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Abi Biology 2017 > Ecosystems > Flashcards

Ecosystems Flashcards

1
Q

What do living organisms do in order to survive and reproduce!

A

Interact with other organisms and the environment in which they live

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2
Q

What is an environment?

A

The sum total of the biological, physical and chemical conditions surrounding an organism

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3
Q

What is an ecosystem?

A

A particular area in which living components interact with one another and with non-living components

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4
Q

What is another name for the living components in an ecosystem?

A

Biotic

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5
Q

What is another name for the non-living components in an ecosystem?

A

Abiotic

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6
Q

What is the size of an ecosystem?

A

It can be a giant rainforest, or a tiny drop of water

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7
Q

What is ecology?

A

The study of relationships and interactions between living organisms and between the organism and the natural environment in which they occur

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8
Q

How many abiotic factors are there?

A

Seven

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9
Q

What are the seven abiotic factors?

A 
Physiographic
Edaphic
Light
Temperature
Water
Atmospheric gases
Wind
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10
Q

What are the climatic factors?

A

The collective term for wind, temperature, light, water and atmospheric gases

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11
Q

What are three physiographic factors?

A

Aspect
Slope
Height above sea level

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12
Q

What is aspect?

A

Slope direction

It refers to the position of an area in relation to the sun

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13
Q

How does aspect influence vegetation?

A

One side of a slope gets more sunlight than another
Sun-loving vegetation therefore prefers this slope
Shade plants prefer the other side

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14
Q

Which side of a mountain (in SA) gets more sunlight?

A

North

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15
Q

What is slope?

A

How steep or flat a landscape is

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16
Q

What does slope affect?

A

The rate of water run-off

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17
Q

How does the rate of water run-off affect vegetation?

A

More run-off means more nutrients are washed away
There are fewer nutrients available
Few plants and animals are present

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18
Q

What kind of slope increases the rate of water run-off?

A

Steep

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19
Q

What kind of slope decreases water run-off?

A

Gentle

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20
Q

What kind of weather can be found high above sea level?

A

Extreme
Strong winds
Snow

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21
Q

What are edaphic factors?

A

Soil factors

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22
Q

What are five edaphic factors?

A 
Type of soil
Soil air
Water-holding capacity
Humus content
pH
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23
Q

What are the three types of soil?

A

Clay
Loam
Sand

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24
Q

What kinds of particles are found in clay?

A

Tiny

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25
Q

What kinds of particles are found in loam?

A

Slightly larger particles

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26
Q

What kinds of particles are found in sandy soil?

A

Coarse, large particles

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27
Q

What is soil texture?

A

It refers to how coarse or fine the soil is

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28
Q

What is soil air?

A

Spaces between soil particles that are filled with air

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29
Q

Why is soil air important?

A

It is vital for the survival of soil organisms

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30
Q

Which type of soil has the most soil air?

A

Sandy soil

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31
Q

When soil has soil air, what is it referred to as?

A

Well-aerated soil

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32
Q

Why is soil air important for plants?

A

The pockets of soil air allow space for plant roots to push through

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33
Q

What is water-holding capacity?

A

How much water is retained in the soil

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34
Q

Which type of soil has the greatest water-holding capacity?

A

Clay

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35
Q

Why does clay have the best water holding capacity?

A

The tiny particles are close together, trapping the water

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36
Q

What happens when soil (such as sand) has a low water-holding capacity?

A

The water drains through the soil

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37
Q

What is leaching?

A

Leaching occurs when water drains through soil and takes nutrients with it

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38
Q

Why isn’t clay soil suitable for pant growth, even though it has a great water-holding capacity?

A

The plant roots rot because the water does not drain away

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39
Q

What type of soil is the most suitable for plant growth?

A

Loam

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40
Q

Why is loam suitable for plant growth?

A

Sufficiently aerated
Has a good water-holding capacity, but it can still drain
It contains sufficient nutrients

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41
Q

What is humus?

A

Decayed plant and animal matter

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42
Q

Why is humus good in soil?

A

It increases the available nutrients in soil

Increases the soil’s water-holding capacity

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43
Q

What is soil with sufficient nutrients in it called?

A

Fertile soil

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44
Q

What colour is soil with a high humus content?

A

Dark brown

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45
Q

How does pH affect plant growth?

A

Different plants prefer different pH

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46
Q

Which plants prefer acidic soil?

A

Azaleas

Proteas

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47
Q

Which plants prefer alkaline soil?

A

Succulents

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48
Q

What kind of pH do most plants prefer?

A

Neutral (7)

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49
Q

How does leaching affect pH?

A

Leaching causes the soil to become acidic

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50
Q

Where does leaching often occur?

A

In high rainfall regions with sandy soil

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51
Q

Why do plants need light?

A

For photosynthesis

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52
Q

Why can excessive light be detrimental to plants?

A

It can damage tissues

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53
Q

What is day length?

A

The duration of time that plants are exposed to light

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54
Q

What is photoperiodism?

A

The effect of day length on the growth of the plant

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55
Q

What are short-day plants?

A

Plants that will only flower if the day length is shorter than 12 hours

56
Q

What are long-day plants?

A

Plants that require a day length of over 12 hours in order to flower

57
Q

What are neutral plants?

A

Plants that are not affected by day length

58
Q

What else does light intensity affect?

A

The growth movement and turgor of a plant

59
Q

What is meant by growth movement?

A

The time at which flowers open or close

60
Q

What happens to vygies when light intensity decreases (gets darker)?

A

They close

61
Q

What happens to the evening primrose when light intensity decreases (gets darker)?

A

It opens

62
Q

What are sun plants?

A

Plants in which photosynthesis takes place at a high light intensity
They need more light

63
Q

What are shade plants?

A

Plants in which photosynthesis takes place at a lower light intensity

64
Q

How are animals affected by light?

A

Some animals prefer the dark

Many animals hunt at night and rest during the day

65
Q

What are nocturnal animals?

A

Animals that are most active at night

66
Q

What are ectothermic animals?

A

Animals whose body temperature depends on the temperature of their environment

67
Q

What do many ectothermic animals do?

A

Hibernate in winter

68
Q

What is hibernation?

A

A deep sleep during which the metabolism and heart rate of the animal decrease

69
Q

When do most hibernations occur?

A

During winter when the conditions are very cold

70
Q

What are endothermic animals?

A

Animals that can keep their body temperature constant despite their environmental temperature

71
Q

Do ectothermic animals hibernate?

A

Some do

72
Q

What is another thing that ectothermic animals can do in winter?

A

Migrate to areas with a warmer climate

73
Q

What are annuals?

A

Plants that complete their life cycle in one season and survive the winter in the form of seeds

74
Q

What do deciduous trees do during winter?

A

They lose their leaves

75
Q

Why do deciduous trees lose their leaves in winter?

A

To reduce their metabolism in order to survive

76
Q

What are epigeal parts?

A

Parts of a plant that are above ground

77
Q

How do some plants hibernate?

A

They lose their epigeal parts and hibernate in the form of bulbs, tubers or rhizomes

78
Q

What is a hydrophyte?

A

A plant that is adapted to grow in water

79
Q

What are some examples of hydrophytes?

A

Water lilies

Hyacinths

80
Q

What are mesophytes?

A

Plants that are adapted to live in areas with a moderate water supply

81
Q

What are some examples of mesophytes?

A

Fruit trees
Poplars
Wheat
Maize

82
Q

What are xerophytes?

A

Plants that are adapted to live in areas where there is very little water

83
Q

What is another name for xerophytes?

A

Succulents

84
Q

What are some examples of xerophytes?

A

Hoodie gordonii

Aloe Vera

85
Q

What are the characteristics of xerophytes?

A 
Thick, fleshy leaves to store water
Small leaves
Sunken stomata
Thick cuticles
Well developed root systems
86
Q

How is the kangaroo rat adapted to live without water?

A

It obtains water from its food

87
Q

What animals can live without water for long periods?

A

Camel
Springbok
Gemsbok

88
Q

How is the camel’s excretory system adapted to conserve water?

A

They excrete urine in the form of crystals

89
Q

How does water affect earthworms?

A

They need damp soil to survive

90
Q

How are insects adapted to conserve water?

A

They have a hard exoskeleton to prevent dehydration

91
Q

How are reptiles adapted conserve water?

A

They are covered in hard, dry scales to prevent water loss

92
Q

What are aquatic animals?

A

Animals that are adapted to live in water

93
Q

How are fish adapted to their environment?

A

They have gills for gaseous exchange

They have fins for swimming and balance

94
Q

What is the composition of the atmosphere?

A

78% Nitrogen
21% Oxygen
0,04% Carbon dioxide
0,96% other

95
Q

Why is Oxygen important for life on earth?

A

Apart form anaerobic bacteria, all organisms need it for cellular respiration

96
Q

Why is CO2 important for plants?

A

It is required for photosynthesis

97
Q

How do terrestrial organisms obtain O2?

A

Directly from the air

98
Q

How do aquatic organisms obtain O2?

A

They absorb it from the water (apart from sea mammals, they come up for air)

99
Q

How do soil organisms acquire O2?

A

Soil air

100
Q

Which substance has the most O2?

A

Air contains much more O2 than water

101
Q

Where do plants get Nitrogen from?

A

They absorb it form the soil

102
Q

In which form do plants obtain Nitrogen?

A

Nitrates NO3

103
Q

How do animals obtain Nitrogen?

A

From the food that they eat

104
Q

How are animals adapted for gaseous exchange?

A

They have respiratory organs with specialised gaseous exchange systems

105
Q

What respiratory organs do birds and mammals have?

A

Lungs

106
Q

What respiratory organs do fish have?

A

Gills

107
Q

What respiratory organs do earthworms have?

A

Their moist, naked skins function as a gaseous exchange surface

108
Q

How are most plants adapted for gaseous exchange?

A

They have stomata on their leaves and stems

109
Q

How are woody plants adapted for gaseous exchange?

A

They have lenticels

110
Q

How are aquatic plants adapted for gaseous exchange?

A

They have a thin epidermis and no cuticle

111
Q

How are aquatic insects adapted for gaseous exchange?

A

They trap air bubbles between their body hairs for gaseous exchange

112
Q

Give an example of an aquatic insect

A

Water beetle

113
Q

What is wind?

A

Moving air

114
Q

How does wind affect the environment?

A

They affect evaporation and transpiration, resulting in living organisms losing water more rapidly
They affect waves

115
Q

What is the biotic component?

A

It includes all of the living organisms that occur in the ecosystem

116
Q

What are the two groups within the biotic component?

A

The autotrophic component

The heterotrophic component

117
Q

What is the autotrophic component?

A

Organisms which can produce their own food

118
Q

What does the autotrophic component consist of?

A

All green plants

119
Q

What is another name for the autotrophic component?

A

Producers

120
Q

What is the heterotrophic component?

A

The group of organisms which cannot produce their own food

121
Q

How do heterotrophs obtain food?

A

They are all directly or indirectly independent on the producers for the food

122
Q

What is another name for the heterotrophic component?

A

The consumers

123
Q

What are the four subdivisions of the consumers?

A

Primary consumers
Secondary consumers
Tertiary consumers
Decomposers

124
Q

What are primary consumers?

A

Organisms that feed directly on plants

125
Q

What is a herbivore?

A

An animal that has plants as a food source

126
Q

What is an omnivore?

A

An organism that lives partially on plant matter and partially on animal matter

127
Q

What type of animal can the primary consumer be?

A

Herbivore

Omnivore

128
Q

What are secondary consumers?

A

Organisms that feed on the primary consumers

129
Q

What are carnivores?

A

Meat eaters

They live only on animal matter

130
Q

What are scavengers?

A

Organisms that eat the remains of dead animals

131
Q

What kinds of animals can the secondary consumers be?

A

Carnivores
Scavengers
Omnivores

132
Q

What are tertiary consumers?

A

Organisms that feed on the secondary consumers

133
Q

What kinds of animals are the tertiary consumers?

A

Carnivores

134
Q

What are decomposers?

A

Organisms that feed on dead organic matter

135
Q

What do decomposers do?

A

They break down organic compounds into simple inorganic substances that are released back into the environment

136
Q

What are examples of decomposers?

A

Saprophytic bacteria

Fungi

137
Q

Why are decomposers important?

A

Without them, nutrients would not be released back into the environment

Abi Biology 2017 (57 decks)

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