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first term. Flashcards

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1
Q

what are the three evs?

A

ecocentrism.
technocentrism.
anthropocentrism.

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2
Q

what are three characteristics of ecocentrists?

A

fighting for bio-rights.
believe in less materialism.
practice self-restraint.

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3
Q

what are two goals of anthropocentrists?

A

setting up laws, taxes and regulations.
protecting “useful” species.

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4
Q

what are three goals of technocentrists?

A

solving problems with technology.
raising living standards by creating economic growth.
using renewables.

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5
Q

what is a system approach?

A

an assemblage of parts and their relationship forming a functional entirety or whole.
can help see the big picture and is thus useful when explaining phenomena.

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6
Q

what is an emergent property?

A

the whole can do things individuals cannot by using their coordinated or specialised functions.

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7
Q

what is an open system?

A

a system in which matter and energy is exchanged freely through the boundaries (e.g. the human body).

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8
Q

what is a closed system?

A

a system in which matter and energy is only exchanged within its boundaries (e.g. a sealed thermos).

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9
Q

what is an isolated system?

A

a system in which matter and energy is not exchanged at all (e.g. the universe).

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10
Q

what are the advantages of models?

A

they can help predict and simplify a system.
they can bring out patterns.
the inputs can be changed to simulate different scenarios.

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11
Q

what are the disadvantages of models?

A

they are too simplified and cannot be generalised to many other scenarios.
they may be interpreted differently by different models.
the outputs are affected by the inputs.

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12
Q

what are the 6 levels of organism interaction?

A

species.
population.
community.
ecosystem.
biome.
biosphere.

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13
Q

what is a species?

A

a group of organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring.

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14
Q

what is a population?

A

a group of species that live in the same place and time.

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15
Q

what is a community?

A

a group of populations that interact with each other.

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16
Q

what is an ecosystem?

A

a group of communities and their abiotic environment.

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17
Q

what is a biome?

A

a group of ecosystems with the same climate and dominant communities.

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18
Q

what is a biosphere?

A

a part of the Earth that is inhabited by living organisms.

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19
Q

what are abiotic factors?

A

they are non-living factors in the ecosystem.

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20
Q

what is a habitat?

A

a location that provides food source and water.

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21
Q

what is a niche?

A

a role that the organism plays in the ecosystem.

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22
Q

what is the competition exclusion principle?

A

no two species with the same ecological niche can coexist in the same habitat.

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23
Q

what are population dynamics?

A

the study of a change in populations over time.

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24
Q

what are the two phases of a boom-and-bust graph?

A

exponential growth and dieback.

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25
what are the four phases of a population growth curve?
lag, exponential growth, transitional and plateau.
26
what are the differences between an r-strategy and k-strategy species?
life span, number of offspring, maturity speed, number of times reproduction occurs, size, environment, need for parental care.
27
what are the 5 types of interactions within a community?
competition, herbivory, predation, parasitism and mutualism.
28
what is herbivory?
when a primary consumer consumes a producer.
29
what is predation?
when a consumer consumes a consumer of a lower trophic level.
30
what is parasitism?
when an organism lives off a host and obtains nutrients from it at the expense of the host.
31
what is mutualism?
when two organisms of different species live together in a close relationship in which both benefit from coexistence.
32
what is ecological succession?
a gradual process of change and replacement of the types of species that inhabit an area until a climax community is reached.
33
what are the properties of species that appear during primary succession?
they have high condition tolerance. they fertilise soil. they make the inhospitable land less hostile. they are fast-growing.
34
what are the properties of species that appear during secondary succession?
they develop the disrupted land with life.
35
what is a climax community?
a community that remains stable in which all its species exist in balance.
36
what is biomass?
the mass of living organisms expressed as dry mass in gm^-2.
37
what is a food chain?
the linear sequence of organisms through nutrient and energy transfer.
38
what is a trophic level?
the energy level of an organism within a food chain.
39
what is an autotroph?
an organism that obtains energy without the need for consumption.
40
what is a heterotroph?
an organism that obtains energy from the consumption of others.
41
what is saprotroph?
a heterotroph that relies on external digestion.
42
what is a detritivore?
a heterotroph that relies on internal digestion.
43
where is energy lost in energy transfer?
80% to 90% is lost during movement, excretion and respiration.
44
what is biomagnification?
a process in which chemical substances become more concentrated as they ascend the trophic levels.
45
what are the 5 main types of biomes?
forest. tundra. desert. grassland. aquatic.
46
why do we have different biomes (insolation explanation)?
because of the tilted axis of the earth, there is an uneven distribution of energy around the earth.
47
what are the limiting factors of an aquatic biome?
freshwater freezes in the winter and light is absorbed.
48
what is the productivity and biodiversity of different aquatic biomes?
high in coral reefs, moderate in freshwater, low in deep ocean.
49
what are the limiting factors of a tropical rainforest?
the nutrients are locked inside of biomass and high amount of rainfall leaches nutrients from the soil.
50
what is the productivity and biodiversity of a tropical rainforest?
it is the highest.
51
what are the limiting factors of a temperate deciduous forest?
it was cold & dry in winter.
52
what is the productivity and biodiversity of a temperate deciduous forest?
it was high in spring and summer.
53
what are the limiting factors of a grassland?
there was low decomposition rate, low nutrient cycling, and extreme seasonal changes that limited productivity.
54
what is the productivity and biodiversity of a grassland?
it was moderate to low but had high biodiversity.
55
what are the limiting factors of a desert?
there is no precipitation, high evaporation and too extreme of a temperature shift between day and night.
56
what is the productivity and biodiversity of a desert?
it was low.
57
what are the limiting factors of a tundra?
it has extremely short days, water was frozen in the winter, the soil is saturated and has slow nutrient cycles.
58
what is the productivity and biodiversity of a tundra?
because of limited photosynthesis, it is very limited, even for cold-blooded animals.
59
what is biodiversity?
the degree of variation of all life on earth, both within and between species and habitats.
60
what are the benefits of a high biodiversity?
it is the source of all natural capital, maintains genetic diversity, cycles and purifies chemical materials, and opens up research and educational opportunities.
61
what factors impact biodiversity?
the age, environmental stability, range of habitats, altitudinal variation, latitudinal ranges, variation of rocks and soil and human influences in the area.
62
what are the deterrents of species diversity?
sources of pollution, agricultural influences, harvestation and closeness to human habitation.
63
what is habitat diversity?
the range of different habitats per unit in a biome.
64
what are the benefits of a high habitat diversity?
a higher genetic and species diversity and a longer succession.
65
what is genetic diversity?
the total number of genetic characteristics within a single species.
66
what are the benefits of a high genetic diversity?
it increases the species' survival odds, creates a diverse set of strengths and adaptability between different populations, making them more impervious to changes and diseases.
67
what is evolution? (6 marks)
a gradual change in the inheritable characteristics of a population over generations ... (1) prompted by natural selection ... (1) through the process of mutation, the advantageous allele enters the gene pool ... (1) and offspring with that allele is produced ... (1) causing speciation ... (1) in which a new species that cannot interbreed with the previous species is formed ... (1)
68
what are the causes of extinction?
volcanic eruptions. meteor impacts. droughts. ice ages. competition and/or predation. agriculture. destruction of habitat. diseases. introduction of alien species. pollution.

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