Organisation Of Ecosystems Flashcards
(10 cards)
Food chain
Producer
Primary consumer
Secondary consumer
Tertiary consumer
Apex preditor
Impact of environmental change
Temperature
Water
Atmospheric gases ( eg co2)
Causes of environmental change
Seasons: wet and dry seasons
Humans: contributing to global warming
Changing water availability through dams
Geological activity: volcanic eruptions mess with atmospheric gasses
Storms and droughts change availability of water
Tools for assessing ecosystems
Quadrants - Square frames used to estimate population sizes
Transects - a transect line is a piece of tape that’s stretched across habitat in interest
It is used to investigate the effect of a factor on distribution of a species
Mean
Mediun
Mode
Average value of a series of numbers
Middle value
Most common value in a series
The carbon cycle
Carbon is removed from the atmosphere by producers who use it to photosynthesis
By consuming the producers animals obtain carbon compounds
Carbon is returned into the atmosphere as co2 through respiration
Whe animals and plants die decomposes return the carbon locked in their body’s back to atmosphere via decay
The water cycle
Water evaporates from earth surface, rising up into atmosphere
Once in atmosphere the water vapour cools and condenses into rain or snow, which returns to earth’s surface
The water will then become surface runoff or will travel through the earth as ground water
Plants take up water in the roots to be used in photosynthesis
Factors effecting rate of decay
Temperature ( high = better)
Moisture available ( more = better)
Oxygen availability ( more= better)
Anaerobic decay
Happens when the oxygen supply is not sufficient
Results in production of biogas which is mainly methane
Biomass generators
Devices that produce methane as a fuel for purposes like cooking by anaerobic decay
Large scale:
Generators take waste from factories or sewage works
Small scale:
Use by household and farms using farm and garden and animal waste
