Ecology ✓ Flashcards
(31 cards)
What does population mean ?
total number of individuals of one species living in a habitat
What does community mean ?
all the different species living in the same place
What does habitat mean ?
non living, home of the species
What does ecosystem mean ?
what makes up the environment
what is the abiotic part of an ecosystem ?
abiotic is the physical factors of an ecosystem it is the factors that will affect the distribution of plants
what is the biotic part of an ecosystem ?
biotic is the living part of an ecosystem
what are the producers of a food chain ?
organisms that make their own food
what are the primary consumers of a food chain ?
feed on the producers
what are the secondary consumers of a food chain ?
feed on the primary consumers
what are the tertiary consumers of a food chain ?
feed on the secondary consumers
what are the decomposers of a food chain ?
bacteria and fungi that feed on dead organic matter. Break down the organic molecules and release heat energy by respiration
what is a pyramid of numbers ?
they show the number of living organisms at each trophic level
what is a pyramid of biomass ?
they show the mass of living organisms at each trophic level
what is a pyramid of energy ?
they show how much energy is available at each trophic level
how does energy transfer through a food chain ?
primary consumers eat producers, secondary consumers eat primary consumers, tertiary consumers eat secondary consumers
how much energy is transferred through an ecosystem ?
10% of energy
why does only 10% of energy get transferred through an ecosystem ?
because it is lost by growth, respiration, energy for movement, energy for digesting food, heat and feaces
what are the stages in the carbon cycle ?
- carbon is cycled between the living and the non living
- carbon dioxide in the air is taken up by plants in photosynthesis
- plants use carbon dioxide to make organic molecules such as carbs proteins and lipids
- the carbon in plants enters consumers that eat the plants
how does sulphur dioxide pollute the air ?
- it is released when fossil fuels are burnt
- reacts with water vapour in clouds to produce acid rain
what gases are the greenhouse gases ?
- water vapour
- carbon dioxide
- nitrous oxide
- methane
- CFC’s
how do human activities contribute to the greenhouse effect ?
water vapour - evaporation from water surfaces
carbon dioxide - burning fossil fuels- car exhausts and power stations
methane - land fill sites, cattle, rice fields (paddy fields)
nitrous oxide - car exhaust gases
CFC’s- from air conditioning units and fridges
what is the enhanced greenhouse effect ?
an increase in greenhouse gases which means that more heat energy is trapped which leads to global warming
what is global warming ?
an increase in the average surface temperature of the Earth
what are the effects of global warming on the environment ?
- ice caps and glaciers melt
- sea levels rise
- flooding and loss of habitat
- climate change- hotter summers
, wetter winters in the UK and worse hurricanes