Farming and Fertilisers Flashcards

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1
Q
A
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2
Q

How does farming impact natural cycles?

A

reduces nutrients in soils, as it prevents them from being returned in decomposition by saprobionts

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3
Q

Why are fertilisers needed?

A
  • (intensive) farming practices reduce the nutrients in soil
  • fertilisers provide a source of nutrients for crop growth
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4
Q

What are artificial fertilisers made from?

A

inorganic matter/materials, usually containing nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium

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5
Q

What are 4 examples of natural fertilisers?

A
  • manure
  • compost
  • crops left over from harvest
  • sewage sludge
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6
Q

What feature of artificial fertilisers make them more environmentally damaging?

A

very soluble

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7
Q

What are 2 environmental impacts of artificial, nitrogen-containing fertilisers?

A
  • eutrophication
  • plant death (from high concentrations)
  • leaching: leads to water pollution
  • reduced species diversity: as conditions favour grasses, nettle etc.
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8
Q

How does excessive fertiliser cause plant death?

A

water moves out of the plant to an area with a lower WP by osmosis

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9
Q

Explain the process of eutrophication and why it is harmful

A
  • fertilisers added
  • fertilisers leach into water sources
  • causes rapid growth of algae, preventing light from reaching plants below
  • plants below cant photosynthesise (die)
  • saprobionts decompose dead plants (aerobic)
  • lower [O2], so organisms/fish die
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10
Q

What is leaching?

A

water dissolves chemicals and causes them to run off into water sources from soil (ponds, rivers, lakes etc)

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11
Q

How does cattle impact natural cycles?

A
  • eat crops, so no nutrients can be replenished
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12
Q

Give 2 reasons why farming cattle is less efficient than farming crops

A
  • energy lost between trophic levels
  • energy lost in respiration and excretion (movement, temp. maintenance etc.)
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13
Q

Why is controlling the quantities of fertilisers important?

A
  • beyond a certain point they do not improve productivity
  • environmental impacts
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14
Q

Define eutrophication

A

the process by which nutrient concentrations increase in bodies of water

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