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Biology > Ecology > Flashcards

Ecology Flashcards

1
Q

Define Ecology

A

study of interactions between living things and their environment

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2
Q

Define Biosphere

A

part of the earth containing living organisms

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3
Q

Define Ecosystem

A

group of clearly distinguished organisms that interact with their environment

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4
Q

Define Habitat

A

place where an organism lives

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5
Q

Define abiotic factors and give 2 examples

A

non-living factors

eg: soil pH, edaphic factors

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6
Q

Define biotic factors and give 2 examples

A

living factors

eg: food, competition

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7
Q

What is pyramid of numbers?

A

represents the number of organisms at each stage in a food chain

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8
Q

What is meant by trophic level?

A

feeding stage in a food chain

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9
Q

Define edaphic factors

A

soil factors

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10
Q

What is meant by symbiosis

A

two organisms from different species that live in close association where at least one of them benefits

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11
Q

What is meant by nitrogen fixation

A

Conversion of nitrogen gas to nitrates

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12
Q

What is meant by nitrification?

A

conversion of nitrogen into nitrites and nitrates

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13
Q

What is the function of nitrogen cycle?

A

so it can be absorbed by organisms

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14
Q

Give 2 factors that influence the size of the human population

A
  1. Famine

2. War

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15
Q

If the population of prey declines suggest two possible consequences for the predators

A
  1. Less predators

2. Might migrate where there are more prey

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16
Q

What is the principal source of energy for the earths ecosystems?

A

sun

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17
Q

State one way in which a named organism is adapted to the ecosystem

A

fox- red fur for camouflage

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18
Q

What is meant by competition?

A

when organisms actively struggle for a scarce resource and only one of them wins

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19
Q

A relationship between two organisms in which both benefit is called

A

symbiosis

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20
Q

two sources of the carbon dioxide that are found in the atmosphere

A
  1. respiration

2. rocks

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21
Q

pollution

A

any harmful addition to the environment

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22
Q

Give an example of pollution and describe how this form of pollution can be controlled

A

animal waste

spread slurry on dry land

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23
Q

Give an example of human activity that results in the pollution of water

A

too much fertiliser is spread on grassland
fertiliser gets washed in the rivers/lakes
It causes algae to grow
when algae dies the oxygen gets used up and all living things die (eutrophication)

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24
Q

what is meant by conservation

A

wise management of our existing natural resources in order to maintain biodiversity

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25
Q

Give an example of conservation practise

A
  1. Fish quotas

2. large nets

26
Q

Outline problems associated with waste

A
  1. causes disease
  2. poisonous gasses
  3. unpleasant smells
27
Q

Suggest two reasons of minimising waste

A
  1. re-use
  2. recycle
  3. reduce
  4. Compost bin
28
Q

Describe one method of waste management y reference to agriculture

A
  1. Slurry

2. spread on dry land or store in leak proof pits

29
Q

Give one example of the use of micro-organisms in waste management

A
  1. decompose

2. break down organic waste

30
Q

Define quantitative study

A

record the number of the organisms in an ecosystem

31
Q

what is meant by fauna?

A

animals in an ecosystem

32
Q

Why is only 10% of energy passed onto the next trophic level?

A
  1. due to high energy loss

2. 90% of energy is lost due to growth, respiration, excretion and decay

33
Q

Niche

A

functional role of an organism in an ecosystem

34
Q

what is meant by nutrient recycling?

A

way in which elements (C,N) are exchanged between living and non living components of the ecosystem (reuse of nutrients)

35
Q

Roles of organisms in the carbon cycle

A
  1. Plants- remove CO2 from the environment in photosynthesis and return it in respiration
  2. Animals- Obtain carbon by eating plants and release carbon in respiration
  3. Micro-organisms-return carbon to the environment when they decompose dead plants and animals
36
Q

Causes of global warming

A
  1. Increased burning of fossil fuels

2. Deforestation

37
Q

Effects of global warming

A
  1. Sea levels rising
  2. Weather alters
  3. Rising temperatures
38
Q

Carbon and Nitrogen cycle similarities

A
  1. Micro-organisms
  2. Death and decomposition
  3. Excretion
  4. Nutrition
39
Q

Define Eutrophication

A
  1. artificial fertilisers are washed into rivers
  2. algae uses up the nutrients
  3. algae die and leads to oxygen depletion
40
Q

Benefits of conservation

A
  1. maintain diversity
  2. Prevent death
  3. maintain plant species
41
Q

Difference between intra/inter competition

A

Intra- takes place between the same species

Intra- involves different species

42
Q

Difference between contest and scramble competition

A

Contest- only one win

Scramble- each organism gets some of the resources

43
Q

Effects of competition

A
  1. Controls size of the population

2. Allows natural selection to occur better adapted will survive

44
Q

Adaptations to survive competition

A
  1. Shallow roots to absorb water
  2. Dandelions have long roots to absorb water
  3. Blackbird warns competitors
  4. Yellow petals attract insect pollinators
45
Q

Give 2 examples of Symbiosis

A
  1. Mutualism

2. Parasitism

46
Q

Give an example of Mutualism

A
  1. symbiotic bacteria in the colon supply humans with vitamins
47
Q

Give an example of Parasitism

A
  1. leeches on human skin/lice
48
Q

Distinguish between endoparasites and ectoparasites

A

Endo- feed in a living host

Exto- feed on the outside of the host

49
Q

Name a predator and their adaptation

A
  1. Fox
  2. Behavioural adaptation- fast
  3. Structural- Long canine teeth and red fur for camouflage
50
Q

Name a prey and their adaptation

A
  1. Rabbit
  2. Behavioural- narrow underground burrows large predators can’t enter
  3. Structural- long ears, good hearing to detect predator
51
Q

Factors that affect population growth

A
  1. Famine
  2. Disease
  3. Wars
  4. Contraception
52
Q

Apparatus to collect plants and animals

A
  1. Mammal trap-collect mice
  2. Pitfall trap-collects insects
  3. Pooter-collects spiders
53
Q

Define quantitative and qualitative study

A
  1. Quantitative- records the number of each organism

2. Qualitative- records the presence or absence of each organism

54
Q

Sources of error when conducting an ecological study

A
  1. Non-random sampling
  2. Misidentification
  3. Miscounting
55
Q

Describe how you carried out a quantitative study on a named plant

A
  1. choose a simple quadrat
  2. place quadrat at random
  3. record the presence or absence of the buttercup
  4. record the results in a table
  5. calculate the percentage frequency
56
Q

Describe how you carried out a quantitative survey of a named animal

A
  1. set Cryptozoic traps
  2. collect any snails caught and count them
  3. mark snails with non-toxic paint
  4. release traps and collect again 3-4 days later
  5. count marked and unmarked snails
  6. calculate the population as shown
57
Q

Describe how you investigate abiotic factors in a selected ecosystem

A
  1. Air temperature –> thermometer
  2. Soil pH –>pH meter
  3. Light intensity –> Light meter
58
Q

Name structural and behavioural adaptation of an earthworm

A

Structural –> dark brown for camouflage

Behavioural –> stays away from light to avoid predators

59
Q

Limitations of the pyramid numbers

A
  1. do not take the size of the organisms into account (inverted)
  2. number of organisms are too large to draw (distorted)
60
Q

example of the pyramid of numbers

A
  1. Grass-rabbit-fox
  2. oak-greenfly-spider-thrush
  3. dandelions-snails-hedgehogs-fleas
61
Q

Role of organisms in the nitrogen cycle

A
  1. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria- convert nitrogen to nitrates
  2. Bacteria of decay-nitrogen waste into ammonia
  3. Nitrifying bacteria- convert ammonia nitrites and nitrates
  4. Denitrifying bacteria- convert nitrates to nitrogen gas

Biology (21 decks)

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