Biomes, Food Security, and Environmental Change – Quick Reference

POLAR LANDS

  • Located in Antarctica and the Arctic Circle

  • Covered in ice and snow year-round; freezing temps

  • No trees; presence of ice, snow, penguins, and polar bears (depending on region)

TUNDRA

  • Found in northern Alaska, Canada, Russia

  • Flat, treeless, cold; frozen ground

  • Short summer; small shrubs and moss grow

BOREAL FOREST

  • Across Canada, Scandinavia, Russia

  • Cold winters; mild summers

  • Dense pine and spruce trees

MOUNTAIN VEGETATION

  • In mountain ranges (Andes, Himalayas)

  • Steep terrain; climate cools with altitude

  • Sparse trees at high elevations; alpine plants

TEMPERATE FOREST

  • Found in eastern USA, Europe, parts of China and Japan

  • 4 seasons; moderate rainfall

  • Large leafy trees (oaks, maples); vivid autumn colors

GRASS LANDS

  • Found in central USA, Argentina, Africa

  • Flat areas with grasses; few trees

  • Suitable for farming and grazing

DESERT

  • Found in Australia, North Africa, Middle East

  • Extremely dry; little rainfall

  • Sand dunes, rocks, cacti; tough plants

TROPICAL RAINFOREST

  • Located near the equator in South America, Africa, Southeast Asia

  • Hot, humid; rains almost daily

  • Lush, thick forest; high biodiversity; tall trees

FRESH WATER

  • Includes rivers, lakes, streams (e.g., Lake Victoria, Amazon River)

  • Not salty

  • Supports fish, frogs, ducks, freshwater plants

MARINE

  • Covers most of Earth (Pacific, Atlantic)

  • Salty water; ocean currents

  • Home to whales, dolphins, seaweed, coral

CORAL REEF

  • Found in warm, shallow ocean waters (Great Barrier Reef, Caribbean)

  • Colorful underwater ecosystems

  • Built from coral skeletons; rich marine life

P.Q.E – WHAT IT IS AND WHAT IT IS USED FOR

  • P: Pattern — describe the general pattern

  • Q: Quantify — add specific data (statistics, amounts, sizes, locations)

  • E: Exceptions — describe data that do not fit the pattern

FOOD SECURITY

  • Food security relates to the supply of food and access to it

  • Defined as all people having access to safe, nutritious, affordable food

FOOD STAPLES

  • Staples eaten regularly and in large quantities; cereals (wheat, barley, rye, oats, maize, rice) or root vegetables (potatoes, yams, taro, cassava)

  • Rice, maize, and wheat provide about 60\% of the world’s food energy intake.

GRASSLANDS

  • Grasslands include pampas, savanna, chaparral, cerrado, prairie, rangeland, steppe

  • Historically covered 42\% of Earth's land; now about 25\%; on every continent except Antarctica

TRANSITIONAL LANDSCAPE

  • Grassland biome with grasses and few trees; forms in regions with moderate rainfall

  • Not enough for forests, more than deserts

ENVIRONMENT OF GRASSLANDS

  • Found in temperate and tropical zones rainfall 250\,\text{mm}–900\,\text{mm} per year

  • Tropical grasslands: wet and dry seasons; temperate: hot summers, cool winters

GRASSLANDS – FORMATION & REGENERATION

  • Grasslands can form naturally or from human activity

  • Grazing and fires limit tree growth; grasses spread; fast regeneration

IMPORTANCE OF GRASSLANDS

  • Highly useful for agriculture due to deep, fertile soils

  • About 1\text{ billion} people rely on them; origins of major grains (corn, wheat, oats, barley, millet, rye, sorghum)

THREATS TO GRASSLANDS

  • Highly endangered; risk of desertification if balance is disturbed

  • Livestock grazing, farming, and urban development increase threats

CHALLENGES TO FOOD PRODUCTION

  • Population growth and uneven arable land distribution

  • Increased food trade from surplus regions to crowded/less productive areas

  • Improve rural areas: farming, infrastructure, market access

POLITICAL IMPACTS OF FOOD

  • Food-related unrest (2015): Venezuela, Mozambique, Egypt due to rising prices, shortages, inflation

  • Government management of subsidies and food policy affects stability

PALM OIL

  • Borneo: one of the most biodiverse regions with tropical rainforests; endangered species include Sun Bear, Sumatran Tiger, Spider Monkey, Orangutan

CAN PALM OIL BE SUSTAINABLE?

  • Palm oil supports smallholders; around 40\% of Indonesia’s palm oil produced by smallholders

  • WWF argues against boycotting; supports sustainable palm oil instead

RICE PRODUCTION – AUSTRALIA vs. ASIA

  • Australia uses less water and advanced tech; Asia relies more on traditional methods

CLIMATE & TOPOGRAPHY

  • Rice grows in hot to cool, wet to dry environments; best in high temps, abundant water, flat land, fertile soil

  • Asia: favorable tropical regions (Thailand, Indonesia)

  • Australia: ~80\% of rice is temperate varieties; grown in Murrumbidgee and Murray Valleys (NSW)

IMPACTS ON POTENTIAL YIELD

  • Limited by management, weeds, pests, diseases, drainage problems; salinity/alkalinity reduce productivity

IMPACTS ON POTENTIAL YIELD (REGIONS)

  • Asia: post-harvest losses 8-26\% due to infrastructure issues

  • Australia: rice bays (embanked fields) treated with chemicals to control pests/weeds; near-harvest period chemicals avoided

TECHNOLOGY

  • Asia: biotech rice resistant to pests, diseases, herbicides, salt, drought; access gaps for smallholders

  • Australia: laser-guided land leveling; improves water efficiency by 60\%

RICE GROWING IS ECO-FRIENDLY

  • Flooded fields create wetlands supporting biodiversity

  • Rice has one of the smallest greenhouse gas footprints per ton of protein among staples

IMPACT OF DROUGHT IN AUSTRALIA

  • Droughts (2002–2009, 2013–2016) reduced water allocations for irrigation

  • Ongoing debate on balancing environmental concerns with food production

CASH VS SUBSISTENCE CROPS

  • CASH CROP: grown to sell for profit

  • SUBSISTENCE CROP: grown to sustain farmer and local community

SOIL DEGRADATION

  • Definition: decline in soil quality and quantity due to human activities (land use, agriculture)

  • Impacts: reduced plant/animal support, degraded productivity

HUMAN ACTIVITIES AFFECTING SOIL

  • Clearing forests; more farm animals; poor irrigation; overgrowing crops

SOIL DEGRADED TYPES: IRRIGATION SALINITY

  • Salinity buildup from irrigation can hinder plant growth and promote erosion

  • Flooding and drainage cycles influence salt concentration at the surface

SOIL EROSION

  • Removal of nutrient-rich topsoil by water and wind

  • Accelerated by human activity (10–40× faster)

  • Consequences: lower productivity, desertification risk, downstream impacts on waterways and infrastructure

  • Global share of degraded land due to water and wind erosion: about 84\%

DESERTIFICATION

  • Rapid, human-induced expansion of deserts

  • Caused by overgrazing, deforestation, over-extraction of groundwater, drought, over-planting, or combinations

  • Climate change worsens outcomes (less evapotranspiration, reduced rainfall without trees)

  • At risk countries: 168 countries; affected people: 2.5\times 10^8; potential displacement by 2045: 1.35\times 10^8 people