b18.2, b18.3, b18.4 - land water and air pollution + deforestation and peat destruction

not sure why miss did all of these in one lesson..

what is the chemical balanced of aerobic respiration

C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₆ —→ 6CO₂ + 6H₂O

pollution can occur on land from what 2 main sources

• landfill

• toxic chemicals

how can pollution get into the water

• sewage

• fertilisers

• toxic chemicals

why is pollution bad

as it reduces biodiversity

what is eutrophication

a sequence of events where excess nutrients from fertilizers or sewage enter a water body, leading to oxygen depletion and the death of aquatic organisms

what are the steps of eutrophication (whiteboard this)

how can pollution occur

• smoke

• acidic gases

what does air pollution do to plants and animals and what is the knock on effect of this

kills plants and animals which leads to a reduction in biodiversity

why has large scale deforestation occurred in tropical areas

to provide land for cattle and for rice fields and to grow crops for biofuels

what does the destruction of peat bogs do

reduces the area of the habitat for the organisms that live there and this kills the biodiversity with it

what does the decay or burning of peat do

release more carbon dioxide

what does dumping toxic chemical into landfills do (apart from environmental effects)

causes bioaccumulation and biomagnification

bioaccumulation definition

the gradual build-up of non-biodegradable (persistent) toxic chemicals inside a single organism over time

biomagnification definition

`the multiplying concentration of a persistent toxin at each higher trophic level

in biomagnification who gets hit the worst

apex predator as they consume the most toxins

what do fertilisers contain and what is the effect

nitrates which feed algae —→ eutrophication due to algae’s uncontrolled growth leading to ecosystem death

what does pollution of the air by toxic gases do

cause acid rain

acid rain effects

• kills plants

• damages buildings

• kills marine animals

how do humans reduce the space for habitats of other animals

building, quarrying, farming and dumping waste

what is biodiversity

the variety of all the different species of organisms on earth, or within an ecosystem