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Ecology Flashcards

(61 cards)

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1
Q

Define Ecology

A

study of interactions between living things and their environment

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2
Q

Define Biosphere

A

part of the earth containing living organisms

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3
Q

Define Ecosystem

A

group of clearly distinguished organisms that interact with their environment

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4
Q

Define Habitat

A

place where an organism lives

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5
Q

Define abiotic factors and give 2 examples

A

non-living factors

eg: soil pH, edaphic factors

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6
Q

Define biotic factors and give 2 examples

A

living factors

eg: food, competition

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7
Q

What is pyramid of numbers?

A

represents the number of organisms at each stage in a food chain

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8
Q

What is meant by trophic level?

A

feeding stage in a food chain

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9
Q

Define edaphic factors

A

soil factors

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10
Q

What is meant by symbiosis

A

two organisms from different species that live in close association where at least one of them benefits

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11
Q

What is meant by nitrogen fixation

A

Conversion of nitrogen gas to nitrates

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12
Q

What is meant by nitrification?

A

conversion of nitrogen into nitrites and nitrates

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13
Q

What is the function of nitrogen cycle?

A

so it can be absorbed by organisms

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14
Q

Give 2 factors that influence the size of the human population

A
  1. Famine

2. War

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15
Q

If the population of prey declines suggest two possible consequences for the predators

A
  1. Less predators

2. Might migrate where there are more prey

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16
Q

What is the principal source of energy for the earths ecosystems?

A

sun

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17
Q

State one way in which a named organism is adapted to the ecosystem

A

fox- red fur for camouflage

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18
Q

What is meant by competition?

A

when organisms actively struggle for a scarce resource and only one of them wins

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19
Q

A relationship between two organisms in which both benefit is called

A

symbiosis

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20
Q

two sources of the carbon dioxide that are found in the atmosphere

A
  1. respiration

2. rocks

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21
Q

pollution

A

any harmful addition to the environment

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22
Q

Give an example of pollution and describe how this form of pollution can be controlled

A

animal waste

spread slurry on dry land

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23
Q

Give an example of human activity that results in the pollution of water

A

too much fertiliser is spread on grassland
fertiliser gets washed in the rivers/lakes
It causes algae to grow
when algae dies the oxygen gets used up and all living things die (eutrophication)

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24
Q

what is meant by conservation

A

wise management of our existing natural resources in order to maintain biodiversity

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25
Give an example of conservation practise
1. Fish quotas | 2. large nets
26
Outline problems associated with waste
1. causes disease 2. poisonous gasses 3. unpleasant smells
27
Suggest two reasons of minimising waste
1. re-use 2. recycle 3. reduce 4. Compost bin
28
Describe one method of waste management y reference to agriculture
1. Slurry | 2. spread on dry land or store in leak proof pits
29
Give one example of the use of micro-organisms in waste management
1. decompose | 2. break down organic waste
30
Define quantitative study
record the number of the organisms in an ecosystem
31
what is meant by fauna?
animals in an ecosystem
32
Why is only 10% of energy passed onto the next trophic level?
1. due to high energy loss | 2. 90% of energy is lost due to growth, respiration, excretion and decay
33
Niche
functional role of an organism in an ecosystem
34
what is meant by nutrient recycling?
way in which elements (C,N) are exchanged between living and non living components of the ecosystem (reuse of nutrients)
35
Roles of organisms in the carbon cycle
1. Plants- remove CO2 from the environment in photosynthesis and return it in respiration 2. Animals- Obtain carbon by eating plants and release carbon in respiration 3. Micro-organisms-return carbon to the environment when they decompose dead plants and animals
36
Causes of global warming
1. Increased burning of fossil fuels | 2. Deforestation
37
Effects of global warming
1. Sea levels rising 2. Weather alters 3. Rising temperatures
38
Carbon and Nitrogen cycle similarities
1. Micro-organisms 2. Death and decomposition 3. Excretion 4. Nutrition
39
Define Eutrophication
1. artificial fertilisers are washed into rivers 2. algae uses up the nutrients 3. algae die and leads to oxygen depletion
40
Benefits of conservation
1. maintain diversity 2. Prevent death 3. maintain plant species
41
Difference between intra/inter competition
Intra- takes place between the same species | Intra- involves different species
42
Difference between contest and scramble competition
Contest- only one win | Scramble- each organism gets some of the resources
43
Effects of competition
1. Controls size of the population | 2. Allows natural selection to occur better adapted will survive
44
Adaptations to survive competition
1. Shallow roots to absorb water 2. Dandelions have long roots to absorb water 3. Blackbird warns competitors 4. Yellow petals attract insect pollinators
45
Give 2 examples of Symbiosis
1. Mutualism | 2. Parasitism
46
Give an example of Mutualism
1. symbiotic bacteria in the colon supply humans with vitamins
47
Give an example of Parasitism
1. leeches on human skin/lice
48
Distinguish between endoparasites and ectoparasites
Endo- feed in a living host | Exto- feed on the outside of the host
49
Name a predator and their adaptation
1. Fox 2. Behavioural adaptation- fast 3. Structural- Long canine teeth and red fur for camouflage
50
Name a prey and their adaptation
1. Rabbit 2. Behavioural- narrow underground burrows large predators can't enter 3. Structural- long ears, good hearing to detect predator
51
Factors that affect population growth
1. Famine 2. Disease 3. Wars 4. Contraception
52
Apparatus to collect plants and animals
1. Mammal trap-collect mice 2. Pitfall trap-collects insects 3. Pooter-collects spiders
53
Define quantitative and qualitative study
1. Quantitative- records the number of each organism | 2. Qualitative- records the presence or absence of each organism
54
Sources of error when conducting an ecological study
1. Non-random sampling 2. Misidentification 3. Miscounting
55
Describe how you carried out a quantitative study on a named plant
1. choose a simple quadrat 2. place quadrat at random 3. record the presence or absence of the buttercup 4. record the results in a table 5. calculate the percentage frequency
56
Describe how you carried out a quantitative survey of a named animal
1. set Cryptozoic traps 2. collect any snails caught and count them 3. mark snails with non-toxic paint 4. release traps and collect again 3-4 days later 5. count marked and unmarked snails 6. calculate the population as shown
57
Describe how you investigate abiotic factors in a selected ecosystem
1. Air temperature --> thermometer 2. Soil pH -->pH meter 3. Light intensity --> Light meter
58
Name structural and behavioural adaptation of an earthworm
Structural --> dark brown for camouflage | Behavioural --> stays away from light to avoid predators
59
Limitations of the pyramid numbers
1. do not take the size of the organisms into account (inverted) 2. number of organisms are too large to draw (distorted)
60
example of the pyramid of numbers
1. Grass-rabbit-fox 2. oak-greenfly-spider-thrush 3. dandelions-snails-hedgehogs-fleas
61
Role of organisms in the nitrogen cycle
1. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria- convert nitrogen to nitrates 2. Bacteria of decay-nitrogen waste into ammonia 3. Nitrifying bacteria- convert ammonia nitrites and nitrates 4. Denitrifying bacteria- convert nitrates to nitrogen gas

Biology (21 decks)

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