Download Management of the Natural Environment 2

A habitat is where and organism lives
An ecosystem is all the living
organisms in an area and all their
interactions
Biodiversity- the variety of different
species living in an area, ecosystem or
habitat
The main types of ecosystems in the UK
are:
• Deciduous and coniferous woodland(
deciduous plants- lose their leaves in the winter,
coniferous plants do not)
• Meadows
• Grass land
• moorland
• Deciduous and coniferous woodland (
deciduous plants- lose their leaves in the winter,
coniferous plants do not)
• Deciduous woodlands can support more biodiversity as
there is more light- plants on the ground can survive
and invertebrates can eat the dead leaves
meadow
• Have high diversity as herbicides are
not used on them
• (herbicides- chemicals used to kill
weeds)
Grassland
moorland
• Forms on acidic soils
• This soil is peat, it is fibrous and made up of
decayed vegetation
• This soil is infertile
• The plant heather grows well here because it
is adapted to survive in the acidic soil
Behavioural adaptations
• How an organism behaves to help them
to survive eg. Hibernation due to less
food and colder climates. Hibernation
allows an animal to lower its body
temperature for the winter.
Structural adaptations
• How the organism has evolved to help it
survive eg
• Plant roots
• Climate- the weather conditions over a
large area, over time
• Weather conditions-what the weather
is like over an area: temperature, wind,
rain sun etc
• A micro climate is the climate of a small
area within a larger area
Shelter belts
Man made shelter belts are grown the
protect plants and soil from the wind.
They are often used near the coast. The
farmer is creating a micro climate
Urban heat island
• Cities are warmer than the surrounding
countryside
Hedgerows
• Allow for more biodiversity and can
create shelter from the wind.
• Mice, and small animals live in them,
insects breed on them.
Each link
represents a
trophic level
Producer
Primary consumer
Secondary consumer
Tertiary consumer
Pyramid of numbers- shows the
number of organisms at each
trophic level
Pyramid of biomass- shows the
dry mass at each trophic level
• Energy is lost at each trophic level as it
is being used when the organism moves,
excretes waste, respires and to keep its
body temperature constant.
• Farmers can reduce the energy lost by
keeping animals warm and reducing the
amount of movement they can make
ICT
• Animals and plants need to be kept in the
correct conditions
• Animals need enough ventilation, food, water
and temperature
• Plants need the right amount of carbon
dioxide, water, temperature, nutrients and
light intensity
• All these conditions can be better monitored
using ICT equipment- advantages- saves time,
people do not need to work unsociable hours,
machines can make adjustments quickly
Physical weathering
• When rocks are broken up into smaller pieces
by the effects of water, temperature and
weather.
• Rain may enter the rocks- this may freeze,
causing the cracks to expand and the rock will
break
Chemical weathering
When chemicals in the rocks react with
other chemicals
Eg rain water is slightly acidic so reacts
with rocks
Biological weathering
• When animals and plants break up the
rocks
• Eg roots growing in rocks
• Erosion- carrying the material formed
by weathering away from that site
• Decomposition- the settling of this
eroded material
• An ecosystem is all the living organisms
in an area and all their interactions
• A natural ecosystem has been
established over time
• An artificial ecosystem is controlled by
humans
Transect line-is line across a habitat or part of a
habitat. The number of organisms of each species
can be observed and recorded at regular intervals
along the transect.
Pitfall trap-Used to
collect insects,
small amphibians
and small reptiles
(passive collecting)
Pooter- Used to
collect insects
Net -Used to
collect airborne
insects (active
collecting)
soil
• Sandy soil- does not hold moisture
• Clay soil holds water and minerals is
very fertile. It can become easily
waterlogged and is difficult to dig
through
• Loam- made up of a mixture of
components of soil, it hold water but
drains easily
• Soil is made up of clay, silt, sand and
humus