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GCSE > 6 ECOLOGY + ENVIROMENT > Flashcards

6 ECOLOGY + ENVIROMENT Flashcards

(45 cards)

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1
Q

Define an ecosystem

A

The community, and the habitat in which it lives

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2
Q

Define a habitat

A

The place/area where an organism lives

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3
Q

Define a population

A

The total number of individuals of one species in a particular habitat at a particular time

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4
Q

Define a community

A

All the populations of different organisms that live together in a habitat

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5
Q

What is an abiotic factor

A

Non-living factors which affect growth and survival of living things

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6
Q

What is an abiotic factor

A

Non-living factors which affect growth and survival of living things

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7
Q

What is a biotic factor

A

Living factors which affect growth and survival of living things

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8
Q

3 examples of abiotic factors

A

Temperature, sunlight intensity, mineral content in soil

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9
Q

3 examples of biotic factors

A

Disease, predetation, trampling

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10
Q

Describe how to investigate population size of an organism using quadrats

A
  • Calculate area of habitat
  • Measure individuals in one quadrat
  • Place quadrat in 10 different locations using RANDOM SAMPLING
  • Calculate average number of individuals in a quadrat
  • Calculate how many quadrats fit into total area
  • Multiple average number of individuals by how many quadrats fit into area
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11
Q

How to do a random sample

A
  • Divide area into 0-10 co-ordinate grid
  • Use a random number generator to get a pair of numbers
  • Use them as co-ordinates to place your qudrat
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12
Q

Describe nitrogen fixation

A

Nitrogen-fixing bacteria in soil and roots of leagumes absorb nitrogen, and make it into ammonia

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13
Q

Describe nitrification

A

Ammonia is converted to nitrates by nitrifying bacteria

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14
Q

Explain denitrification

A

Nitrates are converted in nitrogen gas by denitrifying bacteria

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15
Q

Explain decompostion (as part of the nitrogen cycle)

A

Bacteria and fungi decompose dead matter by saprotrophic feeding, and ammonia is released into the soil

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16
Q

Explain decompostion (as part of the nitrogen cycle)

A

Bacteria and fungi decompose dead matter by saprotrophic feeding, and ammonia is released into the soil

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17
Q

Define Biodiversity

A

The measure of how many different species live in an ecosystem

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18
Q

How to measure the biodiversity of an area

A
  • Calculate area of habitat
  • Record number of each different species
  • Place quadrat in 10 different locations using RANDOM SAMPLING
  • Calculate average number of different species in a quadrat
  • Calculate how many quadrats fit into total area
  • Multiple average number of different species by how many quadrats fit into area
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19
Q

How would you investigate the effect of an abiotic or biotic variable on biodiversity

Study These Flashcards
A
  • Select at least two areas where variable is different
  • Measure the variable in each area
  • Estimate biodiversity using quadrat method
20
Q

What is leaching

Study These Flashcards
A

When a lot of fertiliser is washed out of the soil when it rains into a river

21
Q

Describe eutrophication and the effects of leached minerals

Study These Flashcards
A
  • Nitrates are absorbed by algae in water
  • Multiply rapidly and cover water - algal blood
  • Blocks sunlight for other plants
  • They are unable to photosynthesise and die
  • Algae on surface die
  • Dead remains are good source of food for bacteria
  • Multiply rapidly
  • Large population of bacteria respire, increaisng B.O.D, using oxygen in water
  • Decreases level of oxygen for fish and they die as they cannot respire aerobically
22
Q

Describe pollution of water by sewage and it’s biological consequences

Study These Flashcards
A
  • Sewage provide good source of food for bacteria
  • Bacteria multiply rapidly
  • Large population of bacteria respire, increasing B.O.D, using up oxygen in water
  • Decreases the level of oxygen for fish and they die as they cannot repsire aerobically
23
Q

What is B.O.D

Study These Flashcards
A

Biological oxygen demand

24
Q

What is the difference between eutrophication and pollution of water by sewage

Study These Flashcards
A

Eutrophication involves an algal bloom

25
What does an arrow represent on a food web chart
THey dhow the direction that energy and biomass moves
26
Names of the trophic levels
* Producer * Primary Consumer * Secondary Consumer * Tertiary Consumer
27
Why is the energy transfer from sun to proucers inefficent
* Light miss the plant and the chloroplasts * Light reflected by the cuticle * Light has wrong wavelength to be absorbed by chlorophyll
28
Why is only 10% of energy transferred from one trophic level to the next
* Not all the organism is eaten * Some parts are not digested and absorbed - egested as faeces * Energy respired and lost as heat energy * Some plants are indigetable like lignin
29
Carbon cycle: respiration
Glucose broken down into carbon dioxide and released into air
30
Carbon cycle: eating
Carbon in food eaten and then respired back into atmosphere
31
Carbon cycle: decomposers
When a plant or animal dies, decomposers feed on them, and then respire the carbon into atmosphere
32
Carbon cycle: Combustion
Fossil fuels release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere
33
Name the greenhouse gases
* Water vapour * Carbon dioxide * Nitrous oxide * Methane * CFC's
34
Human activities that release carbon dioxide
Burning fossil fuels and slash and burn forest clearance
35
Human activities that release methane
Cattle (from anaerobic activity of bacteria in their gut), and bacteria in waterlogged rice fields
36
Human activities that release nitrous oxides
Burning fossil fuels
37
Human activities that cause CFC's
A solvent in aerosols and in fridges and freezers
38
Consequences of the enhanced greenhouse effect
* Melting of polar ice caps * Destruction of habitats * Drought and desertification * Increased extreme weather events * Spread of disease * Change in crops * Increase in heat related illness + death
39
Biological consequnces of pollution of air by sulfur dioxide
* The sulfur dioxide dissolves into the rainwater in the air * The dilute acid dissolves limestone buildings * Decreases pH of river and lakes * Denature enzymes casuing death
40
Biological consequences of pollution of air by carbon monoxide
* Causes haemoglobin to bind more strongly to it than oxygen * Less oxygen to muscles for aerobic respiration * Can cause death
41
Effects of deforestation
* Leaching - mineral ions in soil run off into rivers and lakes, which can also cause eutrophication * Soil erosion - The top soil contains the minerals are lost making regrowth of plants difficult * Evapotranspiration - Transpiration cannot occur as there are no plants, so evaporation doesn't occur, so rain doesn't occur causing draughts
42
Consequences of the enhanced greenhouse effect
* Melting of polar ice caps * Destruction of habitats * Drought and desertification * Increased extreme weather events * Spread of disease * Change in crops * Increase in heat related illness + death
43
Describe pollution of water by sewage and it's biological consequences
* Sewage provide good source of food for bacteria * Bacteria multiply rapidly * Large population of bacteria respire, increasing B.O.D, using up oxygen in water * Decreases the level of oxygen for fish and they die as they cannot repsire aerobically
44
What is leaching
When a lot of fertiliser is washed out of the soil when it rains into a river
45
How to do a random sample
* Divide area into 0-10 co-ordinate grid * Use a random number generator to get a pair of numbers * Use them as co-ordinates to place your qudrat

GCSE (71 decks)

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