Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Biology > 7- Ecology (2) > Flashcards

7- Ecology (2) Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
AP® Biology flashcards Biology 101 flashcards
1
Q

What is biodiversity?

A

The number of different species in a place

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Why does the population increasing effect land and resources?

A

• Land for building, quarrying, farming and dumping waste

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Why is having high biodiversity important?

A

• Ensures stability of ecosystems by reducing dependence on one species for food

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

How do humans pollute land?

A

• Untreated human waste pollutes soil
• Household waste and landfill takes up space - chemicals can spread into soil
• Pesticides from farming

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What are Abiotic factors?

A
  • non living factors
  • moisture level
  • light intensity
  • temperature
  • carbon dioxide level (plants)
  • wind intensity and direction
  • oxygen level (equatic animals)
  • soil pH anf mineral content
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What are biotic factors?

A
  • living factors
  • new predators
  • competition
  • new pathogens
  • availability of food
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What do organisms compete for?

A
  • Plants - light, space, water, minerals
  • Animals - space, food, water, mates
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

How are arctic fox’s adapted?

A
  • white fur - camouflage, helps avoid predators, sneak up on prey
  • wales - thick layer of blubber and low surface area to volume ratio to help reduce heat loss - Camels - thin layer of fat and large surface area to volume ratio to help heat loss
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

How are animals functionally adapted?

A
  • Desert animals - conserve water by producing very little sweat and small amounts of concentrated urine
  • Brown bears - hibernate over winter, lower metabolism which conserves energy so don’t have to hunt when not much food about
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What are extremophiles?

A
  • microorganisms known as extremophiles adapted to live in very extreme conditions e.g very high tempertaures, with very high pressures, and salt concentrations
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What are food chains?

A
  • show transfer of biomass in an ecosystem
  • start with a producer who produce their own food using energy from the sun e.g green plants or algae
  • producers eaten by primary consumers, primary consumers eaten by secondary cconsumers, and secondary consumers eaten by tertiary consumers
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What is the relationship between predators and prey like?

A
  • the population of any species is limited by amount of food available
  • if the population of prey increases, so will population of predators
  • however, if population of predators increases, prey will decrease
  • predator-prey cycles always out of phase, takes a while for one population to respond as it takes time to reproduce
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

How does the change in availability of water effect the distribution of organisms?

A
  • distribution of some animal and plant species in the trophiccs changes between wet and dry seasons
  • e.g times of year when more or less rainfall, so more or less availability of water
  • in africa, large numbers of giant wildbeest migrate, moving norrth then back south as rainfall battern changes
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

How does change in temperature effect distrubution of an organism?

A
  • distribution of bird species changing in Germany because of rise in average temperature
  • e.g mediterranean bird now present in parts of Germany
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

How does change in composition of atmospheric gases effect distribution of organisms?

A
  • distribution of some species changes in areas where there is more air pollution e.g some species of lichen cant grow in areas where sulfur dioxide is given out by certain industrial processes
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Describe the water cycle

A
  • energy from sun makes water from land and sea evaporate, turning it to water vapour, aswell as from plants via transpiration
  • water vapour carried upwards and cools and condenses t form clouds
  • water falls from the clouds as precipication onto lands where it provides fresh water for plants and animals
  • drains into sea via run off from rocks and process starts again
17
Q

How do materials decay?

A
  • broken down by microorganisms
  • rate faster in warm, moist, aerobic conditions, because microorganisms more active
  • decay puts mineral ions back into soil
  • in a stable community materials taken out of soil and used by plants etc. and put back in
18
Q

Describe the carbon cycle.

A
  • Co2 removed from atmosphere by photosynthesisisng plants
  • when plants and algae respire, carbon returned to atmosphere as CO2
  • when plants and algae eaten by animals, some carbon becomes part of fats and proteins in their body
  • when animals respire, some carbon returned to atmosphere as CO2
  • when plants and animals die, other animals and microorganisms feed on remains and respire releasing CO2
  • animals produce waste broken down by detritus feeders and microorganisms releasing CO2
  • combustion of wood releases CO2
  • burning of fossil fuels releases CO2
19
Q

What is rate of decay affected by?

A
  • Temperature - higher temperatures increase decay as increase rate of enzyme action - if too hot enzymes denature and organisms die
  • Oxygen availability - many organisms need oxygen to respire and survive, microrganisms involved in decay do not require oxygen
  • Water availability - Decay takes place faster in moist environments because organisms involved in decay need water to carry out biological processes
  • Number of decay organisms - the more microorganisms and detritus feeders there are, the faster decomposition happens
20
Q

How is biogas made from anaerobic decay?

A
  • biogas mainly made of methane, which can be burned as fuel
  • Lots of different microorganisms used to produce biogas. They decay animal and plant wasteanaerobically which produces methane gas.
  • Sludge waste from sewage works or sugar factories is used to make biogas on a bigger scale
  • made in a simple fermentor called digestor or generator that need to be kept at constant temperatures to continue rate of respiration
  • biogas can’t be stored as liquid so has to be used straight away for heating, cooking, lighting or power turbine to generate electricity
21
Q

How does global warming take place?

A
  • energy transferred to earth from sun warming it up
  • most energy radiated back into space
  • some energy absorbed by greenhouses gases in the environment
  • some energy re-readiated back to earth
22
Q

What is the impact of global warming?

A
  • loss of habitat - floods and rising sea levels, decreasing biodiversity
  • Changes in distribution - temperatures rise and fall and rainfall patterns change cause different species to migrate or immigrate
  • Changes in migration patterns - as climates hotter or cold migration of birds, insects and mammals may change
  • reduced biodiversity - as climates change, many organisms unable to survive and become extinct e.g polar bears as ice melts
23
Q

What problems are caused by deforestation?

A
  • less carbon dioxide taken in - reduction of trees means less carbon dioxide removed from atmosphere during photosynthesis - trees ‘lock up’ some carbon dioxidein their wood from photosynthesis, which removes it from atmosphere for hundeds of years, less trees=less locked up
  • More carbon dioxide in the amosphere - carbon dioxide released when trees are burnt to clear land, microorganisms decomposing trees respire amd release CO2
  • Less biodiversity - habitats like forests conatin large number of different species, when habitat destroyed biodiversity reduced
24
Q

How is biomass lost during food chain?

A
  • repiration
  • waste
  • egestion
  • not all animal eaten
25
Q

How is efficiency of a food-chain calculated?

A
  • biomass transferred to next level/biomass available at previous level X 100
26
Q

What are the factors affecting food security?

A
  • population
  • changes in diets
  • pests and pathogens in farming
  • lack of rain
  • conflicts - affect availability of food or water
27
Q

How are fish stocks preserved?

A
  • fishing quotas - limits on number and size of fish in certain areas to prevent them being overfished
  • net size - limits of mesh sizes depending on whats being fished, reduce unwanted accidentally caught fish - juvenile fish can escape and reproduce so that population levels are maintained
28
Q

How can food production be made more efficient?

A
  • limiting movement of livestock to reduce respiration
  • temperature controlled environment reduces transfer of energy from shivering
  • some animals fed high-protein food to further increase growth
29
Q

What is Mycoprotein?

A
  • large amounts of microorganisms such as fungi cultured industrially under controlled conditions in large vats for use as a food source
  • used to make high-protein meat-substitutes like quorn
  • made from Fusarium in aerobic conditions on glucose syrup, uses as food
  • fungal biomass harvested and purified to produce mycoprotein

Biology (17 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions