Overview: Biomes Flashcards

(10 cards)

1
Q

Define Environments

A
  • the living & nonliving elements of earth’s surface and atmosphere
  • includes human changes to earth’s surface
    eg. croplands, planted forests, buildings and roads
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2
Q

Define Natural Biomes

A
  • community of life forms adapted to a large natural area
  • not had sustained, direct human interaction
    eg. aquatic, desert, grassland, forests, tundra
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3
Q

Define Anthropogenic Biomes

A
  • the result of sustained, direct human interaction with ecosystems
  • increased as human societys have evolved, population increased
  • 75% affected by people
    eg. urban, rural or villages, croplands
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4
Q

Define Land Cover Change

A
  • the changes taken place in natural environments due to a variety of natural / human induced causes
    eg. UN –> 10m ha of forests is removed and replaced crops and grasses
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5
Q

What are the 4 key processes of LCC

A
  1. deforestation
  2. extent and intensification of agriculture
  3. growth of urban sprawl
  4. mining
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6
Q

Define Ecosystem

A
  • community of plants and animals in a non-living environment
  • made up of abiotic and biotic elements
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7
Q

Define Ecosystem dynamics

A
  • relationships between biotic and abiotic elements
  • nutrient cycles and energy flows
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8
Q

Define biodiversity loss

A
  • extinction of species world wide
  • local reduction loss of species in a certain habitat
  • can be result of human or natural causes
  • avg rate before humans 0.1/ million species/year
  • current = 1000 times background
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9
Q

Define climate change

A
  • long term change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods of time that range from decades to years
  • eg. greater or fewer extreme weather
  • 1990 temp risen by an avg of 1.2c
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10
Q

Define sustainability

A
  • meeting the needs of current and future generations through simultaneous environmental, social, and economic adaptation and improvement
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