Ecology and the Environment Flashcards
(24 cards)
What is a population?
A group of organisms of the same species living in the same area at the same time.
What is a community?
All the different populations of species living in a habitat at the same time.
What is a habitat?
The place where an organism lives.
What is an ecosystem?
A community of organisms and their physical environment interacting together.
What are abiotic factors?
Non-living factors like temperature, light intensity, water, pH, and soil conditions that affect population size and distribution.
What are biotic factors?
Living factors like competition, predation, and disease that influence population size and distribution.
How do you investigate population size using quadrats?
C – Change:
The area or habitat (e.g. sunny field vs. shaded woodland).
O – Organism:
Use the same species of organism (e.g. daisy) to compare population sizes.
R – Repeat:
Repeat the quadrat sampling at least 10 times in each area to get reliable averages.
M1 – Measure 1:
Count the number of the target organism inside each quadrat.
M2 – Measure 2:
Use a quadrat of the same size (e.g. 0.5 m × 0.5 m) each time.
S1 – Same 1:
Ensure sampling is done at the same time of day to control for environmental changes.
S2 – Same 2:
Use the same sampling method in both areas (e.g. random placement using a grid and coordinates).
Find mean number of daisys per quadrat
What is a producer?
An organism that makes its own food via photosynthesis (usually a plant or algae).
What is a primary consumer?
A herbivore that eats producers.
What is a secondary consumer?
A carnivore that eats primary consumers.
What is a tertiary consumer?
A carnivore that eats secondary consumers.
What is a decomposer?
An organism like bacteria or fungi that breaks down dead matter.
What is a food chain?
A sequence showing what eats what in an ecosystem.
What is a food web?
A network of interconnected food chains.
What is a pyramid of number?
A diagram showing the number of organisms at each trophic level.
What is a pyramid of biomass?
A diagram showing the total mass of organisms at each level.
What is a pyramid of energy transfer?
A diagram showing the energy transferred from one trophic level to the next.
How is energy and matter transferred along a food chain?
Producers absorb sunlight and make food; consumers eat producers and other consumers; energy and biomass are transferred at each stage, but some is lost as heat, waste, or movement.
What are the biological effects of sulfur dioxide pollution?
It causes acid rain, which can damage leaves, acidify soil, and harm aquatic life.
What are the effects of carbon monoxide pollution?
It binds to haemoglobin, reducing oxygen transport in the blood, which can be fatal.
What are greenhouse gases?
Gases that trap heat in the Earth’s atmosphere, such as water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and CFCs.
How do human activities increase greenhouse gases?
Burning fossil fuels (CO₂), agriculture (methane, nitrous oxide), landfill waste (methane), and use of CFCs in refrigerants and aerosols.
What is the enhanced greenhouse effect?
The increased trapping of heat due to higher levels of greenhouse gases.
What are the possible consequences of global warming?
Climate change, melting ice caps, rising sea levels, habitat loss, and changes in species distribution.
