Battle For The Biosphere

Front 1

• What is an ecosystem?
• What is a biome?

Back 1

• An ecosystem is a grouping of plants and animals that interact with each other and their local environment
• A biome is a large-scale ecosystem

Front 2

• What are the features of a Confierous biome?
• What are the features of a Deciduous biome?

Back 2

• Coniferous biomes are found at higher latitudes, where the Sun's rays are weak. The trees adapt to the cold with needle-like leaves
• Deciduous biomes have high rainfall, have variations in the Sun's rays with seasons, and the trees lose their leaves in cool winters

Front 3

• What are the features of a Tundra biome?
• What are the features of a Tropical biome?
• What are the features of a Desert biome?

Back 3

• Tundra biomes are found in the Arctic Circle, get little heat from the sun and little rainfall, and only tough, short grasses survive
• Tropical biomes are found either side of the equator, have a high temperature and get heavy rainfall
• Desert biomes are found close to the tropics, get concentrated Sun's rays and are very hot, dry and arid

Front 4

• What are goods?
• What are services?

Back 4

• Goods are products and items sourced from the biome for survival or commercial use
• Services are the ways in which biomes serve the planet

Front 5

What are 4 goods?

Back 5

• Provide 80% of all western foods, e.g. Pineapple
• Products are used for medicines, e.g. contraceptive pills and periwinkle
• 25% of all cancer-fighting drugs
• Illegal drugs

Front 6

What are 5 services?

Back 6

• Tourism - tours etc. bring in lots of money
• Provide homes for endangered species
• Provide lots of nutrients for soil and plants to grow
• Regulate the hydrological cycle
• Store carbon, so reduce global warming

Front 7

What are 5 direct threats to the rainforests?

Back 7

• Deforestation
• Mining
• Quarrying
• Farming
• Overfishing

Front 8

What are 5 indirect threats to the rainforests?

Back 8

• Pollution, causing:
  
• Sea level rise
• Melting ice caps
• Treeline changes
• Seawater acidification

Front 9

What are 6 reasons for rainforest destruction?

Back 9

• Timber is used for buildings and fuel
• Space needs to be created for farming
• Natural resources are obtained through mining and quarrying
• Important transport routes are needed through rainforests
• Human settlements are built there
• Dams and power stations are built for energy

Front 10

Give an example of a global scheme put in place to protect the biosphere

Back 10

• RAMSAR
  
• Conserves 2.05 million km^2 of wetlands
• Because wetlands create a rich biodiversity
• Population growth means they would be drained for farmland
• This international treaty protects them by law

Front 11

Give an example of a national scheme put in place to protect the biosphere

Back 11

• National Parks - UK
• Conserves areas of natural beauty
• Because they are important for leisure, culture, enjoyment and wildlife
• Threatened by mining, construction and overdevelopment
• Each park has its own authority controlling development

Front 12

Give an example of a local scheme put in place to protect the biosphere

Back 12

• Lalo Loor Dry Forest Reserve - Ecuador
• Conserves 500 acres of tropical rainforest
• Because they are almost untouched, and are home to loads of plants and animals
• Threatened by clearance for Soya production
• Land owner has agreed a conservation deal, volunteers care for the land, reforestation schemes, sustainable tourism to fund it

Front 13

What are the 5 factors that affect what a biome is like?

Back 13

• Altitude - The higher the altitude, the lower the temperature. This causes different plants to grow
• Rock and Soil Type - Can affect the fertility of different areas within the biome
• Rainfall - Different types and amounts of plants grow in a biome due to the amount
• Distance from the sea - Can affect temperature and rainfall
• Drainage - Swamps and bogs mean poor drainage. More specialist plants grow here

Front 14

What is sustainable development?

Back 14

Development that doesn't use natural resources, doesn't need lots of money, and has no negative effect on the environment

Front 15

What are 3 possible social tensions to sustainable development?

Back 15

• Must not benefit one group at the expense of another
• May cause damage to the environment to try and please everybody
• Some businesses may flourish at the expense of other groups

Front 16

What are 3 possible economic tensions to sustainable development?

Back 16

• Can damage the environment
• People want to make as much money as possible
• Not sustainable

Front 17

What are 3 possible environmental tensions to sustainable development?

Back 17

• Must not harm ecosystems
• People want to make money
• People want to improve their standard of living and Q of L