B7 - Ecology

Question 1

What is an abiotic factor?

Give examples

Answer 1

Abiotic factor - non living element in an ecosystem

e.g. water / stones / Carbon Dioxide

Question 2

What is a biotic factor?

Give examples

Answer 2

Biotic Factor - a living element of an ecosystem

e.g. animals / plants / predators / new pathogen / food

Question 3

What is biodiversity?

Answer 3

Biodiversity - the variety of different species living on the earth on in an ecosystem

Question 4

How does the increasing human population reduce biodiversity?

Answer 4

More people mean

• More resources needed
  (e. g. more trees for wood / more land for grazing/farming)
• More waste and pollution of WATER / LAND / AIR

Question 5

What are the 3 different types of adaptation?

Answer 5

1) Structural - features of their body e.g. shape or colour
2) Behavioural - e.g. migration etc
3) Functional - inside the body e.g. metabolism / losing less water etc

Question 6

What are structural adaptations?

Give examples

Answer 6

Structural - features of their body

e.g. shape or colour

Question 7

What are behavioural adaptations?

Give examples

Answer 7

Behaviour adaptations - the way the animal behaves

e.g. migration etc

Question 8

What are functional adaptations?

Give examples

Answer 8

Functional adaptations - inside the body

e.g. metabolism / losing less water etc

Question 9

What are extremophiles?

Answer 9

Organisms adapted to live in extreme conditions e.g.

high temperatures e.g. volcanoes
High pressure e.g. deep sea vents

Question 10

What are the consequences of deforestation?

Answer 10

Less Carbon Dioxide taken in (less trees photosynthesising)

More carbon dioxide released (trees burnt to clear land and microorganisms feeding on dead wood)

Less Biodiversity (loss of habitats)

Question 11

In ecology, what is a producer?

Answer 11

Producers make their own energy using the sun (photosynthesis). They start the food chains.

Question 12

What happens to the energy as you go up a food chain?

Answer 12

The energy decreases

Question 13

Explain how a transect is used

Answer 13

Mark out a line with a tape measure

Count all the organism you are interested in that touch that line

or place quadrats along the line and count the organisms in the quadrats

Question 14

What can quadrats be used to investigate?

Answer 14

Quadrates can be used to estimate the population of organisms in a area e.g. daisies on the field

Question 15

How should a quadrat be placed in a field?

How can this be done?

Answer 15

Randomly

Draw a grid and select a grid number using random number generator or names in a hat

Question 16

How can you use a quadrate to estimate the population of an organisms in a large area?

Answer 16

1) place a number of quadrats e.g. 10 randomly on the field
2) count the number of the organism (e.g. daisies) and calculate an average (Add them all up and divide by the number you have)
3) Multiply the average by the number of quadrats in square meter
4) Multiply by size of field in meters squared

Question 17

In the carbon cycle,

How is Carbon Dioxide removed from the atmosphere?

Answer 17

Photosynthesis

Question 18

In the carbon cycle,

How is carbon dioxide released back into the atmosphere?

Answer 18

Respiration

Decay by micro-organisms

Burning of wood / fossil fuels