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Nat 5 Biology - Callum Thomas > Life on earth > Flashcards

Life on earth Flashcards

(57 cards)

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1
Q

What is a species?

A

A group of organisms that can breed and produce a fertile offspring.

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2
Q

What does the word population describe?

A

How many animals in one species within a ecosystem.

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3
Q

What does biodiversity refer to?

A

The range of species within an ecosystem.

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4
Q

What does and ecosystem consist of?

A

All of the organisms living in a particular habitat and the non-living components with which the organism reacts.

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5
Q

What is a herbivore?

A

An organism that only eats plant matter.

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6
Q

What is a carnivore?

A

An organism that only consumes animal matter.

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7
Q

What is an omnivore?

A

An organism that consumes both plant and animal matter.

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8
Q

What are predators?

A

Animals that hunt other animals for food.

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9
Q

What is prey?

A

Animals that are hunted and killed by predators.

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10
Q

What is a producer organism?

A

An organism that produces its own food.

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11
Q

What is a consumer organism?

A

An organism that consumes other organisms for food

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12
Q

What is a food chain?

A

A diagram that shows a simple feeding relationship between organisms.

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13
Q

what is a food web?

A

A diagram that shows the interconnection between food chains.

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14
Q

What is a niche?

A

The role an organism plays within its community.

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15
Q

What are abiotic factors?

A

Non-living variables that influence where organisms can live.
e.g. temperature, soil pH, light intensity, soil moisture

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16
Q

What are biotic factors

A

Biotic factors are the interactions with living organisms. They can influence the distribution of organisms in an ecosystem. E.g. disease, food available, predation, competition for environmental resources.

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17
Q

When does competition occur?

A

When the resources organisms require are in short supply.

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17
Q

What are the two types of competition classifications?

A

-Itraspecific
-Interspecific

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18
Q

What is interspecific competition?

A

Competition amongst individuals from different species for resources.

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19
Q

What is intraspecific competition?

A

Competition amongst members of the same species that have the exact same requirements to fight over.

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20
Q

How do you measure light intensity?

A

Light meter

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21
Q

How do you measure soil moisture?

A

Moisture meter

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22
Q

How do you measure temperature?

23
Q

What piece of equipment is used for estimating the abundance of plants or slow moving animals?

24
How do you use a quadrat?
-Throw them randomly -count the organisms within the quadrat -An average number of each organism per quadrat is calculated
25
What is used to sample invertebrates that live on the ground?
Pitfall trap
26
What are some potential issues of pitfall traps and how do you overcome the issues put forward?
Issues: -Water getting in when it rains -Birds taking trapped animals -Predatory animals like spiders, ground beatles or centipedes eating their fellow captives. How to overcome -Prick small holes in the bottom to allow drainage -camouflage of cover the traps -Check the traps often
27
What is an indicator species?
Species that by their presence or absence can be used to indicate environmental quality or levels of pollution.
28
What is photosynthesis?
A reaction that occurs in plants that convert light energy into chemical energy.
29
What is the word summary for photosynthesis?
Light energy + Carbon dioxide + water --> sugar + oxygen
30
What is the first stage of photosynthesis called?
Light reactions
31
What is the second stage of photosynthesis called?
Carbon fixation
32
What happens during light reactions?
Light energy from the sun is trapped in green pigment called chlorophyll in the chloroplasts. The light energy is converted into chemical energy which is used to generate ATP. Water is split to produce hydrogen and oxygen in light reactions. The hydrogen is then used in the second stage and the oxygen diffuses out of the cell.
33
What happens during carbon fixation?
The hydrogen and ATP made from the light reactions are used to convert carbon dioxide from the air into sugar. The carbon fixation reactions are catalysed by enzymes, this means the rate of reaction is effected by temperature. The sugar made is then used to provide plants cells.
34
What are limiting factors?
Any factor that limits the rate of photosynthesis when it is in short supply.
35
What are the limiting factors?
-Carbon dioxide concentration -temperature -light intensity
36
How can the rate of photosynthesis be monitored?
Measuring the volume of oxygen released by a plant or the mass of the plant.
37
How is energy lost in an animal?
-From keeping itself warm -Movement -undigested food -Growth
38
How do fertilisers increase crop yield?
They provide chemicals such as nitrates which are a vitally important plant nutrient. They are also used to produce amino acids that are synthesised into plant proteins.
39
Why are fertilisers more needed in this modern day?
To increase food yield for the growing population.
40
What happens when fertilisers leach into bodies of fresh water?
They add extra unwanted nitrates to the water which increases algal populations, creating algal blooms.
41
What happens to a body of water where an algal bloom happens?
The algal grows on the top of the water blocking out light for any underwater plant life below, killing them of as they cant photosynthesise. The dead plants and dead algal then provides food for bacteria which become increasingly great in number and use up large quantities of the waters oxygen. The waters oxygen levels them drop below a certain level, resulting in it no longer being able to support life.
42
How are scientists trying to cut fertilisers from being used?
By genetically modifying plants so that they van grow more efficiently without the use of fertilisers.
43
What do farmers use to protect their crops from being damaged by insects, fungus and weeds?
Pesticides
44
Why do pesticides have a negative effect on the environment?
Pesticides sprayed onto crops can be accumulated in the bodies of organisms over time, this means that the concentration of the pesticide builds up in the tissue of organisms and can cause harm. This build up of toxic substances in organisms is known as bio accumulation.
45
What is biological control?
Controlling pests by introducing a natural predator.
46
What is mutation?
The random change in the genetic material of an organism.
47
What is a mutagen?
Anything that increases the rate of mutation. E.g. radiation, chemicals
48
What are neutral mutations?
Changes in genetic material that are neither beneficial or detrimental to the ability of an organisms survival.
49
What are advantage mutations?
Mutations that are beneficial to an organisms survival.
50
What are disadvantages of mutations?
Mutations that are detrimental to an organisms survival, e.g. cancer.
51
What is an adaption?
An inherited characteristic that makes an organism well suited to survival in its environment/niche.
52
Who proposed the theory of evolution?
Charles Darwin
53
What are selection pressures?
Any factor that can effect the survival or reproduction of an organism. E.g. availability of food, predation, climate or disease.
54
What is caused by selection pressures?
Natural selection, survival of the fittest.
55
What is speciation?
The forming of new species in the course of evolution, it is brought about by mutations and natural selection.
56
What are the 4 main stages of speciation?
-Isolation by barrier -Mutation -Natural selection -Formation of separate species.

Nat 5 Biology - Callum Thomas (3 decks)

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