Ecology - Human Impact on Environment

Biodiversity

Varitey of different species of organisms on Earth or within an ecosystem

Reasons for high biodiversity

• Increases stability of ecosystems so changs are less likely to have adverse effects

• Many species provide specific services

• Many of our medicinal drugs come from wild orgnaisms

Population and demands

• Increasing human population after introduction of modern medicine and farming

• Increased standard of lviing so raw material are being used up quicker than being replenished

Waste - water

• Pollute lakes and ocean

• Sweage

• Fertiliser run off

• Toxic chemicals for industrial processes

Waste - Land

• Nuclear waste

• Chemical from landfill

• Toxic Chemicals - seep out and damage surrounding ecosystem

Waste - Air

• Smoke and acidic gases released

• Sulfur dioxide - acid rain and directly harms organisms

Four human activities that reduce biodiversity.

• producing waste / pollution

• global warming

• habitat destruction, e.g. deforestation

• introduction of invasive species

Deforestation uses

• Provide land for agriculture

• Grow crops for biofuels

• Mining and logging of wood

6 ways reudce negative effect of humans on environment

• breeding programmes for endagered species

• protection and regeneration of rare habitats

• reintroduction of field margins and hedgegrows

• rules for reduction of deforestation by government

• rule of reduction of co2 emission by government

• recycling resources rather than landfill

Field margins and hedgegrows process

• Provide extra habitat and food sources so wider range of species survive

• Important if only one crop growing

Breeding

• Endangered speicies bred in captivity until old enough to be released

• Some species to difficult to breed

• Some cant survive themselves after being raised in breeding program

• May not be enough natura habitat for the species to be reintroduced to

How to limit carbon

• carbon tax for companies for each ton emitted

• quota or limits of maximum amount

• create law to ban certain practises that release co2

Greenhouse effect process

• Solar radiation from sun passes through atmopshere and hit the earth

• Earth abosrbs this energy and reemits it as a longer wavelength of radiation towards space

• Longer wavelength energy makes it all the way to space but mich is absorbed by small molecules called greenhouse gases

• Molecules then reemit energy and the whole process of absportion and emissin can happen over and over again

• Trapped energy keep the atmosphere warmer and more stable than it would otherwise be

Two Main Negative global warming gases

• Carbon Dioxide

• Methane

consequences of global warming?

• increasing ocean temperatures

• melting of polar ice caps

• rising sea levels

• extreme weather events

• habitat change / loss

• decreases in biodiversity

• increased spread of pests and diseases

Deforestation negatives

• fewer trees carrying out photosynthesis and absorbing co2 from atmosphere

• burning of trees which releases co2

• destroys animal habitats fewer species can survivfes less biodiversity

Peat bogs

• area of land that is waterlogged and acidic.

• Plants than dont fully decay when dead due to lack of o2

• partial rotted plants form a peat

• carbon is stored in the peat instead of atmosphere

• carbon is also locked underground as not full decay

2 reasons humans have destroyed peat bogs

• more land for agriculture

• cut out the peat to use as fuel

Draining peat bog process

• draining of water allows air and o2 to return to soil

• allows microorganisms to carry out aerobic respiration and decay organic matter

• releasing co2

• which is a GHG — GW