Topic 9 - Ecosystems and Material Cycles COMPLETE PK Flashcards
1
Q
Which term describes organisms, such as plants or algae, that make their own food?
Why can plants and algae make their own food?
A
producers
2
Q
Which term describes organisms that get their food by eating other organisms?
A
consumer
3
Q
Which term describes animals that eat plants or algae?
A
herbivores/primary consumers
4
Q
Which term describes animals that kill and eat other animals?
A
predators/carnivores/secondary consumers
5
Q
Name a type of diagram that shows the feeding relationships between organisms.
A
food chain/food web
6
Q
Which scientific term means all the organisms and the environment they interact with?
A
ecosystem
7
Q
Which scientific term means all individuals of the same species living in a particular area?
A
population
8
Q
Which piece of equipment could be used to investigate the number of plants in an area?
A
quadrat
9
Q
Which term describes all the animals, plants, other organisms, rain, soil and other factors in a rainforest?
A
ecosystem
10
Q
Which term describes all the organisms living in a lake?
A
community
11
Q
Groups of the same species living in different areas are different … ?
A
populations
12
Q
In a food web, which term describes organisms that feed on plants?
A
herbivores/primary consumers
13
Q
What term describes how one species needs other species in the same habitat for its survival?
A
interdependence
14
Q
In a study of abundance of small plants in a field, samples would be taken using which piece of equipment?
A
quadrat
15
Q
What is the scientific term for the feeding levels in a food chain?
A
trophic levels
16
Q
Which type of diagram displays the biomass in all the different levels of a food chain?
A
pyramid of biomass
17
Q
Which term measures the dry mass of all living tissue in an organism?
A
biomass
18
Q
Name the source of energy that is transferred to plants.
A
light/Sun
19
Q
Which term describes any living part of an ecosystem?
A
biotic
20
Q
Which trophic level forms the bottom level of a pyramid of biomass?
A
producers
21
Q
Which energy transfer is least useful for organisms?
A
to environment by heating
22
Q
How do you calculate the efficiency of energy transfer between trophic levels?
A
energy transferred to biomass divided by total energy supplied to organism
23
Q
Name two resources that plants need from their environment.
A
any two from: light, water/rainfall, space, nutrients, warmth/temperature, carbon dioxide, oxygen/air
24
Q
Which term describes something that has been added to the environment, causing harm to the organisms?
A
pollution/pollutant
25
Which method can be used to study the distribution of organisms (how they are spread) in a straight line through an ecosystem?
belt transect
26
Give two examples of abiotic factors that affect organisms.
any two from: light, water/rainfall, space, nutrients, warmth/temperature, carbon dioxide/oxygen concentration
27
Is predation an abiotic or biotic factor in ecosystems?
biotic
28
Which term describes the struggle between organisms for a limited resource?
competition
29
Give one example of a limited resource that animals might struggle with each other for.
any suitable example, such as: mates, nesting space, food, water
30
Give one example of a limited resource that plants might struggle with each other for.
any suitable example, such as: light, water, nutrients
31
Which term means the number of different species living in an area?
biodiversity
32
Which cycle describes the relationship in population size of a secondary consumer and the animal species that it eats?
predator–prey cycle
33
You might expect the number of predators to drop in an area if their preferred prey species declines in number. Suggest why this drop may not occur.
the predators start to eat a different prey
34
The malaria protist causes harm when it infects a human. Which term describes this relationship between the malaria protist and human?
parasitism
35
How does the malaria protist benefit from being inside a human?
anything suitable, such as: gets nutrients, multiplies in number
36
Which term describes a close relationship between two species that benefits both species?
mutualism
37
Name one material, other than water, that cycles through ecosystems.
any one suitable, e.g. carbon, nitrogen
38
Which process changes water on the Earth’s surface into water vapour in the air?
evaporation
39
Which process describes how plants absorb water from the soil and release it into the air?
transpiration
40
Which process causes the formation of clouds of water droplets from water vapour in the air?
condensation
41
What is potable water?
suitable for drinking
42
Which process produces potable water from salty water?
desalination/distillation
43
Name one group of organisms that includes decomposers.
any suitable, e.g. bacteria, fungi, microorganisms
44
In what form is carbon in the atmosphere?
carbon dioxide
45
Name one carbon compound found in living organisms.
any suitable carbon-containing compound, e.g. sugars, fats, proteins, DNA
46
Which process of living organisms removes carbon from the atmosphere?
photosynthesis
47
Which term describes an organism that breaks down dead plants or animals?
decomposer
48
Which term describes the breaking down of dead plant or animal tissue?
decay/decomposition
49
Which process in living organisms adds carbon to the atmosphere?
respiration
50
Which process causes carbon to be added to the atmosphere from fossil fuels?
combustion
51
Which biotic process removes carbon from the atmosphere?
photosynthesis
52
Name two groups of organisms that carry out the biotic process that removes carbon from the atmosphere.
any two groups that are producers, e.g. plants, algae
53
Why do fertilisers added to fields affect plant growth?
contain nutrients
54
Name one problem caused to the environment by spreading too much fertiliser on fields.
any suitable, e.g. eutrophication of water, death of fish in rivers
55
Which name is given to bacteria that convert nitrogen from the air into nitrogen compounds?
nitrogen-fixing bacteria
56
Name one alternative to using powdered fertiliser that a farmer could use to improve crop growth.
any suitable, e.g. spread manure/animal waste, crop rotation
57
Ecosystem
Animals, plants and everything living within a certain area
58
Community
Plants and animals that live in an ecosystem - they are all dependant upon one another
59
Things in a community are _________ upon one another
dependant
60
True/False: Things in a community can survive without each other
False, they can't
61
Animals in a community eat ______ and therefore cannot survive without them
plants
62
Plants rely on _______ to distribute their seeds
animals
63
Give 2 things that a species needs to survive and reproduce
Any 2 from food, water, air and sometimes a mate
64
Abiotic factors are living/non-living factors
non-living
65
Biotic factors are living/non-living factors
living
66
True/False: Abiotic and biotic factors will affect any organism
True
67
Light intensity is an abiotic/biotic factor
Abiotic
68
Temperature is an abiotic/biotic factor
Abiotic
69
Water levels is an abiotic/biotic factor
Abiotic
70
pH is an abiotic/biotic factor
Abiotic
71
Ion levels is an abiotic/biotic factor
Abiotic
72
Wind is an abiotic/biotic factor
Abiotic
73
Carbon dioxide levels is an abiotic/biotic factor
Abiotic
74
Oxygen levels is an abiotic/biotic factor
Abiotic
75
Food is an abiotic/biotic factor
Biotic
76
Predators is an abiotic/biotic factor
Biotic
77
Pathogens is an abiotic/biotic factor
Biotic
78
What impact does the increase or reduction of abiotic or biotic factors have on a community?
It can have a massive impact - for example the introduction of a new predator or pathogen can wipe out a community
79
What impact can the introduction of a new predator or pathogen have on a community?
It can wipe out a community
80
In a community, an increase or decrease in temperature could mean that...
An organism's food source is gone or an organism can't survive in that environment
81
True/False: Plants can't survive without sufficient levels of carbon dioxide and oxygen, but animals can
False, plants and animals can't survive without sufficient levels of carbon dioxide and oxygen
82
If you want to investigate what grows in a field, you can use a _______
quadrat
83
What is a quadrat?
A portable square-shaped frame, used to mark out a small area of something and count the population of something within that area
84
Why should you randomly move a quadrat around a field?
So you get a wide coverage
85
When measuring the amount of something that grows in a field, you need to estimate the size of the field so...
You can work out how much area there is
86
Why do you need to calculate the area of a field when trying to find plant population?
So you can multiply the plant population per area that you have measured and multiply it up so you cover the entire field
87
When calculating the plant population of a field, you need to multiply what up to cover the whole field?
Plant population per area that you have measured
88
A transect is more/less ordered than a quadrat
More
89
Transect
Start at a point, take a line and take measurements at every point along that line
90
Why would someone use a transect from a hedge to a point more central in a field?
So factors such as light intensity and distance from water vary and it gives a more accurate representation of the population of the whole field
91
All food chains start in the same/different place(s)
the same
92
All food chains start in the same place, with the sun providing ______
energy
93
In a food chain, from energy from the sun, things are going to ____
grow
94
In a food chain, energy from the sun causes things (mainly ______) to grow.
plants
95
True/False: In a food chain, plants get eaten by other things
True
96
Grass is eaten by cows, which are then eaten by...
us
97
True/False: Humans can eat plants directly
True
98
What type of consumer are we?
Top
99
Cows are ____ivores
herb
100
Cows are herbivores because they...
just eat plants
101
Why is the direction of arrow really important in food chains?
Arrows point to the thing its being eaten by (ie an arrow between grass and a cow would point from the grass to the cow)
102
The direction of an arrow in a food chain means...
eaten by
103
Biodiversity
The range of plants and animals that live within a habitat
104
Humans have a minor/major impact on biodiversity
major
105
How will chopping down loads of natural fields to plant the same type of crop over and over again on effect biodiversity?
It will reduce biodiversity in that environment because it will replace it with the same type of crop instead of different ones - it will become less diverse
106
Chopping down fields and forests to replace them with cities increases/decreases biodiversity
decreases
107
What do microorganisms do?
Break down old things
108
True/False: Microorganisms can break down old food
True
109
Why do microorganisms break down old food?
So that the components can be recycled back through the system
110
What does decay and decomposition mean?
Breakdown of organic matter
111
Decay and decomposition generally happens as a result of ______________
microorganisms
112
True/False: Microorganisms are alive
True
113
Microorganisms do not work at very low/high temperatures
low
114
Microorganisms have a very narrow/wide set of temperatures at which they work in
narrow
115
Microorganisms rely on _______ to break things down
enzymes
116
Enzymes slowly increase how they work as the temperature increases, but then at a certain point they will ________
denature
117
As the level of water increases, the level of decay increases/decreases to a point
increases
118
Why does the level of water only increase the level of decay to a point?
After a point the bacteria won't be able to cope
119
Why will bacteria not be able to cope if the water content is too high?
They need to be able to respire and have oxygen - which isn't possible with too much water
120
There is a very narrow/wide amount of oxygen which microorganisms will be able to use
narrow
121
Without oxygen microorganisms...
won't be able to do anything
122
Why can't microorganisms have too much oxygen?
It will start to become toxic
123
In a garden, gardeners can ______ things to break down garden waste
compost
124
Why do gardeners compost things?
To get rid of their unwanted things and take the nutrients and put them back onto the garden
125
Compost gets rather hot/cold
Hot
126
True/False: Compost does not smell
False, it gets rather smelly and gas is going to be released
127
True/False: Gas is released from compost
True
128
True/False: The gas released from compost is useless
False, it can be harvested and used
129
What are organic compouds?
Any compounds that have carbon in
130
What are compounds?
Two or more elements that are chemically bonded together
131
True/False: Carbon dioxide is in the air
True
132
True/False: Carbon dioxide can be dissolved in oceans
True
133
True/False: Organic compounds are not in plants
False, they are
134
True/False: Organic compounds are not in animals
False, they are
135
True/False: Organic compounds can be present in dead plants and animals
True
136
True/False: Organic compounds are not in fossil fuels
False, they are
137
When we have fossil fuels we can ____ them so that the carbon in them goes into the air
burn
138
Fossil fuels burn and carbon goes into the air. This is called __________
combustion
139
When carbon dioxide is in the air it can by taken up by plants. This is the process of...
photosynthesis
140
True/False: When carbon dioxide is in the air it can be taken up by plants
True
141
What is the opposite process to photosynthesis?
Respiration
142
Plants get eaten by _______
animals
143
What happens to both plants and animals at the end of their lives?
They both die
144
Organic compounds in dead plants and animals can turn into what type of fuels?
Fossil fuels
145
How do dead plants and animals turn in to fossil fuels?
By being buried or sedimented
146
True/False: All dead animals and plants turn in to fossil fuels
False
147
True/False: When animals and plants die, they can go straight back up in to the air
True
148
When plants and animals die, what process allows them to go straight back up in to the air?
Decay
149
True/False: Animals undergo respiration
True
150
True/False: Carbon is a static thing
False, it is not
151
How is carbon constantly moving around?
From carbon dioxide in the air to carbon compounds that are in animals, plants, dead animals which then become fossil fuels which can be burnt and carbon dioxide is put back in the air
152
How many years does the carbon cycle happen over?
Millions
153
In the water cycle, heat energy from the sun comes down and does what to the surface of water on earth?
Warms it and makes it evaporate
154
As water evaporates it becomes more/less dense
less
155
As water evaporates it rises/falls
rises
156
What happens to water that has evaporated when it starts to cool down?
It will condense
157
When do clouds form?
When evaporated water condenses
158
When clouds are heavy - when water has accumulated so much - what will happen?
Precipitation
159
After it has rained, water will go into mountains where it will sink in or _________ deep into the mountains
percolate
160
What does water pick up deep in mountains?
Things like ions, salts
161
How do ions and salts affect water?
They effect the taste and the chemistry of it
162
Some water that has been in a mountain will then come out as a stream and go into...
a river
163
Some water that has been in a mountain will go into...
soil
164
Where does water in soil move to?
Slowly back to a river or lake
165
How does water in soil move slowly back to a river or lake?
As throughflow
166
After it has rained, some water will go straight on to the ground. What happens if it lands on a rock or mud that is already saturated?
It will run off into the nearest river/stream/lake/reservoir
167
Where does all water end up at some point?
In a large collection of water such as the sea, a reservoir or in a lake
168
When it rains, some water is taken up by p_____
plants
169
For what process do plants need water?
Photosynthesis
170
In what process will water come out of plants?
Transpiration
171
When water comes out of plants in transpiration and makes clouds, what cycle happens all over again?
The water cycle
172
The air is about __% nitrogen
78
173
Nitrogen is highly reactive/unreactive
unreactive
174
In the nitrogen cycle, nitrogen is converted into...
nitrates
175
Give 2 ways that nitrogen can be converted into nitrates
Any 2 from lightning, the Haber process and nitrofying bacteria
176
What is the Haber process used to make?
Fertilisers
177
Fertilisers that are made by the Haber process are put on the ground by...
Nitrofying bacteria
178
Where are nitrofying bacteria found?
In the root nodules of legumes
179
Legumes are eaten by...
animals
180
Animals that eat legumes can then release...
nitrogen compounds
181
Give 2 ways animals can release nitrogen compounds
Any 2 from urine, feces and death
182
What do denitrifying bacteria do?
Take nitrate compounds that are in the soil and turn it back into nitrogen gas and release it into the air
