Human Impact on Environment Flashcards

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1
Q

define extinction

A

complete loss of species

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2
Q

reasons why species become extinct

A

natural selection
non contingious population
loss of habitat
deforestation
loss of hedgerows
drainage of wetlands
over hunting by humans
competition- interspecific (alien species)
pollution

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3
Q

define conservation

A

is the planned management of ecosystems to
enhance biodiversity and protect gene pools.

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4
Q

how can conservation be achieved

A

 Protecting habitats e.g. SSSIs and Nature Reserves
 International co-operation restricting trade in endangered species and their parts
e.g. ivory and the products of whaling (look at the CITES web site)
 Gene & Sperm banks
 Seed banks (Kew Gardens)
 Rare breed societies
 Species reintroduction e.g. the red kite in mid-Wales
 International organisations which organise publicity to educate and increase public
awareness e.g. WWFN
 Legislation e.g. the EU Habitats Directive
 Ecotourism, which aims to educate, conserve and contribute to local economies

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5
Q

what is a monoculture

A

is the growth of large numbers of
genetically identical crop plants in a defined area.

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6
Q

disadvantage of monoculture

A

provide only one type of habitat- which reduces biodiversity

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7
Q

advantage monoculture

A

Monocultures reduce soil fertility as roots grow to the same length and extract minerals from the same depth – this increases the need for
chemical fertilisers.

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8
Q

how is pesticide used by farmers

A

Plants of the same species, grown so close together,
are also susceptible to the same pests and diseases,
which are able to pass from plant to plant rapidly.

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9
Q

define pesticide

A

include chemicals which kill or inhibit the
growth of weeds (herbicides), fungi (fungicides) and
insects (insecticides).

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10
Q

define chemical fertiliser

A

include the elements NPK and increase plant growth.

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11
Q

disadvantage of overgrazing

A

cause soil compaction, reducing air spaces and inhibiting nitrogen
fixing and nitrifying bacteria – leading to a loss of soil fertility
Water is also unable to penetrate compacted soil and grass growth is inhibited.

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12
Q

define deforestation

A

is the removal of trees to use as timber or fuel or to
repurpose the land use for agriculture or building.

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13
Q

consequences of deforestation

A

Soil erosion
 Lowland flooding
 Desertification
 Habitat loss
 Decrease in biodiversity
 Climate change

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14
Q

what is coppicing

A

tree trunks are cut at their base, leaving a stool (stump) a few
centimetres above the soil. New shoots grow from the stool which can be harvested
at different diameters for different purposes e.g. building, fencing or fire wood.

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15
Q

ways to manage forest woodland

A

Selective cutting
coppicing
Long rotation time

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16
Q

disadvantage of overfishing

A

depletes fish stocks. Fish populations may become too low to recover – they
are no longer viable. This also impacts food chains and entire ecosystems.

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17
Q

ways to preserve fish stocks

A

 Regulating mesh size
 Quotas and landing size regulations
 Exclusion zones
 Marine stewardship council certification
 Legislation limiting the size of fishing fleets or
controlling the number of days spent at sea
 Fishing alternative, non-traditional, species
 Using lines not nets

18
Q

what is fish farming

A

intensive farming where fish are bred and mature in enclosed ponds. Food, predation, disease and parasites are controlled. Warm water is used to
accelerate growth.

19
Q

disadvantages of fish farming

A

1.Rapid spread of disease and parasites due to the
high density of the farmed population
2. pesticides bioaccumulate
3.nitrogenous waste pollution
4.the escape of farmed fish may carry disease and parasites to wild population
5. farmed fish are larger and outcompete wild fish
6.farmed fish are fed on feed derived from other fish
7. farmed fish contain high levels of toxic chemicals such as methyl mercury

20
Q

factors that can be monitored

A

 Air quality
 Soil quality
 Water quality – including chemical, biological and microbiological aspects

21
Q

what is planetary boundary

A

‘safe operating space’ for
all of humanity, including all governments, organisations and
communities, as a precondition for sustainable development

22
Q

what are the 9 planetary boundaries

A

land use
ocean acidification
climate change
ozone boundary
chemical pollution
biodiversity boundary
aerosol boundary
fresh water boundary
nitrogen boundary

23
Q

which boundaries have been crossed

A

land use
biodiversity
climate change
nitrogen

24
Q

why is conservation of gene pools important

A
  1. future medicines
  2. future food sources
  3. selective advantages - to prevent extinction
25
Q

what is agriculture exploitation

A

the increase in effeciancy and and intensity of food production in order to meet growing demands

26
Q

what is deforestation

A

the removal of trees from land which is subsequently used to grow crops and provide space for cattle

27
Q

outline consequences of deforestation

A
  1. loss of biodiversity
  2. climate change
  3. soil erosion
  4. desertification
  5. lowland flooding
  6. loss of habitat
28
Q

ways of forest management

A
  1. coppicing
  2. selective cutting
    3.long rotation time
29
Q

what is overfishing

A

is where fish are caught at a higher rate than they
reproduce and grow. This occurs to the point where increased fishing efforts lead to declining catches.

30
Q

methods to limit overfishing

A

● Using lines rather than nets
● Regulating net size
● Fishing quotas and exclusion zones
● Avoiding overfished species, fishing non-traditional species
● Limiting fishing fleet sizes
● Marine stewardship council certification
● Fish farming

31
Q

what is fish farming

A

breeding of fish commercially in enclosures for food to combat overfishing

32
Q

problems of fish farming

A

● Rapid spread of disease
● Escape of farmed fish
○ Spread disease to wild populations
○ Larger, outcompete wild populations
● Bioaccumulation of pesticides
● Farmed fish contain high concentrations of toxic chemicals (e.g.
dioxins, PCBs

33
Q

define sustainability

A

Using resources in a way that also maintains them for future generations.

34
Q

Environmental monitoring is required for
conservation. Give some examples of factors that
can be monitored.

A
  1. air quality
  2. soil quality
  3. water quality
35
Q

how many planetary boundaries have been crossed

A

4

36
Q

which who PBs are avoidable

A
  1. fresh water use
  2. ocean acidification
37
Q

which PB has been avoided

A

ozone depletion

38
Q

which PB is unquantified

A
  1. aerosol
  2. chemical pollution
39
Q

define extinction

A

total loss of species

40
Q
A