Unit 4.Progress Tasks and Questions.

Human Populations

  1. Describe and explain the relationship between a country’s wealth, population growth rate and resource consumption.
  2. Explain why the environmental impact of different lifestyles may vary. (What factors influence peoples impact on the environment?)
  3. Give examples of how agenda 21 encourages more sustainable living.

Food Production Systems

  1. Explain why the transfer of energy along a food chain is inefficient.
  2. Explain the advantages and disadvantages of carnivores, omnivores, herbivores and ruminants
  3. Outline the factors which affect the selection of food species.

Agroecosystems

  1. Explain why food species are manipulated.

Manipulation of the food species.

  1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of changing population densities of a food species.
  2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of monocultures?
  3. What is the difference between selective breeding, cross breeding and out breeding?
  4. What are the advantages of selective breeding?
  5. What is the science behind and advantages of artificial insemination?
  6. What is the science behind and advantages of embryo transfer?
  7. What is the science behind and advantages of vegetative propagation?
  8. Outline the advantages and disadvantages of GM crops.
  9. Find examples to illustrate each advantage and disadvantage of GM crops.
  10. With use of examples, describe how hormones are used to manipulate food species.
  11. What is a limiting factor? Explain how limiting factors can be overcome to increase food production.
  12. Describe 6 different ways in which nutrients can be applied to the soil.
  13. Evaluate the use of natural fertilisers over artificial fertilisers.
  14. How can competition be controlled on an organic farm?
  15. Evaluate the uses of biological control of pests and the use of pesticides.
  16. Evaluate the use of antibiotics in agriculture.

Environmental and social impacts of agriculture

  1. Explain why agriculture has an impact on habitat and biodiversity. Use examples to illustrate this.
  2. Draw a spider diagram to show how agriculture causes pollution. Include full explation.
  3. Draw a diagram to show how agriculture changes the water cycle?
  4. How does soil get eroded?
  5. What physical features might increase the risk of soil erosion?
  6. Draw a flow chart to explain how deforestation can increase the risk of soil erosion.
  7. Draw a spider diagram to how the effects of soil erosion.
  8. Explain the many advantages of mulching.
  9. Draw pictures/diagrams to show 5 soil conservation techniques.
  10. Evaluate the production of cash crops in LEDCs
  11. With the use of named examples, explain how the misuse of land can affect the lives of people who live in the area.

Agricultural energetics

  1. Draw up a table to evaluate intensive and extensive agroecosystems.
  2. What is energy ratio and how is it calculated? Give examples of energy ratios for at least 3 different farming systems. Explain why they have these ratios.
  3. Why are the most productive farms often the least efficient?

Social/economic/political factors which influence agricultural production

  1. What is a subsidy?
  2. How successful was the Common Agricultural Policy?
  3. Outline strategies that try to overcome problems of over-production and resources exhaustion.
  4. Explain with use of examples how world trade affects LEDCs.

Forests and Forestry

  1. Draw a diagram to show the life support services provided by forests.
  2. Draw a spider diagram to show the renewable resources provided by forests.
  3. Why are plantations more productive than a wild community?
  4. Describe in words the sources of UK timber and timber products.
  5. Create a perfect definition of Maximum Sustainable Yield.
  6. Give real examples land uses that forest is cleared for.
  7. Evaluate the social, environmental and economic consequences of deforestation.
  8. Why is it a contradiction that MEDCs criticise LEDCs for wanting to exploit their forests?

Unit 4.Progress Tasks and Questions.

Aquatic Food Production Systems

  1. Outline the factors which control marine productivity.
  2. Explain why continental shelves are more productive than open ocean.

Fish Populations

  1. Explain the term ‘recruitment’
  2. Explain why not all younger fish get recruited.
  3. Why does fishing increase recruitment?
  4. Explain the relationship between biomass and fish number.
  5. Give the definition and equation for Maximum Sustainable Yield.
  6. What information is required to calculate MSY?
  7. Why does overfishing result in more rapid growth of surviving fish?

Fishing Techniques

  1. Outline the advantages of long lining.
  2. Explain how trawling is different to purse seining.
  3. Explain why the use of factory ships is considered unsustainable.
  4. Rank the fishing techniques under each of the following headings; energy input, environmental damage and selectivity of catch.

Environmental Impacts

  1. Explain the difference between by-catch and ghost fishing.
  2. Describe how overfishing affects food webs.
  3. Explain how overfishing can affect the biomass and age structure of a fish population.

Management

  1. Evaluate the success of catch quotas.
  2. Describe how net design can improve fishing selectivity.
  3. Explain how fishing effort can be controlled.
  4. Explain how captive breeding can help save fish stocks.
  5. Explain how juvenile biomass can be increased

Unit 4.Progress Tasks and Questions.

Sustainability.

  1. Give the Brundtland definition of sustainability
  2. List the global objectives of the Brundtland Report.
  3. Explain how the following land use changes will affect biodiversity: deforestation, urbanisation and reforestation.
  4. Name a local , nation and international initiative to protect diversity.
  5. Outline a case study which illustrates how a fresh water resource is being exploited.
  6. Describe an initiative to which develops more sustainable use of water.
  7. List the reasons why metal and mineral resources are running out.
  8. Research and create a factfile showing the estimated reserves/lifespans of all fossil fuels.
  9. Describe the current global pattern of consumption of fossil fuels.
  10. Give 3 pieces of evidence for and 3 pieces of evidence against Global Climate Change.
  11. Describe 3 ways in which energy use can be made more sustainable.
  12. Research how many people suffer from hunger and malnutrition. What percentage of the global population is this?
  13. What are the advantages and disadvantages of air miles?
  14. Construct a table to show 5 arguments for and against GM crops.
  15. Construct a table to evaluate local food and organic food.

Human Populations

  1. Create a spider diagram to show the effects of affluence on resource use and environmental degradation.
  2. Draw a flow diagram to show how poor living conditions and an uncertain future affect population growth (positive feedback).
  3. What is the economic impact of children on a family in MEDCs and LEDCs.
  4. How can the social status of children of different genders affect birth rate?
  5. Explain the link between infant mortality rate and family size.
  6. How does the availability of healthcare and family planning affect population growth?
  7. Draw the Demographic Transition Model and label it to describe what is happening in each stage.
  8. Why has the population of the planet risen above carrying capacity? What are the consequences of this?