Battle For The Biosphere

Quick Starter …

• What is the biosphere?

• Use this to help!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9fEUG5SgNM

Answer …

• The regions of the surface and atmosphere of the earth or another planet occupied by living organisms.

What is an Ecosystem?

• A grouping of non living and living species that interact with each other in their local environment …

• A Biome on the other hand is just a large scale ecosystem …

Quick Question …

• How many Biomes are there on Earth?

Answer …

• There are 5 major biomes on Earth …

Aquatic, Deserts, Forests, Grasslands, Tundra

They Are Split Further …

• Aquatic – Freshwater and Saltwater

• Grassland - Savanna and Temperate Grassland

• Desert – Cold, Hot, Semi Arid, Coastal

• Forest – Tropical, Coniferous, Deciduous

• Tundra - Arctic and Alpine

Our Biosphere Is A Life Support System

• It regulates the gases that makes up the atmosphere – plants absorb C02 and produce oxygen for us to breathe in.

• It regulates the water cycle – plants slow the flow of water to rivers to filter water to make it clean.

• It keeps soil healthy for plants to grow – new nutrients are provided by rotting plant material.

Goods Provided For Us …

• Foods – Fish, Meat, Fruits, Nuts, Berries.

• Medicines – Vitamins, Plants used to make medicines.

• Raw Materials – Timber, Bamboo, Rubber, Water, Oil and Gas.

Threats To The Biosphere …

• Directly – Deforestation, Mining, Quarrying, Farming, Overfishing.

• Indirectly – Pollution leads to … Sea temperature rise, Seawater acidification, melting of ice caps, Changes in amount of rainfall, Treeline changes, Stress within ecosystem due to rapid change.

Reasons For Deforestation …

• Timber used for buildings, furniture and fuel.

• Transport Routes

• Building Human Settlements

• Building Dams and power stations to provide power.

• Mining and quarrying minerals for construction industry, jewellery, etc.

• Creation of agricultural land ..

Management Of The Biosphere …

• RAMSAR – 1971, 168 countries signed a treaty to conserve the worlds wetlands. Wetlands provide rich biodiversity with many rare species. Population Growth means wetlands are drained for farmland.

• National Parks – Started in 1951, conserves areas of natural beauty in the UK – 15 parks. Important for leisure and to preserve wildlife and environment. Threatened by any development that would degrade ecosystems – eg: mining.

Quick Question …

• Describe one way of conserving threatened environments?

Answer

• In the UK, National Parks conserve areas of special beauty. The area covered by the Parks is protected by law and any development that would harm the environment is not allowed.

Local Factors That Affect Biomes …

• Altitude – different plants grow at different temperatures within the same biome. The higher the altitude the lower the temperature.

• Rainfall – Different types and amount of palntswill grow in different parts of the biome depending on the amount of rainfall received. Inland areas are usually drier than coastal areas.

• Distance from the sea can affect temperature, especially amounts of rainfall.

• Rock and soil type – this can affect how fertile different areas are within a biome.

• Drainage – swamps and bogs occur where drainage is poor. Fewer, more specialist plants grow in boggy areas.

Sustainability

• Everything that we need for our survival and well-being depends, either directly or indirectly, on our natural environment. Sustainability creates and maintains the conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony, that permit fulfilling the social, economic and other requirements of present and future generations.

Possible Tensions

Economic

• Individuals and communities often want to make lots of money, and may use resources in the biosphere to do this. This provides tensions as it may damage the environment in the long term. This would mean it’s not sustainable economically either, and it may harm or exploit others in the future.

Social

• To be socially sustainable something must not benefit one group/individual at the expense of another. It also means consulting people on an equal basis. This can provide tensions because if everyone is to benefit, this may put the environment at risk. There are also economic tensions as some businesses may flourish at the expense of others.

Environmental

Being environmentally sustainable means not harming natural resources so they cannot regenerate or continue in the long term. There are economic tensions as people want to make as much money as possible, as well as social tensions as everyone wants to improve the standard of living.