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GCSE Biology Paper 2 > Ecology > Flashcards

Ecology Flashcards

1
Q

What is a habitat?

A

The place where organisms live

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2
Q

What is a population?

A

All the organisms of one species living in a habitat

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3
Q

What is a community?

A

The populations of different species living in a habitat

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4
Q

What are abiotic factors?

A

Non-living factors of the environment. E.g. temperature

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5
Q

What are biotic factors?

A

Living factors of the environment. E.g. food

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6
Q

What is an ecosystem?

A

The interaction of a community of living organisms (biotic) with the non-living (abiotic)

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7
Q

What kind of things do plants compete with other organisms for in order to survive?

A

Light, space, water and mineral ions (nutrients)

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8
Q

What kind of things do animals compete with other organisms for in order to survive?

A

Space (territory), food and water

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9
Q

What is interdependance?

A

Species depending on each other for things like food, shelter, pollination and seed dispersal

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10
Q

How do changes in environment have knock on effects of species?

A

Interdependence means that a major change such as the loss of a species can affect the accessibility of food, competition and likelihood to be eaten by predators.

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11
Q

What are some examples of abiotic factors?

A

-Moisture level
-Light intensity
-Temperature
-Carbon Dioxide Level (for plants)
-Wind intensity and direction
-Oxygen level
-Soil pH and mineral content

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12
Q

How can light intensity, carbon dioxide levels or temperature affect the population size of a plant?

A

A decrease in any of these things can decrease the rate of photosynthesis in a plant species which could hinder plant growth, decreasing the population size

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13
Q

How can the mineral content of soil affect the population size of a plant?

A

A decrease in the mineral content (e.g. a lack of nitrates) could cause nutrient deficiencies in which could hinder plant growth, decreasing the population size

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14
Q

What are some examples of biotic factors?

A

-new predators
-competition
-new pathogens
-availability of food

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15
Q

How is the arctic fox adapted to their environment?

A

It has white fur so they’re camouflaged against the snow to help them avoid predators and sneak up on prey

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16
Q

How are whales and other animals that live in cold places adapted to their environment?

A

They have a thick layer of blubber (fat) and a low surface area to volume ratio to help them retain heat

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17
Q

What is an example of behavioural adaptations.

A

Birds like swallows migrate to warmer climates during the winter to avoid the cold conditions

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18
Q

How are desert animals functionally adapted to their environment?

A

They conserve water by producing very little sweat

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19
Q

How are brown bears functionally adapted to their environment?

A

They hibernate over winter to lower their metabolism which conserves energy so they don’t have to hunt when food is scarce

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20
Q

Why are some microorganisms known as extremophiles?

A

Because can adapt to live in extreme temperatures e.g. volcanoes, salty bodies of water and high pressure deep sea vents

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21
Q

What is the role of producers in a food chain?

A

-They’re usually green plants or algae
-it produces glucose by photosynthesis
-some of the glucose is used to make other biological molecules which are the plants biomass (stored energy)
-Biomass is transferred as organisms eat each other

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22
Q

How do the population sizes of predator and prey affect each other?

A

-If the population of prey increases so will the predators (more food)
-If the population of the predators increases, the population of the prey decreases
-This results in a predator-prey cycles that are always out of phase because it takes time for the populations to reproduce in response to the changes

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23
Q

What is the distribution of an organisms?

A

The part/area of its habitat in which in it is found. An organism might be more common in one area than another during because of the environmental factors

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24
Q

Describe the process of using quadrants to study the distribution of small organisms.

A

-Place a 1m^2 quadrat on the ground at a random point in the first sample area
-Count all of the organisms within the quadrat
-repeat this as many times as possible
-work out the mean number of organisms per quadrat
-Repeat all this in the second sample area
-compare the two means

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25
Q

How can you work out the population size of an organism using quadrats?

A

-Use quadrats to find the mean number of organisms within a specific area (e.g. 1m^2)
-Multiply this by the size of the total area that you’re studying

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26
Q

How can transects be used to study the distribution of organisms along a line?

A

-Mark out a line in the area you want to study
-collect data along the line by counting all the organisms that touch the line
-or place quadrants along the line

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27
Q

How the you estimate the percentage cover of a quadrant?

A

-count the number of squares along a quadrant
-make this into a percentage by dividing the number of squares covered by the organism by the total number of squares and multiplying by 100

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28
Q

What is an example of water changing the distribution of a species?

A

The distribution of animal and plant species in the tropics changes based on rainfall patterns in wet and dry seasons

29
Q

What is an example of temperature changing the distribution of a species?

A

The distribution of bird species in Germany is changing because of a rise in average temperature

30
Q

What is an example of the composition of atmospheric gases changing the distribution of a species?

A

Air pollution can change the distribution of some species.

31
Q

What can cause changes in environmental factors?

A

-seasonal factors
-geographic factors
-human interaction

32
Q

Describe the water cycle.

A

-Energy from the sun makes water evaporate from the plants (transpiration) land and sea
-warm water vapour carried upwards and cools and condenses, forming clouds
-water falls as precipitation, providing fresh water for plants and animals
-drains into the sea
-all starts over

33
Q

How are elements cycles through the food chain?

A

-plants turn elements (carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen into complex compounds
-passed up the food chain
-returned to the environment as waste or decay of dead animals
-waste and decay return elements to the soil
-all starts over

34
Q

What are the conditions needed for faster decay? Why?

A

-warmth
-moist (water availability)
-oxygen availability
-larger number of decay organisms
Because microorganisms are more active in these conditions

35
Q

Describe the carbon cycle.

A

-green plants and algae take up CO2 via photosynthesis
-carbon used used to make glucose
-CO2 returned in respiration
-animals eat plants and carbon moves through the food chain
-CO2 returned in respiration
-organisms die or produce waste and are fed on by microorganisms which respire
-combustion releases CO2

36
Q

How is biogas produced?

A

-Mainly made up of methane
-Microorganisms decay plant and animal waste anaerobically, producing methane gas
-sludge waste from sewage works or sugar factories
-made in a fermenter called a digester or generator
-can’t be stored as liquid because it needs such a high pressure so must be used right away

37
Q

What is the difference between batch and continuous biogas generators?

A

-Batch make it in small batches. It’s manually loaded with waste and by-products are cleared after each session
-Continuous make it all the time at a steady rate, on a large scale. They’re continuously fed

38
Q

What are the key components of a biogas generator?

A

-inlet for waste material to be put in
-outlet for the digested material
-outlet for the biogass to be piped to where it’s needed

39
Q

How can you investigate the effect of temperature on the rate of decay?

A

-measure 5cm^3 of lipase solution and add to a test tube
-measure 5cm^3 of milk and add to a test tube
-add 5 drops of phenolphthalein indicator to the milk
-add 7cm^3 of sodium carbonate solution to the milk (makes it alkaline so it should turn pink
-set a water bath to 30 degrees, put the tubes in and leave them to reach that temp.
-put in 1cm^3 of the lipase solution into the milk and start a stopwatch
-stir with glass rod
-as soon as it loses its colour stop the watch and record the time
-repeat three times and find a mean (for accuracy)
-repeat at a range of different temperatures

40
Q

What is the formula for the rate of decay?

A

Rate = 1000 / time

41
Q

Why is high biodiversity important?

A

Because species depend on each other for things like shelter and food as well as maintaining the right physical environment for one another (e.g. the acidity of the soil)

42
Q

How does an increase in human population affect the environment?

A

-more people means we have to take more resources from the world to survive
-demand for higher living standard means we use more raw materials and more energy for manufacturing

43
Q

How does pollution affect water?

A

sewage and toxic chemicals are put into rivers, lakes and oceans, affect the plants and animals that rely on them.

44
Q

How does pollution affect the air?

A

Smoke and acidic gases are released into the atmosphere. E.g. sulphur dioxide which produces acid rain.

45
Q

How does pollution affect land?

A

We use toxic chemicals for farming(e.g. pesticides) and bury nuclear waste underground. Landfills.

46
Q

How do greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane trap energy from the sun? Why is this important?

A

-they absorb most of the energy that would normally be radiated into space and re-radiate it in all directions and back to earth
-this keeps heat energy in at night. But as the levels of these gases rise, global warming occurs

47
Q

What are some of the potential consequences of global warming?

A

-high temperatures melt glaciers, rising sea levels, flooding, loss of habitat
-distribution of species may change with rising temperatures and rainfall changes
-changes in migration patterns
-Reduction of biodiversity as it becomes harder for species to survive, extinction

48
Q

What are some of the reasons for deforestation?

A

-to clear land for farming
-to grow crops to produce biofuels

49
Q

What are some of the potential problems that could be caused by deforestation?

A

-less carbon dioxide absorption during photosynthesis, causing global warming
-carbon dioxide released during the burning of trees and the decay of the wood
-less biodiversity and more extinction

50
Q

What are Peat Bogs and how do they add CO2 to the atmosphere?

A

-acidic, waterlogged areas of land where plants to fully decay because there’s not enough oxygen
-partly-rotter plants build up to form peat, storing carbon
-peat is usually drained for farmland, fuel or compost
-it comes into contact with air and the microorganisms begin to decompose it
-all this creates CO2

51
Q

What are some of the programmed that have been set up to minimise damage to ecosystems and biodiversity?

A

-Breeding programmes to breed endangered animals in captivity to prevent extinction
-Programmes to protect rare habitats like coral reefs and heathland
-Programmes to reintroduce hedgegrows and field margins where only a single type of crop is grown
-Programmes to reduce deforestation
-Recycling and waste reduction programmes

52
Q

What does trophic level 1 of the food chain entail?

A
  • Organisms like plants and algae
    -producers that make their own food by photosynthesis using energy from the sun
52
Q

What does trophic level 2 of the food chain entail?

A

-primary consumers
-herbivores that eat the plants and algae
-e.g. arctic hare

52
Q

What does trophic level 3 of the food chain entail?

A
  • secondary consumers
    -carnivores that eat the primary consumers
    -e.g. fox
53
Q

What does trophic level 4 of the food chain entail?

A

-tertiary consumers
-carnivores that eat other carnivores
-they have no predators and are known as apex predators
-e.g. wolves

53
Q

What is the role of decomposers in our ecosystem?

A
  • e.g. bacteria and fungi
  • decompose dead plant or animal material
  • secrete enzymes that break the matter down into small soluble food molecules and then diffuse/absorb them
53
Q

How do pyramids of biomass represent a food chain?

A
  • each bar shows the relative mass pf living material at a trophic level
  • the big bar along the bottom represents the producer and the bars get small as you work your way up the food chain
  • should be drawn to scale
54
Q

How much energy and biomass gets passed up to each trophic level of the food chain?

A

About 10% of what the level before it had.

55
Q

What are some of the reasons that biomass is lost between trophic levels?

A
  • organisms don’t always eat every single part of the organism they’re consuming
  • organisms don’t absorb all the food they ingest
    -some of the biomass is converted into other substances e.g. waste, glucose etc.
56
Q

What is the formula used to calculate the efficiency of a biomass transfer?

A

(Biomass transferred to the nest level / Biomass available at the previous level) X 100

57
Q

What are some of the factors that threaten the food security of a population?

A

-increasing population
-demand for certain foods that may already be scarce
-Farming can be affected by new pests and pathogens
-Farming can become too expensive to maintain food production
-conflicts in some countries can affect the availability of food and water

58
Q

Why are fish stocks declining? What affect does this have?

A
  • we’re over fishing
  • less fish for us to eat, disruption to food chains in the ocean
59
Q

How can fish stocks be maintained?

A

-Fish Quotas - limits on the numbers and sizes of fish that can be caught in certain areas
-Net Size - limits on the mesh size of fish nets to reduce reduce the number of unwanted and discarded fish

60
Q

How can food production be made more efficient?

A

By controlling the movement of livestock and the temperature of their environment to reduce the transfer of energy

61
Q

What are some examples of more energy efficient farming?

A
  • calves and chickens being factory farmed in small pens
  • fish being farmed in cages
  • animals being fed high-protein food to increase their growth
62
Q

What is Mycoprotein? What is it used for?

A

-substance made form the fungus Fusarium, grown in aerobic conditions on glucose syrup
used to make high-protein meat substitutes e.g. Quorn

63
Q

How is bacteria genetically engineered to make human insulin?

A

-plasmid removed from bacterium
-insulin gene cut out of a human chromosome using restriction enzyme
leaves one DNA strand with unpaired bases
-plasmid cut open by same enzyme
-plasmid and human insulin gene mixed together
-Ligase (enzyme) added to join them together, producing recombinant DNA
-recombinant DNA inserted into bacterium
-modified bacterium grown in vat under controlled conditions, producing millions that can be harvested and purified

64
Q

What are some of the arguments in favour of genetically modified crops?

A

-can be resistant to pests
-grow better in drought conditions
-more nutritional value

65
Q

What are some of the arguments against genetically modified crops?

A

-poverty is a bigger problem that food being unavailable
-countries may become dependent on companies that sell GM seeds
-poor soil is the main reason why crops fail so GM crops won’t survive anyway

GCSE Biology Paper 2 (3 decks)

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