4.1 SPECIES COMMUNITIES AND ECOSYSTEMS

Question 1

ESSENTIAL IDEA

Answer 1

the continued survival of living organisms including humans depends on sustainable communities

Question 2

ECOLOGY

Answer 2

the study of relationships between living organisms and between organisms and their environment

Question 3

POPULATION

Answer 3

a group of organisms of the same species living in the same area at the same time

Question 4

COMMUNITY

Answer 4

a group of populations living and interacting with each other in an area

Question 5

ECOSYSTEM

Answer 5

a community and its abiotic environment

Question 6

HABITAT

Answer 6

the environment in which a species normally lives (location of a living organism)

Question 7

SPECIES

Answer 7

a group of organisms that can interbreed to produce fertile offsprings

Question 8

HYBRID

Answer 8

if members of two closely related species do interbreed and produce offspring the hybrids will be sterile (mule)

Question 9

AUTOTROPHS CONVERT

Answer 9

CO2 (from atmosphere or dissolved water) into organic compounds

Question 10

INORGANIC NUTRIENT COMPOUNDS ARE OBTAINED FROM…

Answer 10

water/ CO2/ nitrates/O2… are obtained from the abiotic environment

Question 11

PLANTS INITIALLY

Answer 11

synthesis sugars (glucose) which are then converted into other organic compounds:
complex carbs: cellulose/ starch
lipids
amino acids

Question 12

MOST AUTOTROPHS

Answer 12

fix carbon by photosynthesis

Question 13

AUTOTROPHS

Answer 13

synthesise their own organic molecules

= producers

Question 14

HETEROPTROPHS

Answer 14

obtain organic M from other organisms

Question 15

ALL ORGANISMS REQUIRE

Answer 15

organic molecules (AA) to carry out the functions of life

Question 16

TESTING FOR ASSOCIATION BETWEEN SPECIES

Answer 16

quadrat sampling

chi squared

Question 17

NUTRIENT CYCLE

Answer 17

autotrophs
heterotrophs
saprotrophs

Question 18

NUTRIENTS

Answer 18

elements required by an organism for growth and metabolism are regarded as nutrients:
carbon
nitrogen
phosphorus

Question 19

NUTRIENT CYCLE

AUTOTROPHS

Answer 19

convert nutrients from inorganic form into organic M

CO2 = glucose

Question 20

NUTRIENT CYCLE

HETEROTROPHS

Answer 20

ingest other organisms to gain organic forms of nutrients

Question 21

NUTRIENT CYCLE

SAPROTROPHS

Answer 21

breakdown of organic nutrients to gain energy and in the process release nutrient back into inorganic M

Question 22

NUTRIENT CYCLE
SAPROTROPHS
EXAMPLE

Answer 22

fungi release nitrogen as ammonia into the soil

this ensures the continuing availability of nutrients to autotrophs

Question 23

TO REMAIN SUSTAINABLE AN ECOSYSTEM REQUIRES

Answer 23

continuous energy availability

nutrient recycling

recycling of waste

Question 24

ECOSYSTEMS AND CONTINUOUS ENERGY AVAILABILITY

Answer 24

light from the sun

Question 25

ECOSYSTEMS AND NUTRIENT RECYCLING

Answer 25

saprotrophs are crucial for continuous provision of nutrients to producers

Question 26

ECOSYSTEMS AND RECYCLING OF WASTE

Answer 26

certain by products of metabolism (ammonia from excretion) are toxic

decomposing bacteria often fulfill this role by deriving energy as toxic M are broken down to simpler, less toxic, M

Question 27

ECOSYSTEMS ARE SUSTAINABLE BECAUSE

Answer 27

most flows of energy and nutrients in an ecosystem are between members of the biotic community

relatively few flows of energy and nutrients enter or leave from surrounding ecosystems

Question 28

MESOCOSMS

Answer 28

are biological systems that contain the abiotic and biotic features of an ecosystem by are restricted in size and/or under controlled conditions

Question 29

MESOCOSMS USEFULNESS

Answer 29

the restriction placed on mesocosms make them useful to scientific investigations where the uncontrolled nature of a natural ecosystem makes it difficult to collect meaningful data