AQA A-Level Geography 7037
Water and Carbon Cycles
Hot Desert Systems and LandscapesLandscape
Coastal Systems and LandscapesLandscape
Glacial Systems and LandscapesLandscape
HazardsHazards or ecosystems
Ecosystems Under StressHazards or ecosystems
Global Systems and Global Governance
Changing Places
Contemporary Urban EnvironmentsHuman option
Population and the EnvironmentHuman option
Resource SecurityHuman option
Hot Desert Systems and Landscapes
Environmental Impacts of Desertification
- 3 things to know
- Component 1
Overview
Recall questions on how desertification causes biodiversity, vegetation and habitat loss, soil degradation and disrupted nutrient cycles, accelerated erosion, dune migration, topsoil loss and surface crusting, altered drainage, and falling agricultural productivity, food insecurity and water scarcity.
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
What causes topsoil loss during desertification?
Why does desertification alter drainage patterns?
Questions from this subtopic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
How does desertification cause biodiversity loss?
Model answer
Habitat degradation and vegetation loss reduce the range of ecological niches, causing species decline and local extinctions.
- 2
Explain the impact of desertification on vegetation cover.
Model answer
Reduced rainfall and soil degradation cause plant dieback and prevent regeneration, progressively reducing overall vegetation cover.
- 3
How does desertification lead to soil degradation?
Model answer
Loss of vegetation exposes soil to erosion, compaction and nutrient depletion, reducing its fertility and structure.
- 4
Why does desertification disrupt nutrient cycles?
Model answer
Vegetation loss reduces organic matter inputs and decomposition, while erosion removes nutrient-rich topsoil, breaking biogeochemical cycling.
- 5
Describe how desertification causes habitat destruction.
Model answer
Degradation of vegetation and soil eliminates the physical and biological conditions species require, destroying their habitats.
- 6
How does desertification accelerate soil erosion?
Model answer
Removal of protective vegetation exposes bare soil to wind and water, greatly increasing erosion rates.
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