Biodiversity and the effect of human interaction on ecosystems

What do different species depend on each other for?

* food
* shelter
* maintenance of the physical environment

consequences of global warming

* **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**

Why should biodiversity levels be high?

A high biodiversity ensures the stability of ecosystems by reducing the dependence of one species.

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(basically having more than one food or two food sources which a specific organism can rely on)

NAme the 4 human activities which are ruining biodiversity

* watse management/pollution
* land use
* deforestation
* global warming

How can pollution occur?

* in water, from sewage, fertiliser or toxic chemicals
* in air, from smoke and acidic gases
* on land, from landfill and form toxic chemicals

How is waste management causing reduction in biodiversity?

* Rapid growth in the humam population and an increase in the standard of living mean that increasingly more resources are used and more waste is produced.
* unless waste and chemical materials re poorly handled, more pollution will be caused.
* pollution kills plants and bacterias reducing biodiversity

Why are peat bogs being destroyed?

* drained so areas can be used for farming
* dried and used as fuel
* can be used to produce compost for gardens or farms to increase food production

Negative impacts of destroying peat bogs

* CO2 is released into the atmosphere when peat is burned as a fuel - contributes to global warming
* Non-renewable energy source
* available peat bogs area for many species of animals, plants an microorganisms is decreasing, reducing biodiversity.
* being destroyed faster than they can form

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in short: (The decay or burning of the peat releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.)

programmes which have been put to place to reduce the negative effects of humans on ecosystems and biodiversity.

* breeding programmes for endangered species
* protection and regeneration of rare habitats
* reintroduction of field margins and hedgerows in agricultural areas where farmers grow only one type of crop
* reduction of deforestation and carbon dioxide emissions by some governments
* recycling resources rather than dumping waste in landfill.

Explain the effects of deforestation on the Carbon Cycle. (4)

* Deforestation cuts down trees which acts as carbon sinks.
* This
* less Co2 for photosynthesis
* trees starts to decay which releases more co2 in the atmosphere due to the break down of tea by bacteria in aerobic respiration

Explain why peat is very rich in organic matter.  (3)

* Peat contains the

State three ways in which the land area needed for waste disposal could be reduced. (3)