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Biology > B2 - Understanding Our Environment > Flashcards

B2 - Understanding Our Environment Flashcards

1
Q

Which groups are organisms classified into?

A
  • Kingdom
  • Phylum
  • Class
  • Order
  • Family
  • Genus
  • Species

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2
Q

What are the two different forms of classifying species?

A
  1. **Artificial system **- based on one or two characteristics to make identification easier
  2. Natural system - based on evolutionary relationships and genetic similarities between organisms
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3
Q

How could the classification of an organism change overtime?

A

DNA Sequencing allows scientists to see the genetic diffrence between organisms, therefore some organisms could be re-classified into different groups

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4
Q

What does the term **Species **mean?

A

A groups of organisms that can interbreed to produce fertile offspring

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5
Q

How are organisms named?

A

Organisms are named by the binomial system, there are two parts to the name

  1. Genus - starts with capital
  2. Species - starts with lower case
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6
Q

What are the problems with classifying?

A
  • There are different organisms that are in different stages of evolution & new organisms are being discovered therefore its hard to put them into a distinct group
  • Bacteria - they don’t interbreed and reproduce asexually, therefore they can’t be classed as different species.
  • Hybrids- produced by two members of different species interbreeding, the offspring is infertile so it can’t be classes as species
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7
Q

What is the pyramid of biomass?

A

It shows the dry mass of a living material at each stage of a food chain

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8
Q

Why might a pyramid of biomass look different compared to a pyramid of numbers?

A
  • If the producers are very large
  • If small parasites live on a large animal
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9
Q

Why might a POB (pyramid of biomass) be more difficult to construct even though it shows the different trophic levels better?

A
  • some organisms feed on organisms from different trophic levels
  • Measuring dry mass is difficult as it involves removing alll of the water from an organism. therefore killing it
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10
Q

What can the energy along the food chain be wasted as?

A
  • heat from respiration
  • egestion
  • excretion
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11
Q

Why might the material at each stage of a trophic level, not be wasted?

A

The lost energy is used by decomposers that can start another food chain

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12
Q

Why can’t there be more than roughly five trophic levels in a pyramid of biomass?

A

So much energy is lost at each stage that it isn’t sustainable for the organism at the top of the food chain

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13
Q

How do you work out the efficiency of energy transfer?

A

efficiency = _energy used for growth _

                         energy input                  X 100
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14
Q

How is CO2 released into air?

A
  • plants & animals **respiring **
  • soil bacteria & fungi acting as decomposers
  • burning of fossil fuels (combustion)
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15
Q

How can CO2 be absorbed from the air by the ocean and how is it released again?

A
  • There are marine organisms that make shells made out of carbonate, this becomes limestone rocks
  • the carbon in limestone can return in the air as CO2 during volcanic eruptions or weathering
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16
Q

carbon cycle diagram

A
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17
Q

What do plants use nitrogen for?

A
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18
Q

What happens to the nitrogen compounds in dead organisms?

A

They are broken down by decomposers & returned to the soil

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19
Q

What are the microorganisms responsible for recycling nitrogen?

A
  1. Soil bacteria/fungi - known as decomposers & they convert proteins into ammonia
  2. **Nitrifying bacteria - **converting ammonia to nitrates
  3. **Denitrifying bacteria - **converts nitrates to nitrogen gas
  4. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria - live in root nodules of legume plants and they fix nitrogen gas into nitrogen compounds through lightening. They have a mutualistic relationship with the plant, the bacterua gets food (sugar) from the plant and the plant gets the nitrogen compounds it need in able to make proteins and grow
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20
Q

Nitogen cycle

A
21
Q

What do decomposers need in able to break down dead materia in soil?

A
22
Q

Where will decay be slowest at & why?

A
  • Decay will be slowest at waterlogged soil as there is less oxygen
  • Also acidic conditions will slow down decay
23
Q

What does the term **ecological niche **mean?

A

The role of an organism within an ecosystem

24
Q

What are the two different types of competition?

A
  1. **INTERSPECIFIC - **between organism of different species
  2. **INTRASPECIFIC **- between organisms of the same species
25
Q

What does a predator and prey relationship show?

A

It shows the cylical changes (up & down) in their numbers

26
Q

Why are most predator and prey relationships cylical in their numbers?

A
  • When there are a lot of prey, more preditors are able to survive therefore the numbers increase
  • This means that the number of prey increased will drop, this means that the number of preditors will also drop
  • The more predators starved meaning a drop in numbers
27
Q

Why does it take a while in order for the predator numbers to peak when the prey peaks?

A

This is because it takes a while for increased supply of food to allow more predators to survive & reproduce

28
Q

What is a parasite?

A

A parasite is an organism that live on or in a host and feeds from it, mostly causing the host to suffer from the relationship

e.g. mosquitos/fleas

29
Q

What is meant by the term mutualism? Give examples

A

Where both organisms can benefit due to their dependant relationship

  1. Insects transfer pollen from visiting flowes & rewarded by sugary nectar
  2. Cleaner fish cleans parasite out of big fishes teeth & in return they get food
30
Q

What are pea plants?

A

Pea plants are legumes with structures their roots known as nodules, in these nodules live nitrogen fixing bacteria

31
Q

Explain the mutualistic relationship between a pea plant and the nitrogen fixing bacteria

A
  1. The bacteria turns nitrogen into nitrogen-containing chemicals & give some to the pea
  2. The pea plant gives the beacteria some sugars produced by photosynthesis
32
Q

How does a parasite become adapted?

A

It does not kill the host quickly or else it would have to find another host

33
Q

What is the feature in animals in cold conditions that reduces heat loss?

A

Through anatomical adaptations

34
Q

What are the anatomical adaptations in colder climates?

A

Excellent Insulation:

  • Thick fur (e.g arctic foxes) - traps the air for insulation
  • Seals - Thin fur but thick layer of fat under the skin
  • The animals are usually large with small ears, helps to decrease heat loss because it decreases surface area to volume ratio
35
Q
A
36
Q

What are behavrial adaptations that some animals have in colder climates?

A
  • They migrate to warmer distances, even travelling long distances
  • Others slow down their body processes or hibernate
37
Q

How have Penguins adapted to reducing heat loss

A

They have the counter current heat exchange mechanism

  1. Blood vessels going to and from the feet carry blood that flows in opposite directions
  2. The vessels pass close to each other, allowing heat to transfer between them
  3. Warm blood entering the flippers warms up cold blood leaving, stopping body cooling down
38
Q

What are biochemical adaptations that organisms have in colder climates?

A

Anti-freeze Proteins

39
Q

What are anatomical adaptations that help organisms increase heat loss in hot climates?

A
  • Camels - little hair on the underside of their bodies
  • Animals are usually smaller & have large ears, meaning they have a larger sufrace area to volume ratio
40
Q

What are behavioural adaptations that organisms have in hotter climate?

A
  • panting/licking fur
  • Seek shade at hotter hours
41
Q

What are the behavioural, anatomical and physiological adaptations that organisms have in dry conditions

A
  • Camels survive with little water as the can produce concentrated urine
  • Cacti reduce water loss as their leaves are reduced to spine. Also, they have deep roots & can store water in the stem
42
Q

What are organisms that can withstand extremely hot conditions and suggest a reason why?

A
  • Extremophiles
  • Some bacteria have enzymes that dont denature at temperature as high as 100°C
43
Q

What are specialists?

what could be the problems with these types of organisms?

A
  • They organisms that are highly adapted to a specific habitat (e.g polar bears)
  • They would struggle to live in changing habitats and would be out competed
44
Q

What are Generalists?

What could be the problems?

A
  • Organisms that are adapted to live in a range of different habitats
  • They could be out competed by the specialists in stable habitats
45
Q

What are different types of pollution caused by?

A
  • Carbon dioxide - increases burning of fossil fuels, which increases greenhouse gases & global warming
  • CFCs -from aerosols which destroys the ozone layer
  • Sulfur Dioxide - burning fossil fuels causes acid rain
46
Q

What is exponential growth?

A

When the human population of the world is growing at an ever-increasing rate, when the birth-rate exceed the death rate

47
Q

What is the Carbon Footprint?

A

The amount of pollution caused per person/organisation, it measures the total greenhouse gas given off in a certain time

48
Q

How can pollution in air/water be measured?

A
  • Indicator organisms
  • Direct methods

Biology (3 decks)

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