + sulphur dioxide+ nitrogen oxides
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What are the three main reasons for deforestation?
To grow staple foods such as rice, more cattle, crops for biofuel
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What is the first way deforestation causes the release of CO2?
Burning the trees, combustion
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What is the second way deforestation causes the release of CO2?
Dead vegetation decomposes, more microorganisms use up O2 and release CO2
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What is peat?
Made up of plant material that cannot decay completely because conditions are acidic and lack O2
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How and where does peat form?
Over thousands of years in peat bogs
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What is formed when peat bogs dry out?
You get peatlands
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What do peatlands and peat bogs act as?
Massive carbon stores
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What is peat used for?
Burnt as fuel, can also improve soil
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What happens when peat is used or burnt?
Releases C02
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How does peat destruction result in loss of biodiversity?
Peat takes ages, peat being destroyed quicker than grown, organisms depend being lost
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How is the UK trying to stop peat destruction?
Peat free compost,
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What does methane and C02 do in the atmosphere?
Absorb some of the energy so earth kept warm
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What are the effects of global warming?
Climate change, rising sea level so floods, unpredictable more severe weather
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What can these effects have on biology?
Loss of habitat, changes in distribution, migration patterns change and reduces biodiversity
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What environmental factors that can cause a change in distribution?
Water availability, temperature and gases dissolved in water
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How do seasonal changes affect distribution?
Migrate to avoid cold, appear when conditions favourable
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How do geographical changes affect distribution?
Many plants and animals have specific adaptations that allow them to survive + reproduce in particular geographical conditions
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What are the negative changes of human interaction?
Global warming, climate change, acid rain on soil, pollution from farms and factories
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What are the positive changes on human interaction?
Maintaining rainforest, reducing water pollution, restricting sites of scientific interest, conservation measure e.g. planting hedgerows + woodlands
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How can we protect endangered species?
Breeding programmes
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Why are breeding programmes difficult?
Rare animals + plants don't reproduce easily or fast and avoid interbreeding
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Why will protection + regeneration of rare habitats help?
Habitats are rare, species in threat, protecting habitats protects biodiversity.
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What are some examples of rare habitats that need to be protected?
Coral reefs, mangroves and heathlands
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How will reintroducing field margins and hedgerows help?
They were all removed for more space for crops which removed plants + animals, also cause soil infertility + erosion but now replanting means more biodiveristy
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How does the reduction of deforestation and CO2 emissions help?
Protecting felled trees, tourist attractions for habitats and see biodiversity
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How will recycling resources help?
Recycling instead of in landfill, drive to recycle organic waste as compost,
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What are trophic levels?
The position of organisms within a food chain
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What is trophic level 1? What is trophic level 2?
1= producers (algae+plants) 2= primary consumers (herbivores)
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What is trophic level 3? What is trophic level 4?
3= Secondary consumers (Carnivores) 4= Tertiary consumers (Carnivores eat other carnivores)
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What are apex predators?
Carnivores with no predators found at the top of the food chain
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What is biomass?
The mass of material in living materials
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What is all the biomass on earth built up from?
Energy from the sun
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What is biomass measured as?
The dry mass of a biological material in grams
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What is the problem with meausring dry biomass?
You have to kill organism then dry them out
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What can be used instead?
Wet biomass, no killing but is less useful cause amount of water can vary
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Why is the amount of biomass at each trophic level less than the previous?
Not all organisms eaten by stage above, faeces, used in respiration
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Why do carnivores have to eat less than herbivores and produce less waste?
Protein easier to digest than cellulose
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The more active an organism, is the more biomass is decreased, why?
More movement = more respiration = more energy used up
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Why aren't decomposes included in the pyramid?
They break down the biomass which is waste
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What is food security?
Having enough food to feed a population
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What are the factors that are threatening food security?
Increasing birth rate, changing diet, new pests + pathogens, environmental changes, agricultural input costs, conflicts
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What is a sustainable solution?
Maintaining soil quality, efficient ways to produce food, take care of fish stocks in oceans
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What do farmers do to increase growth of their livestock?
Feed them other animals
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What are ways of increasing efficiency of food production?
Limit movement, control temp
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Why are intensive farming methods used?
Steady increase in demand for cheap meat + animal products
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What are the objections on this?
Cruel to animals, ethical issues
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What is the problem with cattle raised in a barn?
Restricted and unatural lives
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What is the comparison to this?
Animals that are reared outside grow slower, have better QOL but space and weather is problem
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How are some fish treated?
Put in cages, fed high protein diet, restricted movement, helps protect stocks but ethical issues about conditions
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How can you conserve fish populations?
Holes in nets control, bans on fishing during breeding season and strict quotas on fishermen
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What are GM crops being used for?
Bigger yield and improved nutrition
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What do modern biotechnology techniques enable?
Large quantities of microorganisms to be cultured in industrially controlled vats
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What is mycoprotein?
Produced from a fungus which reproduces on glucose syrup
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What conditions are needed for the fungus to grow?
Anaerobic ones
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

What does a high biodiversity do?

Back

Ensures stability of ecosystems, reduces dependence

Card 3

Front

What would nature usually do to cope with a population increase?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

Why has the human population grown so fast?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

What is the effect on land and resources by human population?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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