Ecology

Question 1

Habitat

Answer 1

The environment where animals live

Question 2

Population

Answer 2

The total number of organisms of the same species living in the same geographical area

Question 3

Community

Answer 3

The populations of all of the different species that live in the same habitat

Question 4

Biotic environment

Answer 4

All the living things in the environment

Question 5

Abiotic environment

Answer 5

All the non living things in an environment

Question 6

Ecosystem

Answer 6

Both the biotic and abiotic parts of the environment and how they interact

Question 7

Which resources do plants compete for?

Answer 7

Sunlight, space, water, mineral ions in the soil.

Question 8

Which resources do animals compete for?

Answer 8

Food, water, mating partners, territory,

Question 9

Interdependence

Answer 9

The idea that all living organisms depend on each other

Question 10

Stable community

Answer 10

Where the populations of different species remain constant. The populations are in balance with each other, and the other abiotic factors.

Question 11

Availability of food (biotic)

Answer 11

• All animals eat other living organisms
• If the availability of food falls, the number of organisms in the community will also fall

Question 12

Arrival of a new predator (biotic)

Answer 12

• This can cause the population of a prey species to fall
• Could also affect existing predators if they are competing for the same prey

Question 13

Competition (biotic)

Answer 13

• If a species is outcompeted, then numbers can fall so much that there are not enough to breed, and they will become extinct.

Question 14

New pathogens (biotic)

Answer 14

-If a new infectious disease emerges and spreads, it can wipe out the population of a species

Question 15

Light intensity (abiotic)

Answer 15

• Affects plants, which needs light to carry out photosynthesis
• If light intensity falls, rate of photosynthesis slows and plants won’t grow was quickly
• Animals which feed on plants may not have enough food

Question 16

Temperature (abiotic)

Answer 16

• If temperature changes, it causes the distribution of species to change.
• For example, animals might migrate and plant species might disappear

Question 17

Water (abiotic)

Answer 17

• All animals and plants need water

Question 18

pH and mineral content of the soil (abiotic)

Answer 18

• Important for plants
• Many plants can’t grow in soil which is too acidic or alkali
• They also need certain minerals, eg. nitrate is used to make amino acids for proteins

Question 19

Wind intensity and direction (abiotic)

Answer 19

• Strong winds cause plants to lose water

Question 20

Carbon dioxide and oxygen (abiotic)

Answer 20

• CO2 is needed for carbon dioxide, so if levels fall so will the rate of photosynthesis
• Oxygen is needed for aerobic respiration,
• If the levels fall eg. like the dissolved levels in a pond during hot days, this will affect the aquatic life

Question 21

What is a structural adaptation?

Answer 21

Adaptations to the body shape or structure eg. camels have a hump for storing fat.

Question 22

What is a functional adaptation?

Answer 22

Adaptations to the body functions of an organism eg. camels produce concentrated urine to reduce water loss.

Question 23

What is a behavioral adaptation?

Answer 23

Adaptations to an animals lifestyle or behavior eg. kangaroo rats are nocturnal to avoid the heat of the day.

Question 24

What is an extremophile?

Answer 24

• An organism adapted to live in a extreme environment

Question 25

What does every food chain start with?

Answer 25

A producer, which is usually a green plant

Question 26

What do producers do?

Answer 26

Synthesize complex molecules. Eg. photosynthesis. They make their own food. They create all the biomass in a food chain.

Question 27

What is biomass?

Answer 27

Molecules such glucose, which pass down the food chain.

Question 28

What is an animal which eats a producer?

Answer 28

A primary consumer

Question 29

What is an animal which eats a primary consumer?

Answer 29

Secondary consumer

Question 30

What does a tertiary consumer eat?

Answer 30

A secondary consumer

Question 31

What is a predator?

Answer 31

A consumer which kills and eats other animals

Question 32

What is prey?

Answer 32

The animal being hunted by the predator

Question 33

On a graph, what will be the pattern of predator and prey? (in a stable community)

Answer 33

- They will rise and fall in cycles - They will mirror each other

Question 34

Describe random sampling

Answer 34

- Compare numbers of different organisms in different areas - A Quadrant is a wooden or plastic square. - place it on the ground and count the number of organisms in the quadrant - repeat this many times for different locations

Question 35

Describe sampling along a transect

Answer 35

- A transect in a line, like a tape measure or rope - We use it to count the number of organisms along the transect at random intervals - use it to see how the numbers of organisms change along a transect

Question 36

Describe the carbon cycle

Answer 36

- carbon dioxide is used in photosynthesis to enter the carbon cycle, plants take it in. It is used to create leaves etc. - some of it returns back to the atmosphere by aerobic respiration - plants are eaten by animals, which respire and release it back - animals create waste, and they also die so they decompose and carbon is released by decomposers carrying out respiration. - if decomposition cannot happen, then fossil fuels are created. When these are combusted they release carbon again.

Question 37

Describe the water cycle

Answer 37

- water evaporates from sea - water vapour cools in air and condenses into clouds - precipitation - this water forms rivers, streams and aquifers - this eventually drains back into sea - plants take water in through roots and transpiration - animals drink it and then excrete it.

Question 38

What is biodiversity?

Answer 38

The variety of all the different species of organisms on earth, or in an individual ecosystem.

Question 39

What is deforestation? And why is it happening?

Answer 39

Chopping down trees Agriculture or cattle farming

Question 40

How is deforestation reducing biodiversity?

Answer 40

Destroying habitats, cultivating one type of plant.

Question 41

How can waste reduce biodiversity? (3)

Answer 41

- water pollution can cause dissolved oxygen levels to fall, killing aquatic organisms. - air pollution releases acidic gases, which can cause acid rain, and kill plants and animals - waste: landfills destroy habits, and toxic chemicals can leech into soil, killing plants and animals.

Question 42

How are humans reducing the amount of land available for animals and plants?

Answer 42

- buildings: Housing, factories, shops and airports. - farms, quarries, landfills Less land available for animals.

Question 43

How are the destruction of peat bogs reducing biodiversity and releasing carbon dioxide?

Answer 43

- Peat contains carbon, and is being used to produce cheap compost for gardens and farms. - it is also burned for energy - this is reducing habitats, reducing biodiversity - peat also releases carbon dioxide when it is burned or decays

Question 44

What is global warming?

Answer 44

The earth heating up due to human acitvity.

Question 45

What are some consequences of global warming? (4)

Answer 45

- loss of habitats (eg. ice levels) - change in distribution of animals (spread of insect borne diseases to other countries) - change in migration patterns - plants: grow different crops, or none at all.

Question 46

What is meant by peer review?

Answer 46

Evidence being checked by other scientists to check it is valid and stop false claims.

Question 47

How can we reduce the loss of biodiversity? (5)

Answer 47

- breeding programs for endangered species - protection and regeneration of rare habitats - field margins and hedgerows - government can help reduce carbon dioxide emissions and deforestation - recycling waste materials (to stop it going to landfills)