farming and biodiversity

bees !

give 6 ways in which intensive farming causes a decrease in biodiversity:

• monocultures

• converting woodland and hedgerows into fields

• filling in ponds, draining marshes and overgrazing of land

• removing weeds w/ herbicides

• using pesticides to kill crop pests

• using inorganic fertilisers

how does the use of monocultures decrease biodiversity?

• deplete nutrients from soil

• decrease diversity of plants/species which. depend on a biodiverse ecosystem for food/habitat

how does converting woodland and hedgerows into fields decrease biodiversity?

• decreases no. of trees and other species

• destroys habitats relied on by many species

how does filling in ponds/draining marshes/over-grazing land decrease biodiversity?

directly destroys habitats and reduces species diversity

how does removing weeds w/ herbicides decrease biodiversity?

may harm other species or those that depend on target species

how does using pesticides to kill crop pests?

may harm other species or those that depend on target species

how does using inorganic fertilisers decrease biodiversity?

may run off into water courses, causing issues for aquatic species

how can we balance conservation and agriculture?

• maintaining hedgerows

• reducing pesticide/herbicide use

• using organic fertilisers

• using crop rotation

give 7 effects of climate change on biodiversity:

• hanges in temp/rainfall may negatively affect species adapted to specific climates

• changed conditions make certain areas more/less habitable

• suitable habitats for some species may expand/contract

• climate change may influence species distribution/migration

• warmer → tropical diseases more likely to spread

• rising sea levels → more flooding in low lying land

why are bumblebees disappearing and why is this significant? 🐝

• intensive farming and pesticide use are causing a bumblebee decline

• sig as bumblebees are vital pollinators of arable crops which allows price of fruit and crops to remain low

• bumblebees require a high diversity of plants so farmers must maintain this to maintain the bumblebee population

give an example of the balance between conservation and farming:

balancing pesticide use:

• pesticides decrease pollination by bees which will decrease crop yield/profit

• however using pesticides kills pest species which will increase crop yield/profit

what doe

what does an index of diversity describe? what is the formula?

describes relationship between no. of species in a community and the no. of individuals in each species