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15 Human & Ecosystem Biology Notes IGCSE 2014 PDF
15 Human & Ecosystem Biology Notes IGCSE 2014 PDF
Deforestation:
Loss of plant species and their genes which may be important for
medical use or genetic engineering in the future.
Removal of trees means there are no roots to hold soil, which can
result in soil erosion and leaching of minerals. Desertification can
eventually occur.
Lack of roots and soil flooding and mudslides. Lakes can become
silted up.
Figure below show the area of tropical rainforest deforested annually in five
different countries, labeled A to E.
1. i) Which of the countries shown has the largest area deforested annually?
[1 mark]
ii) Which of the countries shown has 600 000 hectares of rainforest
removed each year? [1 mark]
iii) In another country, F, 550 000 hectares are deforested annually. Plot
this on a copy of the figure. [1 mark]
ii) Stat 2 reasons why tropical rainforests are being destroyed by humans.
[2 marks]
iii) After deforestation has taken place, soil erosion often occurs rapidly.
Suggest 2 ways in which this may occur. [2 marks]
3. Tropical rainforests reduce the amount of CO2 and increase the amount
of O2 in the atmosphere. Explain why both these occurrences are important
to living organisms. [ 2 marks]
Answer
1. i) B
ii) A
iii) Column for F drawn to 550. Column shaded in the same way as the
others, and labeled. Column drawn an equal width and distance from the
others.
2. i) 30 years
1. Overuse of fertilisers
2. Sewage
3. Chemical waste
Chemical waste such as heavy metal (mercury, nickel) and oil can
cause serious pollution. Some chemicals may be dumped (or enter water
systems through leaching) in low concentrations, at which levels they are
not toxics. However, bioaccumulation occurs if they enter a food
chain. Plankton absorb the chemical and has no mechanism for excreting
it. Animals such as small fish, feeding on large number of plankton, build
up the chemical because, again, they have no means of excreting it.
Animals, including humans, at the top of the food chain, eat many fish and
accumulate high concentration of the chemical, which is now toxic. Poisons
such as mercury damage the central nervous system and can lead to
death.
When oil is dumped into water it can form a surface layer, coating animals
such as birds that feed in the water. When the birds try to clean their
feathers they swallow the oil, which poisons them. Oil also disrupts food
chains.
Try this
Figure below shows part of a river into which sewage is pumped. The river
water flows form W to Z, with the sewage being added at X.
Some of the effects of adding sewage to the river are shown in picture
below.
Try this
4. A farm at Z used herbicides on the field next to the river. Suggest why
this could cause further problems in the river. [1 mark]
Answer
ii) Level starts off quite low, then at point X it increases sharply; level
returns nearly to original level between Y and Z.
SO2 released into the air when coal and oil are burned. Power stations
burn large amounts of these fossil fuels. SO2 dissolves in the water vapour in
clouds, forming sulphuric acid (H2SO4). When it rains, the rain is acidic.
The combustion of petrol in car engines also contributes to acid rain, but
this is mainly due to the production of oxides of nitrogen in the exhaust
fumes, rather than SO2.
Acid rain
The main causes of acid rain are process that release SO2 and oxides of
nitrogen into the atmosphere. These include:
Remember that car engines do not make large amount of SO2 but they
are responsible for producing large amount of oxides of nitrogen, CO2 and
CO.
Examiners tip
When describing the effects of car exhaust fumes on the environment, dont
make a list of the chemicals and then link them all to acid rain or global
warming. Be specific:
Try this
2. SO2 is one of the gases which contributes to acid rain. Acid rain can affect
trees and their surrounding soil in a variety of ways. Figure below shows
where these effects can occur.
Suggest how each of the following affects the tree and explain how it can
lead to its death.
i) Damage of the leaves [2 marks]
ii) Damage of the fine roots [2 marks]
iii) Death of the soil microorganisms [2 marks]
Answer
- the roots are unable to absorb water, so cells will become flaccid, or the
tree will wilt, or transport of materials will not happen
- the roots are unable to absorb mineral salts which are needed, e.g. for
formation of chlorophyll, or for growth.
- less decomposition will occur, so there will be less minerals available to the
plant, e.g. magnesium ions for formation of chlorophyll.
Some gases in the Earths atmosphere stop heat radiating into space from
the Earth. This is called the greenhouse effect and the gases involved are
called greenhouse gases. They include:methane, CO2 and water
vapour. An increased greenhouse effect can lead to global warming and
climate change.
DDT spraying.
Nuclear fallout can be the result of a leak from a nuclear power station, or
from a nuclear explosion. Radioactive particles are carried by the wind or
water and gradually settle in the environment. If the radiation has a long
half-life, it remains in the environment and is absorbed by living organisms.
The radio active material bioaccumulates in food chains and can
cause cancer in top carnivores.
Effects of non-biodegradable plastics in the environment
- Loss of a species also means that its genes are lost: these may be
important in the future for genetic engineering (e.g. to improve crops) and
the production of useful chemicals such as medicines.
- The presence of rare species can be an important source of money for poor
communities, through tourism.
- The species may play an important role in a food chain: its loss could
endanger other species.
- If habitat is lost, so are the species that live in them, so habitat destruction
poses the greatest threat to the survival of species.
Some natural resources (the material we take from Earth) are not
replaceable (renewable). For example, fossil fuels such as coal took
millions of years to form. Increasing demands for energy are depleting these
resources.
- Grow tree specifically for fuel, then replant as they are cut down --> the
greenhouse effect is not increased, and habitats can be maintained when
trees felling is carefully managed.
Treatment of sewage:
Paper is made from wood (trees). If the paper is recycled after use, fewer
trees need to be cut down. The used paper is turned into a pulp and any
dyes such as printing ink are removed. The pulp is then rolled into sheets
and dried to produce recycled paper that can be used for newspapers, toilet
paper, hand towels
#155 Summary of Human and Ecosystem
SO2 and nitrogen oxides dissolves and react in water droplets in the
atmosphere, and fall to the ground as acid rain. This leaches
aluminum ions from soils, and kills plants and aquatic organisms.