Key term
Eduqas A-Level Geography A110QS
Coastal LandscapesLandscape
Topic overviewThe coast as a system: inputs, outputs, stores and transfersSediment sources, sediment cells and dynamic equilibriumTides, currents and wave typesHigh and low energy coastal environmentsFetch, wave refraction and wave reflectionLithology and structural geology at the coastSub-aerial weathering and mass movement at the coastMarine erosion processesCliffs, wave-cut platforms, geos and blowholesHeadlands, bays and the cave to stump sequenceCoastal transport and longshore driftCoastal deposition, flocculation and sediment sortingBeaches, spits and barsTombolos, cuspate forelands and sandy coastlinesCoastal sand dunes and aeolian processesEstuarine coastlines, tidal flats and salt marshesCoral reefs and mangrove coastlinesStorms, seasons and sea level changeCoastal processes and human activityHuman impacts and coastal management
Glaciated LandscapesLandscape
Topic overviewThe glacier as a system: inputs, outputs, stores and transfersThe glacial budget, mass balance and feedbackThe Quaternary Ice Age and the Little Ice AgeCold-based and warm-based glaciersGlacier ice movement and types of flowTypes of ice mass and their distributionFreeze-thaw weathering and glacial erosion processesFactors affecting the rate of glacial erosionCirques, arêtes and pyramidal peaksGlacial troughs, ribbon lakes, hanging valleys and truncated spursRoches moutonnées, crag and tail and striationsGlacial and fluvioglacial transportTill and types of moraineDrumlins and lowland glacial depositionIce-contact fluvioglacial landformsProglacial landforms: sandurs, varves and kettle holesGlacial landscape suites and change over timePeriglacial ground ice and permafrost featuresPeriglacial weathering, mass movement, water and windGlacial landscapes and human activity
Changing Places
Topic overviewPlace characteristics and the home placeA contrasting place: profiles comparedFlows, connections and the shaping of placeGlobal connections and MNC fast food chainsPlace meaning, attachment and identity in the Lake DistrictRepresenting places through advertising and promotionBirmingham Grand Central and the marketed placeFormal, media and popular images comparedStructural employment change and the Clark Fisher modelExternal forces driving economic restructuringDecline of primary employment in rural placesDeindustrialisation, deprivation and social exclusionGovernment policy in deindustrialised placesRetail, commercial and entertainment change in central areasGentrification and re-urbanisationKnowledge economy clusters and their locational factorsRural rebranding and the post-productive countrysideRural management, counter-urbanisation and second homesUrban rebranding: flagship developments and cultural quartersUrban management, conflict and the Covid-19 legacy
Water and Carbon Cycles
Topic overviewSystems, mass balance and the water balanceGlobal water stores, their size and residence timesChanging stores: sea level change and cryospheric processesThe drainage basin as an open systemPrecipitation inputs and interceptionInfiltration, overland flow and throughflowPercolation, groundwater flow, channel flow and basin outputsRiver regimes and the factors that control themThe storm hydrograph: components and shapeClimatic factors influencing storm hydrographsCatchment factors influencing storm hydrographsCloud formation and theories of precipitationExcess runoff: natural and human causesDeficit in the water cycle and aquifer rechargeThe global carbon cycle: stores, fluxes and mass balanceFast carbon pathways between land and atmosphereOcean and atmosphere exchange and the slow carbon cycleCarbon stores in tropical rainforest and temperate grasslandLand-use change and the carbon storePeatlands and the changing carbon storeRising atmospheric carbon, the energy budget and its impactsFeedback, thresholds and permafrost thaw
Global Migration
Topic overviewGlobalisation, global systems and global flowsClassifying migrants and mapping global migration patternsA shrinking world: transport, communication and media representationPoverty, primary commodity prices and access to marketsDiasporas, colonial and Commonwealth links and freedom of movementSuperpowers, global hubs and the competition for migrantsRemittances and the brain drainInterdependency of host and source countriesMigration policies and contested views on cultural changeCauses of refugee movements and internal displacementConsequences of refugee movements for refugees and host statesManaging refugee crises: UNHCR, national governments and NGOsRural push factors, land grabs and indigenous displacementUrban pull factors, export processing zones and megacity growth
Global Governance of the Oceans
Topic overviewSupranational institutions and the law of the seaMaritime zones from the baseline to the high seasChokepoints, canals and piracy in maritime tradeBritain's maritime past and the CommonwealthContainer shipping, oil tankers and shipping regulationSmuggling and people trafficking at seaSeafloor data cables: growth, patterns and usesRisks to seafloor cables and international protectionOwnership of ocean resources and contested sovereigntyUnequal access: landlocked states and indigenous coastal peoplesThe Global Commons and over-exploitation of marine ecosystemsSustainable management: quotas, no-catch zones and conservation zonesSources and consequences of ocean pollutionManaging marine waste and the scales of ocean governance
Tectonic Hazards
Topic overviewEarth's internal structure and plate movementDivergent plate marginsConvergent margins, subduction and collisionConservative margins and hot spotsGlobal distribution of tectonic hazardsThe hazard profile and magnitude scalesTypes of volcano and styles of eruptionPrimary volcanic hazardsSecondary volcanic hazardsImpacts of volcanic activity at local, regional and global scalesContrasting volcanic eruptionsEarthquake characteristics and seismic wavesGround shaking, liquefaction and landslidesTsunami generation and impactsImpacts of earthquakes in contrasting contextsHuman factors affecting risk and vulnerabilityMonitoring, prediction and warningMitigation and the hazard management cycle
EcosystemsContemporary theme
Topic overviewThe value of ecosystems: goods and servicesGlobal distribution of biomes and its climatic controlsThe ecosystem concept, energy flow and trophic levelsNutrient cycling and the Gersmehl modelContrasting nutrient cycles: tropical rainforest and taigaNet primary productivity and limiting factorsMeasuring biodiversityThreats to biodiversity from local to global scaleTropical rainforests and coral reefs at riskWetlands at riskConserving biodiversity: strategies, priorities and fundingSuccession, seres and the climatic climaxSub-climax and plagioclimax communitiesThe Arctic tundra: climate, soils, plants and animalsImpacts of climate change on the Arctic tundraSustainable use and management of the Arctic tundra
Economic Growth and Challenge: IndiaContemporary theme
Topic overviewRelief and drainage patterns of IndiaIndia's climate and the monsoonWater availability and water stressPopulation distribution, growth and structureGovernance, health, education and welfareCaste, gender and cultural influencesResources, relief and climate as opportunity and constraintDroughts, floods and climate variabilityEconomic activity, democracy and the role of governmentThe changing size and structure of India's economyGlobal shift, outsourcing and offshoringIndia's soft power and global governanceEnvironmental pressures of economic growthWater, food and energy security and urban pressuresSustainable development strategies in India
Economic Growth and Challenge: ChinaContemporary theme
Topic overviewRelief and drainage patterns of ChinaChina's climate and the monsoonWater availability and the north-south imbalancePopulation distribution, growth and structureGovernance, health, education and welfareGender and minority groups in ChinaResources, relief and climate as opportunity and constraintDroughts, floods and climate variabilityEconomic activity, modified communism and the role of governmentThe changing size and structure of China's economyGlobal shift, offshoring and the workshop of the worldChina's soft power and global governanceEnvironmental pressures of economic growthWater, food and energy security and urban pressuresSustainable development strategies in China
Development in an African ContextContemporary theme
Topic overviewChanging definitions of developmentSimple, composite and qualitative measures of developmentThe development gap and the development continuumRegional, ethnic and gender variation within countriesThe resource base: minerals and energySoils, relief, climate and water availabilityClimate variability, drought and floodFree trade, trade blocs and protectionismThe resource curse and conflict mineralsMNCs, foreign direct investment and offshoringTourism and fair tradeColonialism, neo-colonialism, governance and corruptionEducation, health, welfare and the position of womenThe environmental costs of developmentDesertification in the SahelStrategies to promote development
Energy Challenges and DilemmasContemporary theme
Topic overviewClassifying energy resourcesFossil fuel stocks, reserves and their global distributionGeological factors in energy supplyInsolation, wind strength and reliabilityRelief, dam sites and hydroelectric powerWaves, tides and biofuels: favourable locationsChanging global patterns of energy demandEconomic and technological influences on energy demandTransfers, storage and the pricing of oil and gasOPEC, national governments and the oil and gas companiesEnvironmental problems of energy extraction, transport and usePolitical, economic and technological problems of energyAppropriate technology and micro-generation in developing countriesNational energy mixes and world energy pricesDemand reduction and energy efficiency policiesClean fossil fuel technologies and the sustainability of alternatives
Weather and ClimateContemporary theme
Topic overviewStructure of the atmosphereThe atmospheric heat budgetGlobal atmospheric circulation and the tricellular modelPressure belts and planetary surface windsOceanic circulation, continentality and altitudeThe world's major climate typesThe ITCZ and seasonal migrationThe monsoon climateThe climate of the UKAir masses affecting the UKThe jet stream and UK weatherENSO and short-term climate changeVulnerability, resilience and adaptive capacityHazards of low- and high-pressure systems and their managementUrban climates and air qualityClimate change: shifting belts, tipping points and response
Geographical Skills
Topic overviewGrid references, coordinates and locating a placeDistance, area, direction and scaleSampling and sources of errorPercentages, ratios, densities and frequenciesMeasures of central tendencyMeasures of dispersionConcentration, ratios and development indicesCorrelation and Spearman RankChi-square and significance testingMapping techniquesGraphs and diagramsDigital and qualitative field techniques
Ecosystems
- 16 subtopics
- 45 things to know
- Component 3 Section B
- Component 3 Section B, two contemporary themes of four, with India, China or Africa as routes through one of them
What Ecosystems covers
Ecosystems is examined in Component 3 Section B, if this is one of the two themes you sit. It covers the value of ecosystems: goods and services, global distribution of biomes and its climatic controls, the ecosystem concept, energy flow and trophic levels, nutrient cycling and the Gersmehl model, contrasting nutrient cycles: tropical rainforest and taiga, net primary productivity and limiting factors, measuring biodiversity, threats to biodiversity from local to global scale, tropical rainforests and coral reefs at risk, wetlands at risk, conserving biodiversity: strategies, priorities and funding, succession, seres and the climatic climax, sub-climax and plagioclimax communities, the Arctic tundra: climate, soils, plants and animals, impacts of climate change on the Arctic tundra and sustainable use and management of the Arctic tundra.
Where it is assessed
Component 3 Section B
Contemporary Themes, if this is one of the two themes you sit.
Check the Eduqas specification ↗The 16 subtopics
Each one has its own page.
- The value of ecosystems: goods and servicesEcosystem service, supporting service and three other medicines that came from wild species.Open →
- Global distribution of biomes and its climatic controlsDistribution of tropical rainforest, distribution of savanna grassland and distribution of boreal forest.Open →
- The ecosystem concept, energy flow and trophic levelsUltimate source of energy in almost all ecosystems, gross primary productivity and net primary productivity.Open →
- Nutrient cycling and the Gersmehl modelNutrient cycle, three stores in the Gersmehl model and transfers between the stores in the Gersmehl model.Open →
- Contrasting nutrient cycles: tropical rainforest and taigaSoil of the tropical rainforest, soil of the boreal forest and mor humus.Open →
- Net primary productivity and limiting factorsNet primary productivity and state its units, net primary productivity of tropical rainforest and net primary productivity of a hot desert.Open →
- Measuring biodiversitySpecies richness, species evenness and genetic diversity.Open →
- Threats to biodiversity from local to global scaleFive direct threats to biodiversity, habitat fragmentation and edge effect.Open →
- Tropical rainforests and coral reefs at riskMain causes of tropical deforestation, amazon dieback tipping point and local impacts of rainforest clearance.Open →
- Wetlands at riskFour services provided by wetlands, main causes of wetland loss and loss of the Mesopotamian Marshes.Open →
- Conserving biodiversity: strategies, priorities and fundingSpectrum of conservation strategies, strict nature reserve and national park.Open →
- Succession, seres and the climatic climaxFour named seres, pioneer species and stages of a lithosere.Open →
- Sub-climax and plagioclimax communitiesSub-climax community, three physical factors that can arrest succession and edaphic factor.Open →
- The Arctic tundra: climate, soils, plants and animalsTemperature regime of the Arctic tundra, precipitation in the Arctic tundra and active layer above permafrost.Open →
- Impacts of climate change on the Arctic tundraWarming at several times the global rate — permafrost thaw, shrub encroachment, altered albedo and the carbon feedback — and what it means for the species and people of the biome.Open →
- Sustainable use and management of the Arctic tundraThree threats to the Arctic tundra, prudhoe Bay oil field and gas development on the Yamal Peninsula.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
Your recallNot started
Key term
What are genetic diversity and ecosystem diversity, and why does each matter?
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What is an ecosystem service?
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Define a biome.
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Define an ecosystem.
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What is a nutrient cycle?
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Which store dominates the tropical rainforest nutrient cycle?
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Define net primary productivity and state its units.
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Distinguish direct and indirect threats to biodiversity.
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Why are tropical rainforests among the most biodiverse ecosystems?
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Define a wetland.
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Describe the spectrum of conservation strategies.
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Define succession.
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What is a sub-climax community?
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Where is the Arctic tundra biome found?
Numbers
How fast is the Arctic warming compared with the world as a whole?
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Name three threats to the Arctic tundra.
Numbers
Name the four categories of ecosystem service.
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Describe the distribution of tropical rainforest.
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Distinguish the biotic and abiotic components of an ecosystem.
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Name the three stores in the Gersmehl model.
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Why is the litter store small in a tropical rainforest?
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State the net primary productivity of tropical rainforest.
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Name five direct threats to biodiversity.
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Name the main causes of tropical deforestation.
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Why are wetlands so productive?
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What is a strict nature reserve?
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Distinguish primary and secondary succession.
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Name three physical factors that can arrest succession.
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Describe the temperature regime of the Arctic tundra.
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What is the ice-albedo feedback?
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Why is the Arctic attractive to the energy industry?
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Give three examples of a provisioning service.
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Where are the world's hot deserts found, and why?
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What is the ultimate source of energy in almost all ecosystems?
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Name the transfers between the stores in the Gersmehl model.
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Why is the soil store small in a tropical rainforest?
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State the net primary productivity of a hot desert.
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Define biodiversity.
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Why is habitat loss the greatest single threat?
Numbers
Quantify recent deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon.
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Name four services provided by wetlands.
Evaluation
Give an argument for total protection.
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What is a sere?
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What is an edaphic factor?
Take Ecosystems further
The same content, four other ways.
Commonly confused
Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.
Gross primary productivity vs Net primary productivity
Gross primary productivity: everything fixed by photosynthesis before any is used. Net primary productivity: what remains once the plants' own respiration is paid for.
Primary succession vs Secondary succession
Primary succession: succession starting on a surface that has never carried vegetation. Secondary succession: succession starting where soil and a seed bank remain.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
What is an ecosystem service?
Model answer
An ecosystem service is a benefit that people obtain from a natural system. Clean water, pollination, flood protection and recreation are all examples.
- 2
Name the four categories of ecosystem service.
Model answer
Provisioning, regulating, cultural and supporting services are the four categories. The classification comes from the United Nations Millennium Ecosystem Assessment published in 2005.
- 3
Give three examples of a provisioning service.
Model answer
Food, timber and fresh water are all provisioning services. Provisioning services are the tangible goods that an ecosystem supplies.
- 4
Give two regulating services.
Model answer
Climate regulation through carbon storage is one regulating service. Flood regulation by wetlands and floodplains is a second.
- 5
Give an example of a cultural ecosystem service.
Model answer
Cultural services include recreation, tourism, spiritual value and scientific study. Visits to a national park are a cultural service with a measurable economic value.
- 6
What is a supporting service?
Model answer
A supporting service is a process that makes all the other services possible. Soil formation, photosynthesis and nutrient cycling are supporting services.
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
Ecosystems revision questions
- What does Ecosystems cover in Eduqas A-Level Geography?
- 16 subtopics: the value of ecosystems: goods and services, global distribution of biomes and its climatic controls, the ecosystem concept, energy flow and trophic levels, nutrient cycling and the gersmehl model, contrasting nutrient cycles: tropical rainforest and taiga, net primary productivity and limiting factors, measuring biodiversity, threats to biodiversity from local to global scale, tropical rainforests and coral reefs at risk, wetlands at risk, conserving biodiversity: strategies, priorities and funding, succession, seres and the climatic climax, sub-climax and plagioclimax communities, the arctic tundra: climate, soils, plants and animals, impacts of climate change on the arctic tundra and sustainable use and management of the arctic tundra. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is Ecosystems organised?
- By the Eduqas A110QS specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
Every question in Ecosystems, on a schedule.
Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.
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