Ecology

Question 1

Ecology

Answer 1

Is the study of how living things interact with each other and their environment

Question 2

An ecosystem

Answer 2

Is a group of living organisms and their interactions with their environment

Question 3

Biosphere

Answer 3

Any part of earth where life can exist

Question 4

Habitat

Answer 4

A place where a plant or animal lives

Question 5

Population

Answer 5

All the members of the same species living in an area

Question 6

Community

Answer 6

All the different populations that live in an area

Question 7

Flora

Answer 7

Plants

Question 8

Fauna

Answer 8

Animals

Question 9

Niche

Answer 9

Functional role of an organism in an ecosystem

Question 10

Abiotic

Answer 10

~ Non-living factors
~ e.g. altitude, aspect, light intensity and air speed

Question 11

Biotic

Answer 11

~ Living factors
~ e.g. plants for food and shelter, predators, prey, parasites and pathogens, competitors, pollinators, and decomposers

Question 12

Climatic

Answer 12

~ Weather conditions
~ e.g. temperature, rainfall, humidity, wind, light intensity and day length

Question 13

Edaphic

Answer 13

~ Soil factors
~ e.g. soil type, soil pH and soil texture

Question 14

Food chain

Answer 14

A sequence of organisms showing the transfer of energy from one to the next

Question 15

Grazing food chain

Answer 15

~ One where the initial plant is living
~ Grass -> Rabbit -> Fox

Question 16

Detritus food chain

Answer 16

~ Begins with dead organic matter and animal waste
~ Dead leaves -> Earthworms -> Thrush -> Hawk

Question 17

Food web

Answer 17

Consists of a number of interlinked food chains and shows the feeding relationships between organisms in the ecosystem

Question 18

Producers

Answer 18

Are organisms that can make their own food (autotrophs)

Question 19

Consumers

Answer 19

~ Are organisms that cannot make their own food (heterotrophs)
~ Primary consumers feed on producers (herbivores), secondary consumers feed on primary consumers (carnivores) and tertiary consumers feed on secondary consumers

Question 20

Herbivore

Answer 20

Only eats plants

Question 21

Trophic levels

Answer 21

Is the position of an organism in a food chain

Question 22

Carnivore

Answer 22

Only eats meat

Question 23

Omnivore

Answer 23

Eats plants and animals

Question 24

Pyramid of numbers

Answer 24

Represents the number of organisms at each trophic level in a food chain (Note inverted pyramid of numbers)

Question 25

Nutrient recycling

Answer 25

~ The reuse of nutrients by organisms (if asked for definition only) ~ The way in which elements are exchanged between the living and non-living components of the ecosystem

Question 26

Nitrogen fixation

Answer 26

Conversion of nitrogen gas into nitrates

Question 27

Nitrification

Answer 27

Conversion of ammonia to nitrite and nitrite to nitrate

Question 28

Dentrification

Answer 28

Conversion of nitrates into nitrogen gas

Question 29

Pollution

Answer 29

Is any harmful addition to the environment

Question 30

Pollutants

Answer 30

Are substances that cause pollution

Question 31

Eutrophication

Answer 31

The over-enrichment of lakes with nutrients resulting from excess artificial fertilisers that have been washed into rivers and lakes. Algae bloom occurs and uses up the nutrients. The algae dies and is broken down by bacteria which uses up oxygen in the water, this leads to the death of aquatic organisms i.e. fish

Question 32

Conservation

Answer 32

Is the management of the environment

Question 33

Composting

Answer 33

Is an aerobic process during which micro-organisms decompose organic matter into a stable substance called compost which recycles all the nutrients required for plant growth

Question 34

Competition

Answer 34

Struggle between organisms for resources that are in short supply

Question 35

Contest competition

Answer 35

An active confrontation between two organisms for a resource where only one wins

Question 36

Scramble competition

Answer 36

Each organism gets an equal share of the resource and there is no direct competition

Question 37

Parasitism

Answer 37

A relationship in which one organism (the parasite) benefits from another (the host) and causes it harm

Question 38

Parasite

Answer 38

A living organism that live on or in another organism causing it harm

Question 39

Ectoparasite

Answer 39

Live on the host organism causing it harm e.g. fleas on a dog

Question 40

Endoparasite

Answer 40

Live in the host causing it harm e.g. liver fluke in sheep

Question 41

Predation

Answer 41

The capturing, killing and eating of other organisms for food

Question 42

Predator

Answer 42

An animal that captures, kills and eats other animals for food

Question 43

Prey

Answer 43

Are animals that are captured, killed and eaten by predators

Question 44

Biological pest control

Answer 44

Introduction of predators to control a pest e.g. ladybird and the aphid

Question 45

Symbiosis

Answer 45

Two organisms of different species that live in close association where at least one benefits e.g. bacteria living in the colon produce vitamin B and K

Question 46

Sample ecosystems

Answer 46

Grassland, woodland, hedgerow, seashore and freshwater

Question 47

Carbon cycle

Answer 47

~ Plants : Remove carbon for photosynthesis and return it through respiration ~ Animals : Get carbon by eating plants and release it through respiration ~ Micro-organisms : Return carbon to the environment when they decompose dead plants and animals

Question 48

Importance of the carbon cycle

Answer 48

To balance carbon dioxide levels and used in photosynthesis in plants

Question 49

Bacteria

Answer 49

Decay nitrogen waste to ammonia

Question 50

Importance of the nitrogen cycle

Answer 50

To convert nitrogen to a useable form (nitrates) for living organisms

Question 51

Types of pollutants

Answer 51

~ Industrial/Air pollution ~ Agricultural pollution : Pollutant -> Slurry and fertilisers Caused by -> Washed or leached from the land Result -> Formation of algae blooms and eutrophication

Question 52

Benefits of conservation

Answer 52

Maintains biodiversity, a balance of nature and prevents extinction

Question 53

Example of conservation in fishing

Answer 53

Net mesh size

Question 54

Waste management

Answer 54

Reduce, re-use, recycle

Question 55

Waste management in agriculture

Answer 55

Slurry ~ Problem : Pollutes rivers - eutrophication ~ Solution : Stored in slurry tanks and spread during misty weather

Question 56

Limitations of the pyramid of numbers

Answer 56

~ Cannot be drawn to scale ~ Do not take into account the physical size of the organisms e.g. oak tree

Question 57

Factors that control population

Answer 57

~ Competition ~ Parasitism ~ Predation ~ Symbiosis

Question 58

Intra-specific competition

Answer 58

Between members of the same species

Question 59

Inter-specific competition

Answer 59

Between members of different species

Question 60

How do organisms survive competition?

Answer 60

~ Animals : Camouflage e.g. frogs or moving away from over-populated areas ~ Plants : Weeds survive because they produce large numbers of seeds and thrive in poorer soil conditions

Question 61

How do parasites differ from predators?

Answer 61

Smaller and often attack within

Question 62

Adaptions of predators

Answer 62

~ Excellent eyesight to locate prey e.g. eagles ~ Fly very quietly as to not alert prey e.g. owls

Question 63

Adaptions of prey

Answer 63

~ Camouflage so they blend into the background to avoid being spotted ~ Have large ears to hear predators approaching e.g. rabbits

Question 64

Factors affecting human population numbers

Answer 64

~ Famine ~ Disease ~ War ~ Contraception