Ecosystems
What is an Abiotic feature in an ecosystem?
Sunlight, oxygen, water etc
Where are rainforests found?
Near the equator
What is one way to help stop deforestation in the rainforest?
Eco tourism, debt relief, selective logging, rainforest corridors etc.
Where is the Sahel Region?
Northern Africa on the fringes of the Sahara desert. Countries like Burkina Faso and Mali are included.
Where is the Thar desert?
North West India
What patterns do the location of global ecosystems follow?
they roughly follow lines of latitude. E.g. rainforests are found near to the equator.
What is are the layers of the rainforest from the bottom to the top?
Forest floor, shrub, undercanopy, canopy, emergent.
What is a benefit of ecotourism?
Locals get income, less CO2, encourages cultural exchange, improves awareness/sustainability.
What is desertification?
The spread of the desert Where fertile land is made infertile.
Why is building roads hard in the desert?
It is hot and tarmac melts in 50c heat. Workers can‘t work in the day time as it is too hot.
Grass -> rabbit -> fox.
What 2 things would happen if the rabbit numbers declined?
Increase in grass as less rabbits eating it.
Decrease in foxes as they have less rabbits to eat.
How are plants in the emergent layer adapted?
They are waxy to stop sunburn and to help water drip off to reduce evapotransiration.
Explain selective management?
Trees are assessed and only a few are picked/marked to be chop. They then leave that area for many years to allow it to grow back. It is illegal to chop any unmarked trees. Cycle repeats. Allows for income generation and biodiversity.
Why is the Sehal region experiencing desertification?
Population increase 51million in 50 years (19m in 1960 - 80mill 2010) so an increase in demand for fuel wood (deforestation) and poor farming techniques (Over cultivation and over grazing).
What is one opportunity in the Thar Desert?
Tourism - Yearly Jaisalmer festival and National Park.
Solar energy
Mining - Gypsum to make concrete
Farming - cotton and wheat
What is litter?
It is the dead plants and animals on the ground e.g. leaves that have fallen from the tree.
What is the rainforest most at risk from AND why is that bad?
Deforestation because it reduces animal habitats so the food chain is left imbalanced as they die from lack of food and shelter. Also increase CO2 so increase global warming.
What is the problem with selective management?
There is no way that LIC can manage the logging so lots of illegal logging occurs and there is nothing they can do.
Explain how and why wind breaks are useful at stopping desertification?
They reduce wind erosion so the nutrient rich topsoil is not blown away allowing plants to grow.
Explain the challenges of solar panel farms in the Thar Desert.
Sand can blow onto and cover the panels making them unable to generate electricity. The temperature is so hot in summer that it would be hard for someone to work in the day time to brush off the sand.
What are the correct stages of the nutrient cycle?
Plants use nutrients in the ground to grow. Plant get eaten and the energy is transferred. The animal and plants die and decompose. Microorganisms break down the nutrients and return it to the soil. The cycle then repeats.
Why are rainforests good socially, economically and environmentally?
Medicine and food. Jobs like rubber tapping. Carbon sink and biodiversity.
Why does Malaysia continue to allow deforestation?
They need to make money some how and have a growing population. They need to sell the timber or plant palm oil farms or create land for homes to be built on.
Evaluate how successful animal husbandry is.
Evaluate means two sides needs to be considered And then a conclusion needs to be reached. You must also develop your explanation.
Fewer animals = more roots in soil = less erosion = more fertile land. More money and food for farmers = better QOL. BUT hard to educate and locate rural farmers = small scale changes only.
Justify why development is good in the Thar?
Both sides considered with case study knowledge And developed explanation. Have you convinced the audience that development is good or bad overall?