deforestation and land use

• we use land for building, quarrying, farming and dumping waste
• there is less land available for other organisms
• deforestation is the cutting down of forest. It is done to clear land for farming to provide food or to grow crops which biofuels can be produced
• cutting down trees on large scale means that the amount of carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere during photosynthesis is reduced
• trees 'lock up' some carbon they absorb in their wood which removes it from the atmosphere
• carbon dioxide is released when trees are burnt to clear land
• microorganisms feeding on bits of dead wood release carbon dioxide as a waste product of respiration
• less biodiversity as habitats get destroyed and species become extinct
• bogs are areas of land that are acidic and waterlogged. plants who live here don't fully decay as there is not enough oxygen. rotted plants gradually build up. peat bogs often drained to use as fuel. this releases carbon dioxide. when drained, it comes into contact with air and some microorganisms start to decompose it, when they respire, they use oxygen and release carbon dioxide