GCSE P2 ECOLOGY Flashcards
(27 cards)
what is an abiotic factor?
non-living (e.g. light intensity, temperature)
what is a biotic factor?
living (e.g. food availability, pathogens)
what do animals compete for?
territory, a mate, food and water
what do plants compete for?
light, space, water and carbon dioxide
what is a community?
populations of different species living together
what is an ecosystem?
interaction of different communities with abiotic and biotic factors in their environment
what is interdependence?
communities depending on the environment and other communities to survive. if one is removed, all of the others are effected
what is a habitat?
the place where organisms live
what is population?
all the organisms of one species living in a habitat
how do communities remain stable?
their population size remains constant
what is a producer?
green plant/algae (makes glucose via photosynthesis)
what is a predator?
an animal that eats prey
what is prey?
an animal that is eaten by a predator
what is a primary consumer?
eats producer
what is a secondary consumer?
eats primary consumer
in stable communities, what happens to the numbers of predator and prey?
constantly rises and falls
how to make quadratic RP more accurate
use a random number generator for co-ordinates
use a bigger quadrat (more accurate)
what do transect lines allow you to investigate?
distribution of an organism across a certain area
what factor does transect lines investigate?
usually abiotic
are transect lines random sampling?
no
what is the atmospheric layer made up of?
CO2, water vapor and methane
what are the conditions needed for decay?
warm temperature, O2 availability and H2O availability
how do you calculate the rate of decay?
mass change/time period
how is compost made and what is it used for?
gardeners take waste, create optimum conditions to create compost which is used as fertiliser