Ecology Notes

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IGCSE Biology Edexcel Your notes
Human Influences on the Environment

Contents
4.12 Biological Consequences of Air Pollution
4.13 Greenhouse Gases
4.14 Human Activities Contribute to Greenhouse Gases
4.15 Enhanced Greenhouse Effect
4.16 Biological Consequences of Water Pollution by Sewage
4.17 Biological Consequences of Eutrophication
4.18B T he Effects of Deforestation
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4.12 Biological Consequences of Air Pollution

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The Effects of Air Pollution
Human population growth globally has been increasing exponentially for the last 150 years
Human population growth is growing exponentially

There are many reasons for this exponential growth, including:
Improved technology leading to an abundance of food = rapid increase in birth rate
Improved medicine, hygiene and health care = decrease in death rate
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Rapid growth in the human population and an increase in the standard of living mean our negative
effect on the environment is also increasing
As increasingly more resources are used to sustain the growing human population, more waste is Your notes
produced and more pollution is created
Unless waste and chemical materials are properly handled, pollution will continue to be created
Air pollution
Sources of Air Pollution and their Effects Table
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Your notes
How air pollution leads to acid rain
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4.13 Greenhouse Gases

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Greenhouse Gases
A greenhouse gas is a gas that absorbs infrared radiation from the Sun so it remains trapped in
the Earth’s atmosphere
This is important to ensure Earth is warm enough for life, however if levels of these gases in the
atmosphere increase it leads to an increase in the greenhouse effect which causes the Earth’s
average temperature to rise
There are many greenhouse gases, the most important are:
Water vapour
Carbon dioxide
Methane
Nitrous oxides
CFCs
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4.14 Human Activities Contribute to Greenhouse Gases

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Human Activities Contribute to Greenhouse Gases
Human activities have led to increasing levels of carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere:
Carbon dioxide is produced during the combustion of fossil fuel
Methane is produced by cattle as they digest grass and released by rice paddy fields
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4.15 Enhanced Greenhouse Effect

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Enhanced Greenhouse Effect
The greenhouse effect
The Sun emits rays that enter the Earth’s atmosphere
The heat bounces back from the Earth’s surface
Some heat is reflected back out into space
Some heat is absorbed by greenhouse gases and is trapped within the Earth’s atmosphere – this
is normal
However, as the levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere rise due to human activities the
Earth’s average temperature rises beyond normal (an enhanced greenhouse effect), causing
global warming
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How the greenhouse effect works

The consequences of global warming Your notes
The consequences of global warming due to an enhanced greenhouse effect include:
Ocean temperatures increasing, causing melting of polar ice caps / rising sea levels /
flooding / coral bleaching
Increasing temperatures causing extreme weather like super storms, flooding, droughts
Changes in or loss of habitats due to these extreme weather events
Decreases in biodiversity as food chains are disrupted and extinction rates increase
Increases in migration of species to new places, including increased spread of pests and
disease
The evidence for global warming
There is scientific consensus (almost all scientists agree) that global warming is happening and
that human activities are largely responsible for the most recent warming
This scientific consensus is based on systematic reviews of thousands of scientific research
papers that have been ‘peer reviewed’ by other scientists (the method used by scientists to
check each other’s work in order to ensure that research findings are valid)
Although they can make good predictions, it is difficult for scientists to say for certain what
the consequences of global warming will be
Exam Tip
Describing the consequences of global warming is a common exam question and so it is worth
learning at least three effects of increasing global temperatures.
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4.16 Biological Consequences of Water Pollution by Sewage

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Biological Consequences of Water Pollution by Sewage
Sources of Water Pollution and their Effects Table
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Biomagnification and bioaccumulation of a pesticide in an aquatic ecosystem
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4.17 Biological Consequences of Eutrophication

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Biological Consequences of Eutrophication
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Sequence of events causing eutrophication in lakes and rivers
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Exam Tip
Water pollution from sewage and water pollution from fertiliser runoff have the same end result
(increase in decomposing bacteria leading to a decrease in dissolved oxygen and death of
aquatic organisms) but they do not arrive at this point in the same way.You need to learn both and
be aware of the differences between them. A common misconception is that sewage pollution
also causes growth of water plants and algal blooms – this is very rarely the case, only runoff of
fertiliser does this.
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4.18B The Effects of Deforestation

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Deforestation
Deforestation is the clearing of trees (usually on a large scale)
If trees are replaced by replanting it can be a sustainable practise
Generally the trees are being cleared for the land to be used in a different way (for building,
graz ing for cattle, planting of monocultures such as palm oil plantations etc) and therefore it is
not sustainable
As the amount of the Earth’s surface covered by trees decreases, it causes increasingly negative
effects on the environment and is a particularly severe example of habitat destruction
Undesirable effects of deforestation include:
Extinction of species
Soil erosion
Which leads to leaching
Flooding
Increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
Disturbance of water cycle
Consequences of Deforestation Table
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Head to savemyexams.

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IGCSE Biology Edexcel Your notes

Human Influences on the Environment

4.12 Biological Consequences of Air Pollution

Human population growth is growing exponentially

How air pollution leads to acid rain

4.13 Greenhouse Gases

4.14 Human Activities Contribute to Greenhouse Gases

4.15 Enhanced Greenhouse Effect

How the greenhouse effect works

4.16 Biological Consequences of Water Pollution by Sewage

Biomagnification and bioaccumulation of a pesticide in an aquatic ecosystem

4.17 Biological Consequences of Eutrophication

Sequence of events causing eutrophication in lakes and rivers

4.18B The Effects of Deforestation

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