topic 2 - life processes in the biosphere and conservation planning

Question 1

What is a niche?

Answer 1

The way in which an organism fits into an ecological community or ecosystem. Through the process of natural selection, a niche is the evolutionary result of a species morphological, physiological and behavioural adaptations to its surroundings

Question 2

What is a population?

Answer 2

All the members of a single species that live in a habitat

Question 3

What is a community?

Answer 3

All the organisms of different populations that live together in a habitat

Question 4

What is a species?

Answer 4

A group of living organisms consisting of similar individuals capable of exchanging genes or interbreeding

Question 5

What is an individual?

Answer 5

A single separate organism distinguished of others of a same kind

Question 6

What is biodiversity?

Answer 6

The variety of plant or animals life in the world or in a particular habitat, a high level of which is considered desirable and important

Question 7

What is migration?

Answer 7

The large scale movement of a member of a species to a different environment

Question 8

What is emigration?

Answer 8

An animal leaving its home because it’s habitat is no longer ideal for them and they need to find a more suitable environment. Animals that emigrate or immigrate do not return to the land they left.

Question 9

What is immigration?

Answer 9

The process of individuals moving into a range from elsewhere.

Question 10

What is a biome?

Answer 10

A community on a global scale, where habitats flank each other, and is usually defined by the temperature, precipitation and types of plants/ animals that inhabit it. For example a desert.

Question 11

What is a habitat?

Answer 11

A place where an organism lives.

Question 12

What is an ecosystem?

Answer 12

A community and the habitat in which it lives

Question 13

What is mortality

Answer 13

The death rate, the ratio of the total number of deaths compared to the total population

Question 14

What is extinction?

Answer 14

When there are no longer remaining individuals of a species alive

Question 15

What is the carrying capacity?

Answer 15

A species’ average population size in a particular habitat, this can be limited by factors like food and mates

Question 16

What are abiotic factors?

Answer 16

A non-living part of an ecosystem that shapes its environment eg, temperature, light and water

Question 17

What are biotic factors?

Answer 17

A living organism that shapes its environment, eg, animals, plants, bacteria, fungi and protists

Question 18

What is a protist?

Answer 18

Any eukaryotic organism that is not a animal, plant of fungus

Question 19

What is a prokaryote?

Answer 19

A ellipse organism that lacks an envelope-enclosed nucleus

A microscopic single called organism which has neither a distinct nucleus with a membrane nor other specialised organelles, including the bacteria and cyanobacteria

Question 20

What is a eukaryote?

Answer 20

Organisms whose cells have a nucleus enclosed within a nuclear envelope

An organism consisting of a cell or cells in which the genetic material is DNA in the form of chromosomes contained within a distinct nucleus

Question 21

Examples of eukaryote and prokaryotes

Answer 21

Bacteria are prokaryotic.

Animal, plant, fungi and protist cells are eukaryotic

Question 22

What is a plagioclimax?

Answer 22

When human activity has prevented the ecosystem developing further ( deflected succession )

Question 23

What is coppicing?

Answer 23

A form of deflected succession that is used where young tree stems are cut near ground level as many trees will regrow from the stump of cut

Question 24

What is pollarding?

Answer 24

Uses a similar principle as copping, here the upper branches are removed to form dense foliage above.

Question 25

What is succession?

Answer 25

The process by which the structure of a biological community evolved over time.

Question 26

Difference between primary and secondary succession?

Answer 26

Secondary succession starts with soil already, primary - living things haven’t colonised that area before however, secondary living things have lived there previously

Question 27

What are the pioneer species?

Answer 27

Hardy species which are first to colonise barren environments or previously biodiverse steady state ecosystems that have been disrupted such as by fire

Question 28

What are the climax species?

Answer 28

The species found at the end of a succession,
plant species that will remain essentially unchanged in terms of species composition for as long as a site remains in disturbed.

Question 29

What is a the technical words for the water, bare rock and sand born succession?

Answer 29

water - hydrosere
bare rock - lithosere
sand - psammosere

Question 30

Name some changes found during ecological succession

Answer 30

Abiotic
temperature extremes - high to low
water variability - variable to reliable 
light levels - high to low if shaded
nutrient availability - low to high
rates of change - rapid to slow

Biotic
main pollination method - wind pollination to insect pollination
main seed dispersal method - wind to animal
importance of inter species relationships - low to high
biomass ( weight or total quantity of living organisms of one animal or plant species )
biodiversity- low to high ish

Question 31

Why is biodiversity a good thing?

Answer 31

functional ecosystems provide oxygen, clean air, and water, pollination of plants etc

food production

Question 32

what is an inter species relationship

Answer 32

a non sexual relationship that is formed between animals of different species

Question 33

what are k selection species

Answer 33

species with relatively stable populations fluctuating near the carrying capacity of the environment

usually low birth rate with high parental care like elephants

Question 34

what is the range of tolerance

Answer 34

the range of environmental conditions that are tolerable for survival on a species

Question 35

what are r selection species

Answer 35

those present in fluctuating environments that have a large number of offspring and do not provide long term parental care

Question 36

what is symbiosis

Answer 36

the interaction between two different organisms living in close physical association, they may share habitats or lifestyles or interact in a specific way to benefit from the presence of another organism

Question 37

what is taxon

Answer 37

a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit

Question 38

what is a Decomposer and what is a Detritivore?

Answer 38

Decomposer
Organisms that break down dead or decaying organisms - fungi, bacteria and invertebrates
Detritivore
An animal which feeds on dead organic material, - wood lice, millipedes, slugs

Question 39

what is a parasitism

Answer 39

a relationship where one species benefits at the others expense of another

eg
parasite lays eggs in beetle
they hatch
they eat beetle

Question 40

what is pollination and seed dispersal

Answer 40

relationship where the male and female sex cells in plants are enabled to meet due to being carried by other organisms

birds and plants
bird gets a seed and drops it

Question 41

what is habitat provision / modifying abiotic factors

Answer 41

some species may modify the habitat and abiotic factors in a way that suits the development of new species

plants release oxygen to facilitate animal life

Question 42

what is a feeding relationship

Answer 42

the relationship between organisms eating and being eaten
( and the knock off effect this may have )

crocodile and water
wilder-beast when they migrate

Question 43

what is the biosphere

Answer 43

The regions of the surface and atmosphere of the earth or another planet occupied by living organisms

The area of the planet where organisms live