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Biomes-glossary
Term | Definition |
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Anthropogenic biomes | describe patterns of vegetation, ecosystem processes and climatic conditions as well as human influence and impact on a landscape. They include land use, population density, transport systems, and settlements to describe human use of landscapes. |
Atmosphere | the thin layer of gases that surround the Earth's surface |
Biomes | a major ecosystem that spreads over a large area which is characterised by a dominant vegetation type and similar climatic conditions |
Biosphere | living organisms on Earth including plants and animals. |
Canopy | The top layer of a rainforest made up of the interlinked tree crowns which little light pass through to the ground below |
Consumer | Plants or animals that eat or rely on the consumption of other living things for their survival. |
Decomposers | Plants or animals in a food chain that return energy back into the enviroment |
Desalination | The removal of dissolved salts and minerals from previously unusable water such as seawater or groundwater to make it fit for consumption |
Emergent | a tree that stands out higher above the canopy |
Food chain | When energy is exchanged from plants to animals or animals to animals through consumption |
Food web | animals within an ecosystem or biome may consume many different plants and animal species, and therefore they become very complex and interconnected forming webs |
Genetically modified (GM) species | Breeds of plants and animals that have had their DNA altered by the addition of a gene from another organism for the purpose of the correction or modification of defects |
Humus | Leaf litter and decaying material that accumulates on the forest floor |
Lithosphere | the Earth's surface layer including its soil, rock and landforms |
Monocultural landscape | One kind of crop or vegetation type |
Photosynthesize | the conversion of sunlight into energy to sustain plant growth |
Producer | the source of energy or sustenance in a food |
Shifting agriculture | A form of subsistence agriculture where a clearing is created in a forest for crops which is used until soil fertility is exhausted and the cultivators then move on to a new area |
Subsistence farming | A form of agriculture that provides for a farmer and their family, leaving a little or none to sell |
Taiga | A coniferous forest of high northern latitudes between the tundra and steppes of Siberia and North America dominated by spruce and fir species |
Upwellings | Nutrient rich water are brought to the ocean's surface which in turn supports large fish populations and high rates of net primary production |
Weather | the day to day atmospheric conditions involving rainfall and temperature, humidity, wind and air pressure |
Hubris | over reaching pride or ambition |
Yield | amount of produce cattle yield= meat KG |
Aesthetics | visual, What it looks like |
Irrigation | the artificial application of water to land to assist in the production of crops and livestock |
Net Primary Production | total amount of energy or biomass created by an organism |
Human-induced | caused by activities of humans |
Soil Degration | reduction in the quality of the soil |
Land degredation | The loss in soil nutrients, salts and acids and soil erosion, it occurs primarily through water and wind erosion, by chemical deterioration and through physical damage |
Pesticides | Chemical substances used to control, fungi, insects, diseases and pests on crops |
Fertilisers | Provides important substances that add to the soil fertilisation although this can cause fertiliser run-offs |
Fertiliser run-off | into waterways can be poisonous to marine life, or cause an explosion in marine plant growth that can block rivers or disrupt delicate |
Bio-diversity | is vital for adaptations to changing environments and ensuring long-term survival |
Pathogens | anything that can come to disease (bad germs) |