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GCSE Geography > 6) People & The Biosphere > Flashcards

6) People & The Biosphere Flashcards

1
Q

What are biomes?

A

Large scale ecosystems that have distinctive vegetation

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2
Q

What are the 4 major biomes?

A

Hot desert
Grasslands
Forests
Tundra

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3
Q

What are features of the tundra?

A

Long summer days, short winter days
Below freezing winters
Not much rain
Permafrost layer beneath soil

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4
Q

Where are temperate deciduous forests found?

A

Europe, USA, China

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5
Q

What are features of deciduous forests?

A

4 seasons with shedding leaves in winter

Rainfall all year

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6
Q

Where are tropical rainforests found?

A

Near the equator

Hot with high humidity

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7
Q

What are features of grasslands?

A

Wet season and dry season
Few trees
Between latitudes +23.5 and -23.5

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8
Q

What are features of hot deserts?

A

No rainfall, hot in day, freezing at night

Plants are heavily adapted to lack of water

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9
Q

What factors effect biome distribution?

A 
Climate
Altitude
Rock types
Soil types
Drainage
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10
Q

Where is nutrient rich soil found?

A

Where there are easily eroded rocks

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11
Q

What 2 components are biomes made up of?

A

Biotic

Abiotic

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12
Q

What are biotic components?

A

Living- plants (flora) and animals (fauna)

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13
Q

What are abiotic components?

A

Non-living- soil, rock, atmosphere, water

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14
Q

How does vegetation and soil effect where plants can live?

A

They determine how much dead matter is created and how much rainfall washes away the soil

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15
Q

What is the fauna like in tropical rainforests?

A

Full of biodiversity

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16
Q

What is the flora like in tropical rainforests?

A

Plants always grow as climate is the same all year
Battle for sunlight
Interdependence between vegetation on floor

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17
Q

What is the climate in tropical rainforests?

A

21 - 30 degrees year round
Up to 80 inches of rainfall a year
Rain washes away nutrients in soil

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18
Q

What are evergreen plants?

A

Plants that don’t shed their leaves in winter

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19
Q

Why do temperate forests have nutrient rich soil?

A

Leaf litter is broken down in autumn

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20
Q

What are boreal forests also called?

A

Taiga

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21
Q

What is the flora like in boreal forests?

A

Evergeen pine trees

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22
Q

What is the fauna like in boreal forests?

A

Species adapted to cold climate

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23
Q

What is the soil like in boreal forests?

A

Thin, acidic

Needles take a long time to decompose

24
Q

Rank the forests in terms of biodiversity

A

Tropical
Temperate
Boreal

25
Q

What are tropical grasslands also known as?

A

Savannas

26
Q

What is the flora like at tropical grasslands?

A

Small plants or grasses

27
Q

What is the fauna like at tropical grasslands?

A

Large mammals

Insects

28
Q

What is the soil like at tropical grasslands?

A

Grass dies in dry season and is very rich in nutrients

Rainfall at wet season washes nutrients away

29
Q

What is the climate like at tropical grasslands?

A 
High temperatures (20 - 35) 
Lots of sunshine
30
Q

What is the soil like at temperate grasslands?

A

Thick and rich in nutriens as hot summers cause quick decomposition

31
Q

What is the flora like at temperate grasslands?

A

Grasses or small plants

32
Q

What is the fauna like at temperate grasslands comapred to tropical grasslands?

A

Fewer animal species

33
Q

What is the desert climate like?

A

Little precipitation
45°C day
-4°C night

34
Q

What animals are found in the hot desert?

A

Snakes, lizards, amphibians

Often nocturnal due to hot days

35
Q

What plants are found in hot deserts?

A

Cacti, shrubs

Plants who can survive with little rainfall

36
Q

What is soil like in hot deserts?

A

Sandy
Infertile and hard for plants to grow
Little nutrients

37
Q

What animals live in the tundra?

A

Wolves, small mammals

38
Q

Who lives in the tundra?

A

Indigenous Inuit in Canada

Scientists in Antartica

39
Q

What plants live in the tundra?

A

Little plant life

40
Q

What is soil like in the tundra?

A

Permafrost covers the ground with a thin layer of infertile acidic soil on top

41
Q

Where are tundra biomes found?

A

Alaska
Finland
Siberia

42
Q

What is the tundra climate like?

A

Always below 10°C
Winter average -35°C
Low levels of rainfall
Four seasons

43
Q

What is the biosphere?

A

All parts of Earth’s surface and atmosphere that is inhabited by living organisms

44
Q

What resources are provided by the biosphere? (5)

A 
Food
Water
Medicine
Fuel resources
Bulding materials
45
Q

Where is there an increasing demand globally?

A

Larger global population

Economic development

46
Q

What are examples of commercially exploited resources? (3)

A

Energy
Minerals
Water

47
Q

How is mineral extraction often achieved?

A

Mining

48
Q

What does the biosphere do? (3)

A

Maintain soil health
Regulate hydrological cycle
Regulate atmosphere composition

49
Q

How does the biosphere maintain soil health?

A

Plant roots and certain animals spread nutrients and hold the soil together

50
Q

What do plants minimise by intercepting rainfall?

A

Leaching

51
Q

Why is energy consumption rising? (4)

A

Economic development and industrilisation
Advances in technology
Urbanisation
Increasing population

52
Q

How does economic development and industrilisation increase energy consumption?

A

People’s standard of living rises

Increased demand for energy and electricity

53
Q

How have advances in technology increased energy consumption?

A

New technology requires energy or electricity to run

54
Q

How has urbanisation increased energy consumption?

A

Higher incomes in bigger cities mean more energy is consumed

55
Q

What is the Malthus theory?

A

The world’s population would surpass the amount of available resources

56
Q

What did Malthus predict would occur due to a lack of resources?

A

Wars over resources
Famine
Death
‘point of catastrophe’

57
Q

What is the Boserup theory?

A

Humans will always find a way to generate enough resources to support the human population

GCSE Geography (9 decks)

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