Biodiversity & The Distribution Of Life

Question 1

What is meant by species ?

Answer 1

An organism which reproduces with its own kind and is capable of producing fertile offspring

Question 2

What is meant by an ecosystem ?

Answer 2

A natural biological unit of the environment which consists of all the organisms living in a particular area and the non-living components with which the organisms interact

Question 3

What does an ecosystem contain?

Answer 3

One or more habitats

Question 4

What is meant by habitat ?

Answer 4

The place where an organism lives

Question 5

What is meant by community ?

Answer 5

All organisms of all species in a particular area

Question 6

What is meant by population?

Answer 6

Total number of organisms of one species in a particular area

Question 7

What is meant by niche ?

Answer 7

An organisms ecological niche is the role that it plays within the community of an ecosystem. This includes the use it makes of the resources in the ecosystem and the interactions with other organisms in the community.

Question 8

What are biotic factors ?

Answer 8

Living factors that can affect the distribution of organisms

Question 9

Give 4 examples of biotic factors?

Answer 9

Predators
Disease
Food
Grazing

Question 10

What are abiotic factors?

Answer 10

Non-living factors that can affect the distribution of organisms

Question 11

Give 4 examples of abiotic factors ?

Answer 11

Light intensity
Moisture level
pH
Temperature

Question 12

Apart from biotic and abiotic factors, what else can affect biodiversity ?

Answer 12

Human influences

Question 13

Describe grazing in grasslands ?

Answer 13

Natural grasslands normally contain a rich variety of plant species ; some types of grass are vigorous and show more growth, whilst others are more delicate and sensitive to grazing.

Question 14

What is predation?

Answer 14

A biotic factor that affects the number of both the population of a prey animal and the population of its predator because a delicate balance exists between the two.

Question 15

What is a predator ?

Answer 15

An animal that hunts and kills other animals for food.

Question 16

What is a prey?

Answer 16

An animal that is hunted and killed for food.

Question 17

How are predator prey relationships best described in terms of their population numbers?

Answer 17

In a graph

Question 18

Describe stage 1 of the predator prey relationship cycle ?

Answer 18

Prey population increases

Question 19

Describe stage 2 of the predator prey relationship cycle ?

Answer 19

Predator population increases (as more food)

Question 20

Describe stage 3 of the predator prey relationship cycle ?

Answer 20

Prey population decreases (because of more predators)

Question 21

Describe stage 4 of the predator prey relationship cycle ?

Answer 21

Predator population decreases (less food)

Question 22

Describe stage 5 of the predator prey relationship cycle ?

Answer 22

Prey population increases

Question 23

What is biodiversity ?

Answer 23

The total variation that exists among all living things on earth

Question 24

What does biodiversity include ?

Answer 24

The variation found between different species and the variation found within the same species

Question 25

What are human influences ?

Answer 25

The effect of human activities on the environment

Question 26

Give 2 examples of human influences ?

Answer 26

Air/water pollution | Deforestation

Question 27

What causes acid rain?

Answer 27

The combustion of coal by electricity- generating power stations which produce sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides which combine with water to form acids

Question 28

What species of animal in mainly affected by acid rain falling into rivers and lochs ?

Answer 28

Fish species

Question 29

Give an example of a fish species that is affected by a decrease in pH to a large extent ?

Answer 29

Trout

Question 30

Give an example of a fish species that is affected by a decrease in pH to a small extent ?

Answer 30

Eel (can tolerate more acidic conditions)

Question 31

What is thermal pollution and how is it caused ?

Answer 31

When the water is returned to the river and it is considerably warmer Thermal pollution is caused by some types of electricity- generating power stations using local river water as a coolant

Question 32

What other abiotic factor is affected by an increase in water temperature?

Answer 32

Oxygen concentration

Question 33

What is a biome ?

Answer 33

A region of the planet that has a characteristic climate, type of vegetation (flora) and community of animals (fauna)

Question 34

What do organisms living in a particular biome have?

Answer 34

Adaptations allowing them to survive the climatic conditions of that regions

Question 35

What is the distribution of biomes mostly influenced by?

Answer 35

Temperature and rainfall

Question 36

Describe freshwater biome?

Answer 36

About 3% of earths water is freshwater Included water locked up in the ice caps and trapped in rocks and soil Only tiny fractions is surface water in forms of rivers, lakes and swamps

Question 37

Describe marine biome ?

Answer 37

Salt water | Cover 71% of earths surface

Question 38

Describe desert biome ?

Answer 38

Dry and hot Less than 250mm of rainfall per year Largest desert is the Sahara in North Africa

Question 39

Describe the forest biome ?

Answer 39

Dominated by trees | Divided into tropical and temperate forest

Question 40

Describe grassland biome ?

Answer 40

Dominated by grasses and shrubs | Divided into tropical (Savannah) and temperate grassland

Question 41

Describe the tundra biome ?

Answer 41

Surrounds north Arctic and south Antarctica poles and found in mountainous areas

Question 42

What is the distribution of lichens influenced by?

Answer 42

Human activities

Question 43

What is a lichen formed from?

Answer 43

A mutualistic relationship between an algae and a fungus

Question 44

What do different species of lichen vary in ?

Answer 44

Their sensitivity to sulfur dioxide

Question 45

What can only crusty lichens tolerate?

Answer 45

Tolerate high levels of sulfur dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere

Question 46

What can lichens be used to do ?

Answer 46

Indicate the levels of sulphur dioxide pollution in the atmosphere

Question 47

What can types of invertebrates be used as ?

Answer 47

An indicator species to indicate levels of pollution so in rivers

Question 48

What is meant by biodiversity ?

Answer 48

Variety of living organisms in a particular ecosystem

Question 49

Give an account of the factors that define an organism niche

Answer 49

``` What resources it uses What organisms it interacts with What it feeds on What feeds on it What it adds to the environment ```