Biology 3 - Core

Question 1

Define species

Answer 1

a group of organisms that can breed together to produce fertile offspring

Question 2

Define adaptation

Answer 2

a feature that helps an organism survive in the environment it lives in

Question 3

What is a food web?

Answer 3

simply a number of food chains joined together

Question 4

What can we learn from food chains?

Answer 4

how the loss of ONE organism affects the lives of MULTIPLE others - called the Independence of Living Things

Question 5

Define extinction

Answer 5

the disappearance of a species from the earth

Question 6

What happens to organisms when the environment changes?

Answer 6

they are likely to be less adapted to it and may struggle to survive

Question 7

Which organisms are most likely to reproduce?

Answer 7

those that are best adapted to their environment

Question 8

What are some factors that can lead to extinction?

Answer 8

rapid changes to the environment - such as climate etc.
new diseases
new predators
new competitors

Question 9

What is one thing we learn from the fossil record?

Answer 9

that since the beginning of the earth, some species may have become extinct

Question 10

What are the two ways in which extinction can be caused?

Answer 10

direct human activity

indirect human activity

Question 11

What is the main importance of the sun in the survival of organisms?

Answer 11

they rely on the light and heat energy it produces

Question 12

How is light energy used?

Answer 12

to drive food production

Question 13

Which process leads to food production?

Answer 13

photosynthesis

Question 14

What does photosynthesis lead to?

Answer 14

the production of organic compounds such as glucose - from carbon dioxide and water

Question 15

Where is the light energy absorbed in a plant?

Answer 15

through the chemicals that make up their cells

Question 16

What is energy transfer?

Answer 16

the energy that is carried between levels of a food chain

Question 17

What percentage of energy is passed on through a food chain?

Answer 17

around 10%

Question 18

What happens as less energy is passed on?

Answer 18

the number of organisms at that level get smaller

Question 19

Why do all cells contain carbon?

Answer 19

because they all contain proteins, fats and carbohydrates

Question 20

In what form is carbon passed from the atmosphere?

Answer 20

as carbon dioxide

Question 21

What happens once co2 has been passed from the atmosphere?

Answer 21

it passes through organisms in complex molecules

Question 22

After passing through as complex molecules, what does carbon return to the atmosphere as?

Answer 22

carbon dioxide

Question 23

How is carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere

Answer 23

by green plants through photosynthesis

Question 24

What can carbon be found in when in the form of complex molecules?

Answer 24

fats, proteins, carbohydrates

Question 25

How is carbon returned to the atmosphere?

Answer 25

through respiration - plants, animals, microorganisms

Question 26

When an animal eats a plant, what happens to the carbon?

Answer 26

it becomes part of the fats and proteins in the animal

Question 27

What happens to waste material from animals and plants?

Answer 27

it is fed on by some microorganisms and animals

Question 28

What happens to the carbon dioxide from animal and plant waste?

Answer 28

it becomes part of the microorganisms and detritus feeders

Question 29

What causes decay to speed up?

Answer 29

warm, moist conditions - it can be very slow in cold and dry conditions

Question 30

To calculate the efficiency of an energy transfer, what equation should be used?

Answer 30

(energy transferred to next level / total energy in) x 100