TJNOTES
AQA GCSE Geography Paper 1 notes
Section B: The Living World
PAPER, I
SECTION B
Ecosystems
• An ecosystem includes all the biotic (living) parts and the abiotic (non-living)
parts that work together
• Biotic factors are the organisms like plants and animals; and the abiotic factors
are conditions like soil and climate
• The organisms in an ecosystem are classed as either:
• (1) Producers – these use energy from sunlight to produce food by
photosynthesis (e.g., grass)
• (2) Consumers – these get energy by eating other organisms – they can eat
producers (e.g., a rabbit consuming grass) or other consumers (e.g., a fox
consuming a rabbit)
• (3) Decomposers – these get energy by breaking down dead plant and animal
material to return nutrients back into the soil. Bacteria and fungi are examples of
decomposers
• The nutrient cycle shows how nutrients move through an ecosystem
• When dead material decomposes, nutrients are released into the soil. These
nutrients are then taken up from the soil by plants through the roots
• The plants are then eaten by consumers and, when the plants or consumers die,
the nutrients are returned to the soil by decomposers
• Food chains and food webs show what organisms eat what
• A food chain simply shows what eats what
• A food web shows lots of food chains and how they overlap
• Each part of an ecosystem is dependent on the other – they are interdependent.
For example, consumers may depend on producers as a habitat and source of
food
• If one part of the ecosystem changes, it affects all the other parts as well. Let’s
look at an example:
,TJNOTES
• Let’s say the population of Greenfly decreased, the population of ladybirds would
also decrease because they have less food to eat. That would mean that the
population of sparrow also decreases because they have less food to eat. As the
population of sparrow decreases, the populations of thrush also decrease
because the sparrowhawks are now forced to eat more thrush, etc. and etc.
Example of a UK small-scale ecosystem
• The Slapton Ley Reed Beds in Devon are a small-scale ecosystem
• It is a freshwater lagoon, separated from the sea by a shingle barrier and it
contains freshwater reed beds
• The reed beds provide a habitat for lots of plants and animals, including:
,TJNOTES
• A change to one part of the reed bed has impacts on the other parts
• The slapton Ley reed beds are an interdependent ecosystem – changing one part
of the ecosystem can have knock-on effects on the other, for instance:
Global Ecosystems
You need to know the characteristics of global ecosystems
The climate in an area determines what type of ecosystem forms
There are 7 main types of ecosystems:
• (1) Tropical rainforest – found around the equator, between the tropics, where it
is hot and wet all year round. It is an area of dense lush green forest with
canopies of vegetations forming distinct layers
• (2) Savannahs are found between the tropics and they have distinct wet and dry
seasons but rainfall is still relatively low. Most vegetation is grasses (hence it is a
type of grassland) and a few scattered trees
• (3) Temperate grasslands are found at higher latitudes where there is more
variation in temperature and less rainfall. There are no trees here – just grasses
• (4) Temperate deciduous forests are found mainly in the mid-latitudes like in the
UK where there are 4 distinct seasons. Deciduous trees lose leaves in winter to
cope with the colder weather. Summers are warm, winters are relatively cold
and there is rainfall all year round
• (5) Hot desert – these are found between 15 and 35 degrees north and south of
the equator where there is very little rainfall all year round. It is very hot during
the day and very cold at night. Shrubs and cacti are sparsely distributed in the
sandy soil
• (6) Taiga/Boreal forests are found between 50 and 60 degrees north of the
equator: winters are cold and dry, summers are mild and moist. Trees are
coniferous, evergreens and have needles instead of leaves
• (7) Tundra – found at high latitudes (above 60 degrees north) in northern
Europe, Canada and Alaska where winters are very cold, summers are brief and
, TJNOTES
there is little rainfall. Hardly any trees, vegetation includes mosses, grasses and
low shrubs. There is a layer of permanently-frozen ground called permafrost
• (8) Polar – found around the north and south poles – they are very cold and dry.
Not much grows at all and they remain dark for several months each year so the
growing season is very short
✔️Exam q check:
Nov 2021:
2.1 (adapted) Define the term biodiversity.
The number and types of plants and animals that live in an area.
2 . 2 Using Figure 5, describe the location of areas with low biodiversity levels. [2 marks]
Low levels are found in (hot and cold) desert areas (1) ☑️
such as the Sahara/Arabian/Atacama desert (1) ☑️
2 . 3 Using Figure 5, suggest one reason for the high biodiversity levels in area X. [2
marks]
Area X experiences high temperatures and high rainfall (1) ☑️
which means that plants grow rapidly (1) ☑️
2 . 4 Outline one way that plants are adapted to the climate in either hot deserts or cold
environments. [2 marks]
Hot deserts Cold environments
Plant roots may be extremely long (1) ☑️ Most plants become dormant (1) ☑️
to reach deep water supplies (d) (1) ☑️
to survive the cold, dark winters (1) ☑️
Nov 2020:
2 . 1 For a small scale ecosystem you have studied, name one producer and one
consumer. [2 marks]
Producer = Any green plant - lichens and algae, phytoplankton, seaweeds, ☑️
Consumer = flea, tadpoles, fish, heron etc ☑️
2 . 2 What is the role of producers in an ecosystem? [1 mark]
Producers are organisms that produce their own food (1) ☑️ or..
They convert the sun’s energy into food (1) ☑️ or…
They produce food for other animals to eat (1) ☑️
AQA GCSE Geography Paper 1 notes
Section B: The Living World
PAPER, I
SECTION B
Ecosystems
• An ecosystem includes all the biotic (living) parts and the abiotic (non-living)
parts that work together
• Biotic factors are the organisms like plants and animals; and the abiotic factors
are conditions like soil and climate
• The organisms in an ecosystem are classed as either:
• (1) Producers – these use energy from sunlight to produce food by
photosynthesis (e.g., grass)
• (2) Consumers – these get energy by eating other organisms – they can eat
producers (e.g., a rabbit consuming grass) or other consumers (e.g., a fox
consuming a rabbit)
• (3) Decomposers – these get energy by breaking down dead plant and animal
material to return nutrients back into the soil. Bacteria and fungi are examples of
decomposers
• The nutrient cycle shows how nutrients move through an ecosystem
• When dead material decomposes, nutrients are released into the soil. These
nutrients are then taken up from the soil by plants through the roots
• The plants are then eaten by consumers and, when the plants or consumers die,
the nutrients are returned to the soil by decomposers
• Food chains and food webs show what organisms eat what
• A food chain simply shows what eats what
• A food web shows lots of food chains and how they overlap
• Each part of an ecosystem is dependent on the other – they are interdependent.
For example, consumers may depend on producers as a habitat and source of
food
• If one part of the ecosystem changes, it affects all the other parts as well. Let’s
look at an example:
,TJNOTES
• Let’s say the population of Greenfly decreased, the population of ladybirds would
also decrease because they have less food to eat. That would mean that the
population of sparrow also decreases because they have less food to eat. As the
population of sparrow decreases, the populations of thrush also decrease
because the sparrowhawks are now forced to eat more thrush, etc. and etc.
Example of a UK small-scale ecosystem
• The Slapton Ley Reed Beds in Devon are a small-scale ecosystem
• It is a freshwater lagoon, separated from the sea by a shingle barrier and it
contains freshwater reed beds
• The reed beds provide a habitat for lots of plants and animals, including:
,TJNOTES
• A change to one part of the reed bed has impacts on the other parts
• The slapton Ley reed beds are an interdependent ecosystem – changing one part
of the ecosystem can have knock-on effects on the other, for instance:
Global Ecosystems
You need to know the characteristics of global ecosystems
The climate in an area determines what type of ecosystem forms
There are 7 main types of ecosystems:
• (1) Tropical rainforest – found around the equator, between the tropics, where it
is hot and wet all year round. It is an area of dense lush green forest with
canopies of vegetations forming distinct layers
• (2) Savannahs are found between the tropics and they have distinct wet and dry
seasons but rainfall is still relatively low. Most vegetation is grasses (hence it is a
type of grassland) and a few scattered trees
• (3) Temperate grasslands are found at higher latitudes where there is more
variation in temperature and less rainfall. There are no trees here – just grasses
• (4) Temperate deciduous forests are found mainly in the mid-latitudes like in the
UK where there are 4 distinct seasons. Deciduous trees lose leaves in winter to
cope with the colder weather. Summers are warm, winters are relatively cold
and there is rainfall all year round
• (5) Hot desert – these are found between 15 and 35 degrees north and south of
the equator where there is very little rainfall all year round. It is very hot during
the day and very cold at night. Shrubs and cacti are sparsely distributed in the
sandy soil
• (6) Taiga/Boreal forests are found between 50 and 60 degrees north of the
equator: winters are cold and dry, summers are mild and moist. Trees are
coniferous, evergreens and have needles instead of leaves
• (7) Tundra – found at high latitudes (above 60 degrees north) in northern
Europe, Canada and Alaska where winters are very cold, summers are brief and
, TJNOTES
there is little rainfall. Hardly any trees, vegetation includes mosses, grasses and
low shrubs. There is a layer of permanently-frozen ground called permafrost
• (8) Polar – found around the north and south poles – they are very cold and dry.
Not much grows at all and they remain dark for several months each year so the
growing season is very short
✔️Exam q check:
Nov 2021:
2.1 (adapted) Define the term biodiversity.
The number and types of plants and animals that live in an area.
2 . 2 Using Figure 5, describe the location of areas with low biodiversity levels. [2 marks]
Low levels are found in (hot and cold) desert areas (1) ☑️
such as the Sahara/Arabian/Atacama desert (1) ☑️
2 . 3 Using Figure 5, suggest one reason for the high biodiversity levels in area X. [2
marks]
Area X experiences high temperatures and high rainfall (1) ☑️
which means that plants grow rapidly (1) ☑️
2 . 4 Outline one way that plants are adapted to the climate in either hot deserts or cold
environments. [2 marks]
Hot deserts Cold environments
Plant roots may be extremely long (1) ☑️ Most plants become dormant (1) ☑️
to reach deep water supplies (d) (1) ☑️
to survive the cold, dark winters (1) ☑️
Nov 2020:
2 . 1 For a small scale ecosystem you have studied, name one producer and one
consumer. [2 marks]
Producer = Any green plant - lichens and algae, phytoplankton, seaweeds, ☑️
Consumer = flea, tadpoles, fish, heron etc ☑️
2 . 2 What is the role of producers in an ecosystem? [1 mark]
Producers are organisms that produce their own food (1) ☑️ or..
They convert the sun’s energy into food (1) ☑️ or…
They produce food for other animals to eat (1) ☑️
