Discuss the Relative Importance of Physical and Human Factors in Accounting for Changes to Vegetation over Time Within Ecosystems in the British Isles (40 Marks)
Discuss the relative importance of physical and human factors in accounting for changes to vegetation over time within ecosystems in the British Isles (40 marks)
The British Isles can be found in the Northern Hemisphere where deciduous forest is the main biome. Here physical and human factors have accounted for changes to the vegetation for many years. Human factors can include tourism, agriculture, urbanisation, interception and deforestation. Physical factors can be such things as natural disasters, succession and diseases.
The human factor of interception can vary between many situations. For example, humans can intercept and alter the vegetation through predator control. By reducing the predators which feed upon that particular vegetation encourages the flora to grow and provide habitats or food for another species. This takes place in the Lake District where at times too many sheep graze upon the heather which reduces the amount of food for nesting birds such as Lapwing, Curlew and Merlin. As a control humans intercept by limiting the amount of sheep within the areas and even with other animals such as foxes that are also reducing and altering the vegetation to the area by either culling them or simply removing them. Humans may also stabilise sand dunes as a method of interception allowing vegetation such as Marram Grass to thrive. This factor overall can be very positive; predator control (although it is preventing the climax community forming) allows rare ecosystems such as heather moorland to thrive and through stabilising the sand dunes vegetation is allowed to reach climatic climax continuing to Oak Woodland, this occurs in Ainsdale upon Sefton Coast. This human factor allows the physical factor of succession to take place with the area reaching Oak Woodland allows further biodiversity and creates many more habitats for a variety of species but also benefits humans directly by providing protection to housing properties and other infrastructure from the
The British Isles can be found in the Northern Hemisphere where deciduous forest is the main biome. Here physical and human factors have accounted for changes to the vegetation for many years. Human factors can include tourism, agriculture, urbanisation, interception and deforestation. Physical factors can be such things as natural disasters, succession and diseases.
The human factor of interception can vary between many situations. For example, humans can intercept and alter the vegetation through predator control. By reducing the predators which feed upon that particular vegetation encourages the flora to grow and provide habitats or food for another species. This takes place in the Lake District where at times too many sheep graze upon the heather which reduces the amount of food for nesting birds such as Lapwing, Curlew and Merlin. As a control humans intercept by limiting the amount of sheep within the areas and even with other animals such as foxes that are also reducing and altering the vegetation to the area by either culling them or simply removing them. Humans may also stabilise sand dunes as a method of interception allowing vegetation such as Marram Grass to thrive. This factor overall can be very positive; predator control (although it is preventing the climax community forming) allows rare ecosystems such as heather moorland to thrive and through stabilising the sand dunes vegetation is allowed to reach climatic climax continuing to Oak Woodland, this occurs in Ainsdale upon Sefton Coast. This human factor allows the physical factor of succession to take place with the area reaching Oak Woodland allows further biodiversity and creates many more habitats for a variety of species but also benefits humans directly by providing protection to housing properties and other infrastructure from the