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All 15 Flashcards — Climate change
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Question
Define climate change.
Answer
Climate change is long-term shifts in climate patterns (temperature, rainfall, extremes), mainly caused by increased greenhouse gases.
💡 Hint
Long-term shifts; mainly greenhouse gases
Question
In one line: why is climate change called a multiplier?
Answer
It intensifies stress and makes other human impacts more severe.
💡 Hint
Worsens other impacts
Question
State one example of range shift due to climate change.
Answer
Species may move toward the poles or up mountains to stay within cooler conditions.
💡 Hint
Poleward / upslope movement
Question
Explain how melting ice affects Arctic food webs.
Answer
Loss of sea ice reduces hunting platforms and habitat, lowering survival of ice-dependent predators and changing prey availability.
💡 Hint
Ice habitat loss
Question
Explain why climate change can cause population decline in ecosystems.
Answer
Many species are adapted to narrow climate conditions. Rapid change can exceed tolerance or shift habitats faster than species can migrate or adapt.
💡 Hint
Change faster than adapt/move
Question
State one ecosystem effect of climate change.
Answer
Examples include range shifts, coral bleaching, and more frequent droughts and wildfires.
💡 Hint
Range shift / bleaching / drought
Question
State one ecosystem risk from sea-level rise.
Answer
Sea-level rise can flood and shrink coastal ecosystems such as mangroves and salt marshes, reducing biodiversity.
💡 Hint
Coastal habitat loss
Question
State what is meant by climate change as a multiplier.
Answer
It increases environmental stress and makes other impacts (habitat loss, pollution, overexploitation) more severe.
💡 Hint
Worsens other impacts
Question
State why some species cannot adapt fast enough.
Answer
Climate conditions may change faster than genetic adaptation and faster than migration to suitable habitats.
💡 Hint
Change faster than adapt/migrate
Question
State one reason climate change is an indirect human impact on food webs.
Answer
It usually alters environmental conditions first, which changes productivity and species interactions, rather than removing organisms directly.
💡 Hint
Changes conditions → food web effects
Question
State how climate change can affect food webs.
Answer
By reducing primary productivity and changing species distributions, it alters energy capture and feeding interactions.
💡 Hint
Productivity + distribution changes
Question
Explain why extreme weather can reduce biodiversity.
Answer
More frequent droughts, storms, and fires increase mortality and reduce reproduction, pushing populations below viable levels.
💡 Hint
Extremes increase mortality
Question
State the key exam phrase to include about climate change.
Answer
Climate change acts as a multiplier that increases stress and reduces ecosystem resilience.
💡 Hint
Multiplier + lower resilience
Question
State one link between climate change and primary productivity.
Answer
Heat stress, drought, altered rainfall, and extreme events can reduce photosynthesis and lower primary productivity.
💡 Hint
Stress reduces photosynthesis
Question
State one sentence that links climate change to resilience.
Answer
Climate change lowers resilience by increasing disturbance frequency and reducing recovery time for populations.
💡 Hint
More disturbance; less recovery
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Full study notes for Climate change
Topic 2.6 hub
Human impacts
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