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Biology > Topic 11 - Ecology and the Environment > Flashcards

Topic 11 - Ecology and the Environment Flashcards

1
Q

Producers

A

Green plants that can make their own food through photosynthesis

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2
Q

Nitrates

A

Compounds containing nitrogen and oxygen that are absorbed by plants

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3
Q

Decomposers

A

These are organisms such as bacteria and fungi that decay dead and waste matter.

They break material down into ammonia in the nitrogen cycle.

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4
Q

Nitrogen

A

An important element found in proteins, amino acids, and DNA

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5
Q

Nitrifying bacteria

A

These are found in the soil and convert ammonia to nitrites and then nitrates, which can be reused by plants.

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6
Q

Habitat

A

Where an organism lives

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7
Q

Population

A

All the organisms of one species found in an ecosystem

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8
Q

Denitrifying bacteria

A

These are found in waterlogged soils and they turn nitrates into nitrogen gas

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9
Q

Consumers

A

Animals that eat plants or another animals

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10
Q

Ecosystem

A

A self-supporting system. The interaction of the environment with the organisms which exist in it.

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11
Q

Fossil fuels

A

Formed when organisms are prevented from decaying. Coal, oil, natural gas, and peat

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12
Q

Energy efficiency

A

The percentage of energy that comes out of a food chain compared to the energy that went into it

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13
Q

Decomposition

A

The breakdown/decay of dead and waste material by decomposers

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14
Q

Biomass

A

The total mass of a living organism

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15
Q

Carbon

A

The element found in all organic compounds including carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins

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16
Q

Combustion

A

Burning – this uses oxygen in the air and produces carbon dioxide

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17
Q

Abiotic factor

A

The non-living factors that affect an ecosystem. Can affect a range of species as each organism is adapted to certain environments.

Examples: Light intensity, soil pH, CO2/oxygen levels, temp.

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18
Q

Nitrogen-fixing bacteria

A

These are found in the root nodules of some plants. They convert unreactive nitrogen gas into nitrates, which the plants they grow on can then use

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19
Q

Indicator species

A

Species whose presence or absence can give information about pollution levels

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20
Q

Respiration

A

The chemical reaction that takes place in cells releasing energy from food

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21
Q

Leaching

A

The loss of water-soluble plant nutrients from the soil

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22
Q

Community

A

All the organisms of all the species found in an ecosystem

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23
Q

Quadrat

A

A square frame which can be used to sample plants

24
Q

Trophic levels

A

The different stages in a food chain

25
Q

Photosynthesis

A

The process carried out by green plants so they can make their own food

26
Q

Acid rain

A

Rain with a lower pH than normal (5.5)

27
Q

Exponential

A

Going up at an ever increasing rate

28
Q

Pollution

A

Releasing substances into the environment that have a harmful effect

29
Q

Greenhouse gases

A

Gases that absorb long wave radiation from the Earth, reflecting it back. They are responsible for global warming.

Examples:
- water vapour
- carbon dioxide
- nitrous oxide
- methane
- CFC

30
Q

Global warming

A

Increasing of the Earth’s temperature

31
Q

Eutrophication

A

When fertilisers dissolve in water and are leached into waterways (rivers, streams, and lakes)

32
Q

Algal bloom

A

A rapid growth of algae caused by eutrophication

33
Q

Anoxic

A

Without oxygen

34
Q

Fossilisation

A

The process that occurs if decay is prevented

35
Q

Biodiversity

A

The variety of living organisms in an ecosystem

36
Q

Practical: investigate the population size of an organism in two different areas using quadrats

A
  1. Place quadrat randomly within sampling area
  2. Count the number of members of the same species within the quadrat
  3. Repeat this numerous times within sampling area using the same size quadrat
  4. Repeat the process in another area to compare results

Equation for population size:

(Total area/sampled area)*Number of counted organisms

37
Q

Practical: investigate the distribution of organisms in their habitats and measure biodiversity using quadrats

A
  1. Mark out a line (transect) in the area you want to study
  2. Collect data along the line using quadrats placed next to each other.
  3. Count the number of each plant species present in each quadrat
38
Q

Primary consumers

A

Herbivores that feed on plants (Producers)

39
Q

Secondary consumers

A

Predators that feed on primary consumers

40
Q

Tertiary consumers

A

Predators that feed on secondary consumers

41
Q

Food chain

A

Shows the feeding relationships between living organisms

42
Q

Food web

A

Shows how food chains are linked together into more complex feeding relationships.

Food webs show the interdependence between organisms - change in population of one organism will affect the population of another

43
Q

Pyramid of numbers

A

Shows the population of each organism at each trophic level in a food chain

44
Q

Pyramid of biomass

A

Shows the biomass (amount of living material) of organisms in each trophic level.

Will commonly be pyramidal, as the amount of food available (biomass) decreases with each trophic level as energy may be lost via respiration, incomplete digestion, or excretion/egestion

45
Q

Pyramid of energy transfer

A

Shows the transfer of energy with each trophic level
Only 10% of energy is passed on from one trophic level to the next

46
Q

Biotic factor

A

A living factor in the environment. Will affect all species as they have the vulnerability of being food to predators or being a host to diseases.

Examples: Competition for food/shelter, diseases, predation

47
Q

Transfer of energy along a food chain

A

Energy enters most ecosystems as sunlight, where it is converted into chemical energy by producers via photosynthesis.

Energy is lost to:
1. Respiration (heat)
2. Incomplete consumption
3. Egestion/excretion
4. Life processes (e.g., movement)

48
Q

Carbon cycle

A
  1. RESPIRATION
    All living organisms exhale carbon dioxide into the atmosphere as a product of respiration to release energy for movement
  2. PHOTOSYNTHESIS
    Plants (producers) remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere via photosynthesis to synthesize carbon compounds for growth
  3. DECOMPOSITION
    Dead organisms and faeces from egestion are broken down by decomposers to remove and return carbon dioxide to the atmosphere
  4. COMBUSTION
    If decomposition does not occur, incomplete decomposition over a long period of time may lead to fossilization of an organism to form fossil fuels, which, when combusted, will return carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere
49
Q

Fish farming

A

Fish farm: place where large numbers of fish are commercially bred for consumption

Methods of fish farming:
- maintenance of water quality
- controlling interspecific and intraspecific predation
- controlling disease
- removing waste products
- controlling quality and frequency of feeding
- selective breeding

50
Q

Nitrogen cycle

A

a process through which nitrogen is converted into many forms, consecutively passing from the atmosphere to the soil to organism and back into the atmosphere

refer to diagram on page 30 of the ecology booklet

51
Q

How human activities contribute to greenhouse gas

A

Carbon dioxide
- Combustion of fuels in industrial processes
- Produced by car exhausts

Nitrous oxide
- Released from fertilisers in farms
- Combustion of fossil fuels under high temp. in vehicle engines

Methane
- Rice paddy fields
- Cattle

CFCs
- Released into the atmosphere when fridges are disposed
- Used in aerosol sprays

52
Q

Enhanced greenhouse effect

A

refer to photo titled ‘Enhanced Greenhouse Effect’ in the Bio folder

53
Q

NAPDOD

A

Nitrate levels rise in water which causes algae to grow and reproduce

Algal bloom forms

Photosynthesis stops as light can’t reach the plants

Death of plants and algae and decay by bacteria

Oxygen is used up by respiring bacteria. Water becomes anoxic.

Death of aerobic fish

54
Q

Evapotranspiration

A

the loss of water vapour from the parts of the plant that are above ground (leaves, stem, flowers)

55
Q

Ecology

A

the interaction of a community with non-living (abiotic) parts of the environment

Biology (17 decks)

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