Biosphere and Ecosystems Overview
46 Questions
7 Views

Choose a study mode

Play Quiz
Study Flashcards
Spaced Repetition
Chat to lesson

Podcast

Play an AI-generated podcast conversation about this lesson

Questions and Answers

What event led to a severe food crisis in Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Kenya in 2011?

  • War and conflict
  • Pest infestations
  • Economic recession
  • The worst drought in 60 years (correct)

    • What is a primary reason for chronic hunger despite advances in food production?

  • Natural disasters
  • Economic inequalities (correct)
  • Overpopulation in cities
  • Excessive food supply

    • Which of the following is NOT one of the challenges to global food security?

  • Negative health effects (correct)
  • Population growth
  • Impact of climate change
  • Conflict over land use

    • What factor does biodiversity NOT include?

    <p>Cities</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is essential for species, communities, and ecosystems to survive?

    <p>Biodiversity</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why do people move from cities to rural areas in the southern highlands?

    <p>Desire for a quieter lifestyle</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which process is NOT part of functional diversity in ecosystems?

    <p>Species population dynamics</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What issue arises from population growth in relation to food security?

    <p>Increased demands on land and water resources</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What impact does drought have on cattle prices?

    <p>Farmers sell cattle before the drought, causing prices to decrease.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the annual turnover of the super yard mentioned?

    <p>60,000 head of cattle and 30-35 million dollars.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is one of the economic aims of the super yard?

    <p>Outperform other saleyards by 40%.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What factor has contributed to the decrease in the number of small dairies?

    <p>Increased urbanization leading to higher land prices.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What strategy can farmers use to combat economic uncertainties?

    <p>Diversify their product offerings.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How does supermarket competition affect dairy farmers?

    <p>It decreases farmgate prices and profits.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is one of the main environmental goals of the super yard?

    <p>Achieve sustainability and carbon neutrality.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a feature of the solids pit system at the sale yard?

    <p>It recycles nutrients back to crops efficiently.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary purpose of the roof structure in the rain harvesting system?

    <p>To store excess water in large containers</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which method is used to maintain soil health in modern farming practices according to recent changes?

    <p>Conducting soil tests and replacing missing elements</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How does the flooding impact the cows grazing in the fields?

    <p>Prevents cows from accessing food due to trampling</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What challenges do farmers face due to changing climate patterns?

    <p>Prolonged droughts and intense rainfall</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the function of the ponds and soil pits in water recycling efforts?

    <p>To clean water using gravity before discharge</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why is there lower frequency of use for water systems compared to dairy farms?

    <p>Less water is required for feeding dairy cows</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What happens when cows are milked in relation to their feeding?

    <p>They are also fed 4kg of pellets and grain</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a significant consequence of using chicken manure 20-30 years ago?

    <p>It became too expensive for regular use</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How can heat stress on livestock primarily impact their productivity?

    <p>It leads to reduced appetites.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is one consequence of overgrazing mentioned in the content?

    <p>Soil degradation.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What management strategy can help maintain soil health?

    <p>Practicing rotational grazing.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What negative effect does intensive farming have on biodiversity?

    <p>It leads to habitat loss.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which approach can help manage water resources effectively?

    <p>Investing in efficient irrigation systems.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How does climate variability affect crop management?

    <p>It necessitates planning for water and feed availability.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which strategy can be used to improve the nutritional value of crops?

    <p>Employing systematic crop management improvements.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is an effective way to mitigate the risk of soil erosion?

    <p>Implement sustainable land practices.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What distinguishes biomes from ecosystems?

    <p>Biomes are the largest subdivisions within ecosystems.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which component of an ecosystem is primarily responsible for converting light energy into chemical energy?

    <p>Producers</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a primary producer in an aquatic ecosystem?

    <p>Phytoplankton</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which statement about decomposers is correct?

    <p>They recycle energy by breaking down waste.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following components of ecosystems are considered abiotic?

    <p>Rocks</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How is net primary productivity (NPP) defined?

    <p>The energy plant producers convert minus what they use for respiration.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which ecosystem classification is based on non-living features?

    <p>Biomes</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What best describes the relationship between a species and its population?

    <p>A population consists of individuals from the same species.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What characterizes the tundra biome?

    <p>Insufficient heat for vegetation growth year-round.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In which biome would you find a moderate shortage of soil and water?

    <p>Grassland</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following processes allows producers to create their own food using sunlight?

    <p>Photosynthesis</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which habitat is home to aquatic organisms?

    <p>Ocean</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of consumers primarily feed on plants?

    <p>Herbivores</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the most important feature in classifying terrestrial ecosystems?

    <p>Climate</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    The Biosphere

    • Includes all living things
    • Ranges as high as the atmosphere
    • Also includes
      • Living organisms, waste, dead remains
      • The non-living environment, rocks, water, air

    Ecosystems

    • A community of organisms and non-living features that interact together
    • Divided into two broad groups: aquatic (water) and terrestrial (land)
    • Components:
      • Organism: any form of life
        • Producers: plants
        • Consumers: most animals
        • Decomposers: bacteria and fungi
      • Species: a single type of living organism able to reproduce its own kind
      • Population: a group of organisms from the same species living together in the same area
      • Habitat: the area within which an organism or population lives
      • Community: several populations that live together within a particular habitat
      • Environment: the non-living parts of an area
      • Ecosystem: a community of organisms that interact with each other and their non-living environment, living is called biotic, non-living is called abiotic
      • Biosphere: the zone of habitation containing all the earths ecosystems

    Biomes

    • A very large ecosystem made up of specific vegetation types and their associated fauna
    • Classified according to their characteristic vegetation:
      • Forest: abundant soil, water, and heat
      • Savanna: transition between forest and grassland
      • Grassland: moderate shortage of soil and water, adequate heat, hot and moderately wet
      • Desert: extreme shortage of soil and water, adequate heat, hot and dry
      • Tundra: insufficient heat to sustain vegetation growth throughout the year, cold and dry
      • Tropic: hot and wet regions
      • Boreal forest: cold and moderately wet

    Ecosystems and their Functioning

    • Classified according to their most dominant features:
      • Climate: most important feature
      • Elevation: most important feature is height
      • Vegetation: most important feature

    Energy Flows Within Biomes and Ecosystems

    • The Food Chain indicates the flow of energy
    • Made up of:
      • Producers: produce their own food through photosynthesis using energy of the sun to convert carbon dioxide and water into sugars, starches, and glucose
        • Land: mostly green plants
        • Freshwater + Marine: algae and green plants
        • Open Ocean Waters: phytoplankton (microscopic organisms)
      • Consumers: eat producers and other consumers. Herbivores are primary consumers, only eating plants, and are eaten by secondary consumers
      • Decomposers: eat waste and break it down to recycle energy

    Difference Between Photosynthesis and Chemosynthesis

    • Photosynthesis: producers convert light energy from the sun into chemical energy stored and used to create compounds and simple sugars (making food)
    • Chemosynthesis: convert simple compounds from their environment without the sun to make food

    Types of Primary Productivity

    • Primary productivity: the rate of photosynthesis that occurs
      • Gross Primary Productivity (GPP): rate at which primary producers convert the sun's energy into chemical energy, measured in terms of energy per unit
      • Net Primary Productivity (NPP): rate at which producers use photosynthesis to produce and store chemicals minus the portion they use for their own respiration

    Global Food Security

    • In 2011, Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Kenya were hit by the worst drought in 60 years, causing a severe food crisis and famine
    • Despite advances in global food production, inequalities exist, and people still struggle with chronic hunger
    • There is enough food in the world for everyone, but distribution and access are uneven, and over half the world lives in low income and food deficit areas
    • Challenges to food security include:
      • Population growth
      • Increased demands on land and water resources
      • Conflict between competing land uses (food crops vs. biofuels)
      • Potential impact of climate change
      • Changing consumption patterns as nations become more economically developed

    Biodiversity's Impact on Energy and Matter

    • Biodiversity includes the variation of
      • Genes: variety of inherited genes within a species population
      • Species: number of species within specific communities
      • Ecosystems: variety of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems
      • Ecosystem processes
      • Functional diversity: chemical and biological processes that flow energy and recycle matter, essential for the survival of species, communities, and ecosystems

    Southern Highlands

    • Located roughly 110km SW of Sydney
    • Dynamic impacting the region:
      • Urbanisation: People leaving cities for rural areas seeking a quieter lifestyle, while still accessing city amenities and employment
        • Drought: farmers sell cattle, creating an oversupply, decreasing prices
        • Super Yard: SRLE has become a super yard, turning over 60,000 head per year and $30-35 million, aims to economically outperform other saleyards and be environmentally sustainable and carbon neutral

    Dairy Farm

    • Economic factors:
      • Supermarket competition driving down farmgate prices, squeezing dairy business margins
      • Addressing economic uncertainties:
        • Farmers diversifying products
        • Exploring direct-to-consumer sales
        • Investing in supply chain efficiencies
        • Focusing on higher profit margin goods
        • Leasing country to graze cattle for beef
      • Impact of rising costs (labor and energy), lower wages leading to selling of farms
      • Social factors:
        • Changing land use due to increased migration from Sydney
        • Less community
        • Higher land prices due to demand
        • Less farms: 100 small dairies in 1951, now only 6
    • Marketing: producing both for the Australian market and exporting overseas
    • Environmental impacts:
      • Waste: solid pits
      • Water: rain harvesting with overflow facility, reducing impact on Nattai Creek
      • Energy: solar panels

    SRLE

    • Waste:
      • Solid pits: single pond system capable of containing all effluent, used to return effluent to crops and pastures quickly, with opportunity to recycle
      • Improvements: increased frequency of emptying the pit
    • Water:
      • Rain harvesting: roof structure collects rainwater and stores it in tanks
      • Reducing impact on Nattai Creek: reduces overflow from pond system, potential adverse effect on local creek
      • Improvements: use of macrophyte and storage pond
    • Energy:
      • Solar panels: north aspect panels, extra energy put back into the grid

    Overall Environmental Factors

    • Unpredictable climate patterns due to climate change:

      • Farmers experiencing more extreme weather patterns
        • Prolonged drought or intense rainfall
        • Affects pasture quality, water availability, and animal health
        • Can lead to worsening of
          • Quality and quantity of crops: while management strategies have allowed wheat yields to remain constant, it's challenging to maintain yields and nutritional value in harsh conditions
          • Biosecurity: increased heat can spread pests
          • Heat stress on livestock: affects appetites and breeding, leading to less profit

    • Soil health and erosion:

      • Overgrazing and improper land management lead to
        • Soil degradation
        • Reduction in soil fertility
        • Increased risk of erosion

    • Native biodiversity loss:

      • Intensive farming can lead to
        • Land clearing
        • Habitat loss
      • Resulting in
        • Loss of native plants and animals integral to the region's ecosystem

    Management Options

    • Climate Variability:
      • Use weather forecasts to plan for water and feed availability
      • Implement water storage solutions
      • Store surplus pasture grass in silage pits
    • Soil Health
      • Practice rotational grazing
      • Conduct soil testing and fertilize appropriately
    • Biodiversity:
      • Create wildlife corridors and preserve natural areas
      • Plant diverse grasses and crops
    • Water Resources
      • Invest in efficient irrigation methods
      • Construct wetlands to capture filtered rainwater

    Studying That Suits You

    Use AI to generate personalized quizzes and flashcards to suit your learning preferences.

    Quiz Team

    Related Documents

    Ecosystems and Biomes PDF Notes

    Description

    This quiz covers essential concepts related to the biosphere and ecosystems. It explores the components of living organisms, their interactions, and classification of ecosystems into aquatic and terrestrial. Test your understanding of biodiversity and ecological relationships.

    More Like This

    Use Quizgecko on...
    Browser
    Open
    Browser
    Browser