Topic 2: The Ecosystem

Question 0

Define species

Answer 0

A group of organisms that interbreed and produce fertile offspring

Question 1

Define population

Answer 1

All of the organisms of the same species living in the same area at the same time

Question 2

What would you call a group of populations living in and interacting with one anther in a common habitat?

Answer 2

Community

Question 3

What is a niche?

Answer 3

An organisms’ share of a habitat and it’s resources as well as the role it plays in the ecosystem

Question 4

Define habitat

Answer 4

The place where a particular organism lives

Question 5

What is a biome?

Answer 5

A collection of ecosystems sharing similar climatic conditions e.g. Tundra

Question 6

What would you call the part of the planet inhabited by living organisms?

Answer 6

Biosphere

Question 7

What are biotic factors? Give three examples

Answer 7

Living factors

E.g. Predators, diseases, food availability

Question 8

What are abiotic factors? Give three examples

Answer 8

Non-living organisms

E.g. Climate (lack of rain), pollution, pH

Question 9

What are density dependent factors? Give three examples

Answer 9

Factors that are affected by density of population - tend to be biotic
E.g. Good availability, disease, predators

Question 10

What are density independent factors? Give two examples

Answer 10

Factor that aren’t affected by density of population - tend to be abiotic
E.g. Flooding, forest fires

Question 11

Define carrying capacity

Answer 11

The number of organisms that an area or ecosystem can support sustainably over a long period of time

Question 12

What things could effect the climate?

Answer 12

Precipitation, insulation, temperature

Question 13

How does the climate effect the NPP

Answer 13

The climate effects photosynthesis which effects the producers (who photosynthesis)

Question 14

How do you work out the NPP?

Answer 14

Rate of photosynthesis minus the rate of respiration

NPP is more or less the energy produced to pass on to the primary producer

Question 15

What effects species diversity?

Answer 15

NPP

Question 16

Describe the effect of light intensity on photosynthesis in terms of a graph

Answer 16

Rate of photosynthesis increases until it reaches a certain point and then continues at a steady rate - neither increasing not decreasing

Question 17

Give four examples of biomes.

Answer 17

1. Tropical rainforest
2. Temperate forest
3. Tundra
4. Desert

Question 18

Describe the effect of temperature on photosynthesis in terms of a graph

Answer 18

The rage increases at an exponential rate until the temperature reaches 25 degrees Celsius - after this temperature the rate decreases

Question 19

Describe the effect of carbon dioxide concentration on photosynthesis in terms of a graph

Answer 19

The rate increases at an exponential rate and then levels out to a steady rate - neither increasing or decreasing

Question 20

What are the two types of autotrophs and what is the difference between them?

Answer 20

Chemo autotrophs - use chemicals as an energy source

Photo autotrophs - use light as an energy source (photosynthesize)

Question 21

What are the inputs and outputs of photosynthesis?

Answer 21

Inputs - carbon dioxide, sunlight and water

Outputs - glucose and oxygen

Question 22

What is the transformation of energies in photosynthesis?

Answer 22

Light energy to chemical energy

Sunlight to glucose

Question 23

What is photolysis?

Answer 23

Using light to split atoms

Question 24

What is the process of photosynthesis?

Answer 24

Chlorophyll traps sunlight energy and uses it to split water molecules and attach the hydrogen to the carbon dioxide to produce glucose

Question 25

Bacteria, algae, fungi, plants and animals - are that biotic or abiotic features of an ecosystem?

Answer 25

Biotic

Question 26

Water, temperature, light, minerals an salinity - biotic or abiotic features of an ecosystem?

Answer 26

Abiotic

Question 27

How does energy enter an ecosystem?

Answer 27

Through solar energy which producers convert

Question 28

If the first tropic level are autotrophic, what are the other tropic levels?

Answer 28

Heterotrophic

Question 29

If the primary consumer only eats the producers, that would make it a...

Answer 29

Herbivore

Question 30

What are the seven characteristics of living organisms? | MRS GREN

Answer 30

``` Movement Reproduction Senses Growth Respiration Excretion Nutrition ```

Question 31

What are the five kingdoms? | Plants are better producers fullstop

Answer 31

``` Plants Animals Bacteria Protozoa Fungi ```

Question 32

What is the order of the hierarchy? Starting with Kingdom... | Kings play chess on golden sands

Answer 32

``` Species Genus Family Order Class Phylum Kingdom ```

Question 33

Why is international classification used?

Answer 33

So that foreign scientists can work together

Question 34

What is parisitism?

Answer 34

One species (parasite) benefits at the expense of another (host)

Question 35

What is a symbiotic relationship?

Answer 35

Organisms that live together and both benefit e.g. rhino and blackbird

Question 36

What is a mutualistic relationship?

Answer 36

The sessile organism (plant) relies on another, moving organism (bee) to survive

Question 37

What is an intraspecies relationship?

Answer 37

Competition of the same species such as red and grey squirrels

Question 38

What do pyramids of number show?

Answer 38

The size of the boxes represent the number of organisms

Question 39

What is an advantage of pyramids of numbers?

Answer 39

Easy to construct

Question 40

What are the two disadvantages of pyramids of number?

Answer 40

If individual primary producers occur, large inverted pyramids occur Don't show the ecological relationship between tropic levels

Question 41

What do pyramids of biomass show and what is a disadvantage?

Answer 41

They represent the dry mass of organisms Dis - only represent a 'momentary standing stock'

Question 42

What are three advantages of pyramids of productivity/energy?

Answer 42

Always show pyramid shape, represent true ecological relationships between trophic levels, underline 1st and 2nd laws of thermodynamics

Question 43

What are the disadvantages of pyramids of productivity?

Answer 43

No indication of ecosystem or energy into system, no units of time

Question 44

What are the inputs and outputs of a population?

Answer 44

Inputs - births and immigration | Outputs - deaths and emigration

Question 45

What is the equation for population?

Answer 45

Population = (births+immigration)-(deaths+emigration)

Question 46

In a S-shaped curve and a J-shaped curve, what is the first phase called?

Answer 46

Lag phase

Question 47

In a S-shaped curve (sigmoidal) what is the second and final phases called?

Answer 47

Log phase and stable phase

Question 48

What are the six features of r organisms?

Answer 48

1. Ability to increase population rapidly 2. Lots of offspring 3. High offspring mortality 4. Short lifespan 5. Poor competitors 6. Found in variable and unpredictable environments

Question 49

Give some examples of r and K organisms

Answer 49

r - rats, salmon, bacteria R - pandas, humans, horses

Question 50

What's the different between transfer and transformation?

Answer 50

Transfer - the movement of material or energy from one place to another without changing the material Transformation - changes the form of the material or energy as it moves from one storage to another

Question 51

What three things can happen to the light/solar energy as it enters the earths atmosphere?

Answer 51

Can be absorbed, reflected or transmitted

Question 52

Looking at photosynthesis as a system, why are the inputs and outputs?

Answer 52

Inputs- sola energy, radiation energy, water, carbon dioxide and sunlight Outputs - chemical energy (glucose), oxygen

Question 53

If condition are good for photosynthesis what can we assume about the NPP? What does this mean?

Answer 53

High NPP which means a stable ecosystem that supports high species diversity

Question 54

Looking at respiration as a system, what are the inputs and outputs?

Answer 54

Inputs - chemical energy, oxygen, carbohydrates Outputs - ATP energy, carbon dioxide and water

Question 55

What is psammoseres?

Answer 55

Ecological succession that began life on newly exposed coastal sand. Most common psammoseres are sand dune systems.

Question 56

What would the condtions be like at the beginning of a psammoseres at sand dunes compared to at the end in an oak forest?

Answer 56

Sand dunes - unstable, extreme conditions, low biodiversity, low biomass Oak forest - stable, high biodiversity, high biomass

Question 57

How would you measure the biomass of ONE trophic level and why is it best to measure the biomass of the producers?

Answer 57

Use the dry biomass - dried matter can be measured in a bomb calorimeter to find the no. of calories Measuring biomass of poducers can indicate information about the other trophic levels.

Question 58

Although counting is accurate, why is it not always the best method to measure biotic factors of a system?

Answer 58

time consuming, sometimes dangerous, organisms need to be large, slow moving or sessile

Question 59

What are two types of sampling?

Answer 59

Systematic and Random

Question 60

When would you use systematic sampling instead of random sampling?

Answer 60

When there is an environmental gradient e.g. dry to wet, acid to alkali, shade to light

Question 61

When would you use random sampling as a pose to systematic sampling?

Answer 61

When comparing two or more areas e.g. city and country

Question 62

When using tools to monitor physical factors, if the tools are numerical what must be done to them?

Answer 62

Calibrated

Question 63

Indirect sampling mathods are used when and include...

Answer 63

When you can't measure a species directly e.g. whale | Methods: radar, sonar, cameras, satelitle imagery

Question 64

What is the purpose of the lincoln index?

Answer 64

Looks at the estimation of populations, e.g. capture, mark, recapture

Question 65

What does the Simpsons index do? And what is the formula?

Answer 65

Looks at species diversity and changes over time. | Species diversity = N(N-1) divided by sum of n(n-1)

Question 66

If there a lot of mayfly nymphs, what does this indicate?

Answer 66

The water is fairly clean

Question 67

What is more accurate than a thermometer to measure temperature?

Answer 67

Digital thermometer

Question 68

Universal Indicator can be used to indicate the pH, what is a limit of this and what could be used instead?

Answer 68

Doesn't work if colour blind - could use a digitl pH meter.

Question 69

What is an EIA? When it used?

Answer 69

In the UK, an environmental Impact Assessment must be submitted before planning permission is considered when there is ANY major development e.g. factories, wind farm, road building.

Question 70

What are the 4 stages to an EIA?

Answer 70

1) Baseline measurements to establish a before pic 2) Assessment of possible environmental impacts 3) Monitor changes during and after development 4) Publish reports

Question 72

Whaa is the formula to estimate the average density when using quadrats to estimate a population?

Answer 72

total no. of individuals counted divided by (number of quadrats x area of each quadrat)

Question 73

As an ecosysystem develops in succession, the NPP will initially increase but is the only factor which then decreases in the later seres, why?

Answer 73

NPP= GPP - Respiration There are more animals in later seres which means more respiration and therefore a lower NPP.