ecosystems case studies

Question 1

human activities in snowdonia

Answer 1

• tree felling
• tourism
• made gutters to take water away from paths
• walking/hiking
• introduced rhododendrons to provide cover for pheasant for shooting
• conifers planted
• hydroelectric power station built

Question 2

human activity effect on animal population in snowdonia

Answer 2

• rhododendrons invasive makes land unsuitable for grazing livestock
• animals has less vegetation to eat as shrubs kill all the plants in their diet
• littering from tourists can threaten wildlife

Question 3

human activity effect on plant population in snowdonia

Answer 3

• rhododendrons can grow tall and block light causing plants below to die
• leaves from plant decompose slowly so accumulate and ruin both soils and bodies of fresh water
• hiking = soil erosion
• farmers drainage ditches causes rain flow quickly increasing flood risk
• conifers dry out moorland as trees absorb water

Question 4

control measures for snowdonia

Answer 4

• reduce tree felling
  -rhododendrons are burnt
• stem injection -> drilling holes into each stem of invasive shrubs and applying herbicides
• park is working with private land owners to limit invasive species
• power station located inside tunnels to minimise impact to environment whilst meeting energy demands
• drainage ditches blocked by haybales
• volunteers have dug drains next to paths preventing flood

Question 5

human activities in Antarctica

Answer 5

• tourism
• penguin and krill hunting
• fishing (overproduction) ruining balance of food chains
• poaching
• scientific research
• discharge of sewage into sea
  -oil spills
• introduction of non native predators threat to birds

Question 6

effect on animal population (Antarctica)

Answer 6

• melting of ice caps due to warming of sea
• penguin population reduced due to loss of breeding grounds
• animals have less food to eat due to overexploitation of krill
• hunting of seals + whales
• albatrosses -> baited hooks trail along fisherman’s boat, birds try to eat and accidentally swallow the hook

Question 7

effect on plant population (Antarctica)

Answer 7

• global warming effect increases CO2
• ozone thinning
• direct exploitation of ecosystem by over-harvesting alien species
• soil contamination

Question 8

control measures in Antarctica

Answer 8

• specially protected areas and exclusion zones (no science/tourist areas)
• krill catchers have a trigger level to prevent overexploitation
• southern ocean whale sanctuary 1994 makes whale hunting illegal in their grounds
• boats use bird weighted lines which sink of reach of birds + avoid breeding and nesting time
• all waste apart from food must be taken away by ship for disposal in other countries.

Question 9

human activity in Galapagos islands

Answer 9

-whaling trade - whalers led domestic animals on the loose
- chopping forests for fire
- fishing
- introduced goats (compete with giant tortoises)
- growing in rubbish/sewage
- building housing/agriculture
- oil spill
- national park 1959

Question 10

effect on animal populations (galapagos)

Answer 10

• whales killed by hunters
• animals vulnerable to predation, disease, competition and their island doesn’t usually have predators
• fishing disrupts marine environment
• fur traders + whaling boots killed 200,000 tortoises
• 150,000 shark deaths
• alien species can eat native species, destroy their habitats or bring diseases onto island
• e.g. cats hunt iguanas

Question 11

effect on plant population (Galapagos)

Answer 11

• disposal creates land and water pollution
• invasive species compete e.g. elephant grass vs endemic daisy trees
• Scalesia trees and shrubs nearly eradicated for agricultural land
• goats transformed forest into grassland = soil erosion
• quinine trees are taller than native species = block light decreasing survival of native plants

Question 12

control measures in Galapagos Islands

Answer 12

• introduced park rangers
• limiting human access 36% limited
• control migration from islands
• culling alien species
• inspecting boats for alien species to prevent colonisation
• captive breeding = reintroduction of giant tortoises e.g. charles darwin research station
• chemical herbicides to keep quinine trees in check

Question 13

human activities in lake district

Answer 13

• 16 mil tourists a year
• walking
• use of artificial fertilisers instead of hay bales
  -walkers trample on vegetation to get passed flood plains

Question 14

effect on animal populations (lake district)

Answer 14

• erosion scars = debris into water = death of fish
• trout, salmon, vendace threatened by pollution of spawning grounds
• artificial fertilisers cause loss of species diversity on grasslands
  -nesting sites damaged by walkers going off path decreasing bird pop.

Question 15

effect on plant populations (lake district)

Answer 15

• walkers walk over vegetation decreasing plant diversity
  -concentrated pressure of people trampling ground compacts soil = water doesn’t infiltrate so when rain water runs off soil is taken with it
• death of plants + loss of roots with bind soil together
• eroded gullies = walkers off path
• erosion destroyed rare alphine mouse
  -soil ends up in water ways and disturb ph of water = eutrophication

Question 16

control measures in Lake District

Answer 16

• replanting native tress species
• repairing footpaths long term by contractors
• use stones to create paths=permanent solution
• farmers are payed to maintain hay meadows
• strips of vegetation burnt promoting new shoot growth
• seasonal restrictions when birds are nesting
• walkers educated on important of sticking to the path