Section A: The living world Flashcards
(24 cards)
What is an ecosystem?
An ecosystem is a community of plants, animals, and microorganisms interacting with their physical environment.
What are the components of an ecosystem?
An ecosystem consists of biotic factors (living elements) and abiotic factors (non-living elements).
What are biotic factors?
Biotic factors include producers (plants), consumers (herbivores, carnivores, omnivores), and decomposers (fungi, bacteria).
What are abiotic factors?
Abiotic factors include climate, soil, water, temperature, sunlight, and air composition.
What is a food chain?
A food chain shows energy transfer from producers to primary consumers, secondary consumers, and tertiary consumers.
What is a food web?
A food web is a complex network showing interconnections between organisms.
What is nutrient cycling?
Nutrient cycling involves the movement of nutrients (like carbon and nitrogen) through air, soil, water, and living organisms.
How does ecosystem balance work?
When one component of an ecosystem changes, others are affected.
What can happen if a predator is removed from an ecosystem?
Removing a predator can increase prey populations, affecting vegetation levels.
What human activities impact ecosystems?
Human activities include deforestation, pollution, agriculture, and urbanization.
What are tropical rainforests characterized by?
Tropical rainforests are hot, humid, and have high biodiversity.
What are the physical characteristics of tropical rainforests?
They have a warm climate (~27°C), infertile soil, and dense vegetation.
What is the interdependence in rainforests?
Rainforests rely on the interconnection between climate, water, soils, plants, animals, and human activities.
What are some plant adaptations in tropical rainforests?
Plants have drip tips, epiphytes, and buttress roots.
What are some animal adaptations in tropical rainforests?
Animals may use camouflage, climbing, or nocturnal behavior.
What are the causes of deforestation in tropical rainforests?
Causes include farming, logging, infrastructure development, and population growth.
What are the impacts of deforestation?
Impacts include economic benefits, carbon release, habitat destruction, and biodiversity loss.
What are some sustainable management practices for tropical rainforests?
Practices include selective logging, conservation, ecotourism, and international agreements.
What are the characteristics of hot deserts?
Hot deserts have high temperatures (>40°C), little rainfall (<250mm annually), and sandy, dry soils.
What are some interdependencies in hot deserts?
Cacti store water for animals, scorpions burrow underground to escape heat, and farmers use irrigation.
What are some opportunities for development in hot deserts?
Opportunities include mineral extraction, energy production, farming, and tourism.
What are some challenges of desert development?
Challenges include extreme temperatures, water supply issues, poor soil quality, and infrastructure problems.
What is a case study of desert development?
The Thar Desert features farming via irrigation, solar energy projects, and tourism.
What are some environmental impacts of desert development?
Impacts include desertification, loss of biodiversity, unsustainable water use, and pollution.
