Ecology Fundamentals

Question 1

What do animals compete for?

Answer 1

Food, water, territory, mates

Question 2

What do plants complete for?

Answer 2

Light, water, minerals/nutrients, space for roots or in the canopy

Question 3

Abiotic factors

Answer 3

Moisture levels, light intensity, temperature, carbon dioxide levels (plants), wind intensity and direction, oxygen levels (aquatic animals), soil pH and mineral content

Question 4

Biotic factors

Answer 4

new predators arriving, competition, new pathogens, food availability

Question 5

What is an abiotic factor?

Answer 5

Non-living factors of an environment e.g. temp

Question 6

What is a biotic factor?

Answer 6

Living factors of an environment e.g. food

Question 7

What is an ecosystem?

Answer 7

The interaction of a community of biotic and abiotic parts of the environment

Question 8

What is a community?

Answer 8

The population of different species living in a habitat

Question 9

What is population?

Answer 9

All the organisms of one species living in a habitat

Question 10

What is a habitat?

Answer 10

The place where an organism lives.

Question 11

What is interdependence?

Answer 11

In a population, each species depends on other species for things like food, shelter, pollination and seed dispersal

Question 12

What is a stable community?

Answer 12

a stable community is maintained when all biotic (species) and abiotic (environmental) factors are in balance, the population remains roughly constant.

Question 13

What is an adaptation?

Answer 13

a feature that allows an organism to live in the environment it usually survives in. these can be structural, behavioural or functional

Question 14

What is a structural adaptation?

Answer 14

The physical features which allow organisms to compete successfully

Question 15

What is a behavioural adaptation?

Answer 15

Something an animal or plant does to survive or gain a competitive advantage

Question 16

What is a functional adaptation?

Answer 16

Processes that go on in the organism and can be related to survival

Question 17

Examples of structural adaptations

Answer 17

-extensive root systems and small leaves for when water is scarce
-spines on cacti to reduce water loss
-horns or antlers for defence
-blubber to reduce heat loss
-sharp claws to catch prey

Question 18

Examples of behavioural adaptations

Answer 18

-attractive mating rituals
-hunting in packs
-burrowing to seek shelter
-kangaroos licking their arms to increase heat loss
-warning signals to other members
-mussels opening and closing according to tides
-shoots grow towards light
-Venus flytrap closing to catch insects

Question 19

Examples of functional adaptations

Answer 19

-spiders/snakes using venom to for defence and to kill prey
-limited urine production
-stinging nettles/deadly nightshade using poison for defence

Question 20

Examples of functional adaptations

Answer 20

-spiders/snakes using venom to for defence and to kill prey
-limited urine production
-stinging nettles/deadly nightshade using poison for defence

Question 21

What is an extremophile and give and example

Answer 21

An extremophile is any organism that is adapted to extreme environments such as: very high/low temps, extremely acidic or alkaline conditions, high altitudes
E.g. organisms in the north/south pole or in deep sea vents

Question 22

What are the 2 types of data and what is the difference?

Answer 22

Qualitative and quantitative
Quantitative data gives a specific measure for your subject, but qualitative data only gives a rough idea

Question 23

What is a quadrat?

Answer 23

A quadrat is a square frame enclosing a known area e.g. 1m2

Question 24

What is distribution

Answer 24

Distribution of an organism is where an organism is found, biotic and abiotic factors often affect this

Question 25

What can you use a quadrat for?

Answer 25

To study the distribution of small organisms that are slow moving or that don’t move around

Question 26

What could you compare in a quadrat

Answer 26

The effect of a factor on a distribution of a species Percentage cover of an organism in different environments

Question 27

What is non-random sampling

Answer 27

Using a transect line to find a trend

Question 28

What is non-random sampling

Answer 28

Using a transect line to find a trend

Question 29

What is meant by sampling along a transect

Answer 29

By placing one quadrat each metre along a straight line you can find the amount of different organisms at different distances from the starting point

Question 30

Define precise

Answer 30

A result that is close to the mean

Question 31

Define accurate

Answer 31

A result that is close to the true answer

Question 32

Define Reliable

Answer 32

Data is repeatable and reproducible

Question 33

Define valid results

Answer 33

Repeatable, reproducible and answer the original question

Question 34

what needs to be included in a method?

Answer 34

-identify variables -number of steps you will take -include number of repeats -explain how you will process your results

Question 35

what is biomass

Answer 35

mass of living organisms

Question 36

what is a producer

Answer 36

they make their own food using energy from the sun, they are usually green plants or algae, they are eaten by primary consumers.

Question 37

what is a pyramid of biomass

Answer 37

a pyramid of biomass shows the number of organisms in a food chain but does not show us how energy is transferred

Question 38

why is not all sunlight used to make plant biomass

Answer 38

-miss the leaves -reflect off the leaves -go through the leaves but miss the chlorophyll -hit the chlorophyll but the wrong colour.

Question 39

why is energy lost along the food chain

Answer 39

-not all available food is eating -not all food is digested, lost as waste -movement of muscles -respiration and heat loss -respiration uses energy for thermo regulation -not all previous trophic levels are consumed

Question 40

why is it important that water, carbon and nutrients are recycled in our ecosystem

Answer 40

to provide materials: -for new organisms when old organisms die -for organisms to grow and function -to replace materials that has been removed from the environment

Question 41

what are the carbon cycle steps

Answer 41

Carbon present in the atmosphere is absorbed by plants for photosynthesis. These plants are then consumed by animals and carbon gets bioaccumulated into their bodies. These animals and plants eventually die, and upon decomposing, carbon is released back into the atmosphere. Some of the carbon that is not released back into the atmosphere eventually become fossil fuels. These fossil fuels are then used for man-made activities, which pump more carbon back into the atmosphere.

Question 42

what are the factors that affect the rate of decay

Answer 42

temperature, water availability, number of micro-organisms

Question 43

how does temperature affect rate of decay

Answer 43

warmer temp increases the rate enzymes involved in decomposition work at. although if it is too hot decomposition slows down or tops because enzymes are destroyed and organisms die. really cold temperatures slow down decomposition as well.

Question 44

how does water availability affect rate of decay

Answer 44

decay takes place faster in moist environments because the organisms involved in decay need water to carry out biological processes.

Question 45

how does the number of micro-organisms affect rate of decay

Answer 45

the more micro-organisms and detritus feeders there are, the faster decomposition happens

Question 46

name parts of a compost bin

Answer 46

-dark colour absorbs heat -holes to allow oxygen in -lid keeps it moist -finely shredded waste is best as there is a higher surface area which means more micro-organisms can access waste at the same time. -warmth generated by micro-organisms helps decomposition.

Question 47

what is anaerobic decay

Answer 47

- is performed by anaerobic micro-organisms -these organisms do not use oxygen when breaking down organic molecules -they do not produce carbon dioxide, the produce methane instead.

Question 48

explain the steps of anaerobic decay

Answer 48

-manure goes into a biogas generator -anaerobic decomposition release methane -methane burned for cooking or heating -carbon dioxide released during burning is absorbed by plants during photosynthesis