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The Organisms In The Environment Flashcards

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1
Q

What is the definition of a population?

A

A population is defined as a number of organisms of the same species living in the same place at the same time.

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2
Q

What is the definition of a community?

A

A community includes all of the populations living in a habitat at one time.

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3
Q

What do species in a community depend on?

A

Species in a community depend on other species for food, shelter, pollination, seed dispersal and maintenance of the physical environment.

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4
Q

What happens if one species is removed? (In general)

A

If one species is removed it can affect the whole community

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5
Q

What is the definition of the word interdependence?

A

When species depends on other species for food, shelter, pollination, seed dispersal etc. and changes in one population will impact other populations’ in the food web

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6
Q

What is the definition of the word habitat?

A

A habitat is the place where an organism lives.

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7
Q

What are the two types of habitats?

A

The two types of habitats are terrestrial or aquatic.

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8
Q

Give examples of a terrestrial habitat.

A

Examples of terrestrial habitats are forest, grassland, steppe, and desert.

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9
Q

Give examples of an aquatic habitat.

A

Examples of aquatic habitats include freshwater and marine water.

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10
Q

What is the definition of an ecosystem?

A

An ecosystem is defined as all the biotic factors and all the abiotic factors that interact within an area at one time.

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11
Q

What is the definition of the term ‘biotic factors’?

A

The term ‘biotic factors’ includes all the living components such as plants and animals.

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12
Q

What is the definition of the term ‘abiotic factors’?

A

The term ‘abiotic factors’ includes all the non-living components such as light intensity, mineral ions, water availability.

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13
Q

Ecosystem can vary greatly in…

A

Ecosystems can vary greatly in size and scale.

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14
Q

Give an example of a small ecosystem.

A

A small ecosystem might be a garden pond.

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15
Q

Give an example of a large ecosystem.

A

A large ecosystem might be the whole of Antarctica.

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16
Q

Ecology is the branch of biology that studies…

A

The distribution of species.
The abundance of species.
Interactions between species.
Interactions between a species and its abiotic environment.

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17
Q

Who are ecologists?

A

Ecologists are biologists that study interactions (between species and between species and their abiotic environment) by investigating ecosystems.

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18
Q

What equipment might be used to investigate population size?

A

A quadrat may be used to investigate population size.

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19
Q

What are quadrats? (In detail)

A

Quadrats are square frames made of wood or wire, that can be a variety of sizes eg. 0.25m2 or 1m2, are placed on the ground and the organisms within them are recorded.

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20
Q

How are plants species studied?

A

Plants species are commonly studied using quadrats to estimate the abundance.

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21
Q

In order to measure abundance by quadrats, what do we need to record?

A

The number of an individual species (total number of individuals of a single species), species richness (total number of different species) and percentage cover (approximate percentage of the quadrat area in which an individual species is found is recorded).

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22
Q

What is the method to estimate percentage cover of one or more species using a quadrat?

A

STEP 1: SET UP A QUADRAT
STEP 2: COUNT THE NUMBER OF SQUARES COVERED
BY FIRST SPECIE
STEP 3: CALCULATE THIS AS A PERCENTAGE (DIVIDE THE
NUMBER OF SQUARES COVERED BY THE SPECIE BY THE TOTAL NUMBER OF - SQUARES IN THE QUADRAT, THEN MULTIPLY THIS
BY 100)
STEP 4: REPEAT THIS PROCESS WITH THE OTHER SPECIES (IF NECESSARY)

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23
Q

What is the method to investigate population size of a species?

A
  1. USE TWO TAPE MEASURES TO LAY OUT A SURVEY AREA (e.g. 10 m × 10 m) IN YOUR CHOSEN HABITAT
  2. USE A RANDOM NUMBER GENERATOR TO CREATE A SET OF COORDINATES TO PLACE YOUR FIRST QUADRAT.
    3.COUNT THE NUMBER OF YOUR CHOSEN PLANT SPECIES THAT
    ARE FOUND WITHIN THIS QUADRAT.
  3. ESTIMATE THE POPULATION OF THE SPECIES IN YOUR TWO SURVEY AREAS USING THE EQUATION (ESTIMATED POPULATION SIZE = TOTAL AREA/AREA SAMPLED X TOTAL NUMBER OF THAT SPECIES COUNTED)
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24
Q

What are two things that species abundance is likely to be influenced by?

A

Biotic factors and abiotic factors

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25
What are examples of biotic factors?
1. Competition 2. New predators 3. Interactions with other organisms within the food chain or food web 4. New pathogens (diseases) 5. Availability of food
26
What are examples of abiotic factors?
1. Light intensity 2. Mineral availability 3. Water availability/moisture levels 4. Soil pH 5. Temperature 6. Salinity (salt content in a body of water) 8. Wind intensity & direction 9. Carbon dioxide levels 10. Oxygen levels
27
What are the limitations when investigating percentage cover/population size of a specie?
It can be easy to miss individual organisms when counting in a quadrat, especially if they are covered by a different species. As well as identifying species may be tricky.
28
What is the solution for missing individual organisms when counting in a quadrat?
Solution: Use a pencil or stick to carefully move leaves out of the way to check if there is anything else underneath.
29
What is the solution for finding it tricky to identify species?
Solution: Use a species key to identify the species
30
What is the definition of the word ‘biodiversity’?
Biodiversity is the range/species richness and variation within a species in an ecosystem.
31
What does biodiversity include?
Biodiversity includes the species richness, variation within each species, its distribution and population size.
32
Where would a high diversity be found? (Describe the place)
A high biodiversity would be found in an environment with lots of different species which show a lot of variation and are all evenly distributed across the study area.
33
What is reducing biodiversity?
Many human activities are reducing biodiversity in individual ecosystems and on a global level.
34
What human activities are reducing biodiversity?
Waste production, deforestation and global warming.
35
What do different species depend on eachother for?
Different species depend on eachother for: food, shelter, seed dispersal, pollination and maintenance of the physical environment.
36
Give an example of how species depend on eachother for shelter.
Birds nesting in trees
37
Give an example of how species depend on eachother for maintenance of the physical environment.
Tree roots provide stability for soils, ensuring they do not get washed away. This in turn provides a stable habitat for other plant species
38
What do high biodiversities ensure?
High biodiversity ensures the stability of ecosystems by reducing the dependence of one species on another for food, shelter and maintenance of the physical environment.
39
Populations with high levels of diversity are more likely to be...
Populations with high levels of diversity are more likely to be resilient to sudden environmental impacts or disease.
40
What equipment can we use to investigate population size?
We can investigate biodiversity with quadrats.
41
What is the method to investigate biodiversity using a quadrat?
1. Use 2 tape measures to lay out your first survey area (e.g. 10m X 10m) in your chosen habitat 2. Use a random number generator to create a set of coordinates to place your first quadrat 3. Count the number of different species found within that quadrat 4. RECORD THIS NUMBER IN A RESULTS TABLE AND REPEAT STEPS 1-3 UNTIL YOU HAVE RECORDED THE NUMBER OF DIFFERENT PLANT SPECIES IN 10 QUADRATS 5. REPEAT STEPS 1-4 FOR YOUR SECOND SURVEY AREA 6. THE SURVEY AREA WITH THE GREATEST NUMBER OF DIFFERENT SPECIES HAS THE GREATEST BIODIERSITY
42
What is the problem with this method of investigating biodiversity?
This measurement of biodiversity is very simplistic as it doesn't tell us about the distribution or population size.
43
What is the formula to estimate population size of the species?
Total area/area sampled x Total number of specific species counted
44
How does light intensity affect a community?
LIGHT IS NEEDED BY PLANTS FOR PHOTOSYNTHESIS. MORE LIGHT LEADS TO AN INCREASE IN RATE OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS AND AN INCREASE IN PLANT GROWTH RATE.
45
How does temperature affect a community?
AFFECTS THE RATE OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS IN PLANTS
46
How do moisture levels affect a community?
PLANTS AND ANIMALS REQUIRE WATER TO SURVIVE
47
How does soil pH + mineral content affect a community?
DIFFERENT SPECIES OF PLANTS ARE ADAPTED TO DIFFERENT SOIL pH LEVELS AND NUTRIENT CONCENTRATION LEVELS
48
How does wind intensity and direction affect a community?
WIND SPEED AFFECTS TRANSPIRATION RATE INPLANTS. TRANSPIRATION AFFECTS THE RATE OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS AS IT ENSURES WATER AND MINERAL IONS ARE TRANSPORTED TO THE LEAVES
49
How do carbon dioxide levels affect a community?
CO2 IS REQUIRED FOR PHOTOSYNTHESIS IN PLANTS. CO2 CONCENTRATION AFFECTS THE RATE OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS
50
How do oxygen levels affect a community? (Aquatic animals)
SOME AQUATIC ANIMALS (SUCH AS FISH) CAN ONLY SURVIVE IN WATER WITH HIGH OXYGEN CONCENTRATIONS.
51
How does the availability of food affect a community?
MORE FOOD MEANS ORGANISMS HAVE A HIGHER CHANCE OF SURVIVING AND REPRODUCING. THIS MEANS THEIR POPULATIONS CAN INCREASE.
52
Give an example of how availability of food affects a community.
RAINFOREST ECOSYSTEMS HAVE A RICH FOOD SUPPLY AND THIS ALLOWS MANY SPECIES TO LIVE THERE. DESERTS HAVE A POOR FOOD SUPPLY AND THIS ALLOWS FEWER SPECIES TO LIVE THERE.
53
How do new predators affect a community?
IN BALANCED ECOSYSTEMS, PREDATORS CATCH ENOUGH PREY TO SURVIVE BUT NOT SO MANY THAT THEY WIPE OUT THE PREY POPULATION. IF A NEW PREDATORISI NTRODUCED TO THE ECOSYSTEM, IT MAY BECOME UNBALANCED
54
Give an example of how new predators affect a community.
RED FOXES WERE INTRODUCED FOR HUNTING IN AUSTRALIA BUT HAVE SINCE CAUSED THE DECLINE OF MANY NATIVE SPECIES THAT THEY FEED ON, SUCH AS SMALL MAMMALS AND BIRDS. THIS HAS ALSO REDUCED THE FOOD SUPPLY FOR NATIVE PREDATORS
55
How do pathogens (diseases) affect a community?
IF ANEW PATHOGEN ENTERS ANECOSYSTEM, THE POPULATIONS LIVING THERE WILL HAVE NO IMMUNITY OR RESISTANCE TOIT AND THE POPULATIONMAY DECLINE OR BE WIPED OUT
56
Give an example how pathogens (diseases) affect a community.
CORONAVIRUS CAUSED A GLOBAL PANDEMIC AND A DECLINE IN MANY HUMAN POPULATIONS AROUND THE WORLD BECAUSE IT WAS A NEW PATHOGEN.
57
How does competition affect a community?
IF TWO SPECIES COMPETE FOR THE SAME RESOURCES) AND ONE IS BETTER ADAPTED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THESE RESOURCES, THEN THAT SPECIES WILL OUTCOMPETE THE OTHER. THIS MAY CONTINUE UNTIL THERE ARE TOO FEW MEMBERS OF THE LESSER ADAPTED SPECIES TO BREED SUCCESSFULLY
58
Give an example of how competition affects a community.
GREY SQUIRRELS WERE INTRODUCED TO THE UK AND HAVE SINCE CAUSED THE DE- CLINE IN NATIVE RED SQUIRREL POPULATION. GREY SQUIRRELS HAVE OUTCOMPETED RED SQUIRRELS FOR RESOURCES SUCH AS FOOD AND NEST- SITES.
59
What do we call predators that have no predators to consume them?
Apex predators
60
How do decomposers (bacteria and fungi) break down a dead animal’s body?
Decomposers (bacteria and fungi) break down a dead animal’s body using enzymes.
61
Why do decomposers (bacteria and fungi) break down a dead animal’s body?
For energy

Ecology & The Environment (3 decks)

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