8)Ecology and the Environment Flashcards
What is a habitat?
The place where an organism lives
What is a population?
All the organisms of one species in a habitat
What is a community?
All the different in a habitat
What is an ecosystem?
All the organisms living in a particular area and all the non-living conditions
Describe the water cycle
1) Heat from the sun makes the water evaporate from the land and sea turning it into water vapour
2) The warm water vapour is carried upwards. When it gets higher up it cools and condenses to form clouds
3) Water falls from clouds as precipitation and is returned to the land and sea
Why is nitrogen needed?
Makes proteins for growth
What is nitrogen fixation?
It’s the process of turning nitrogen from the air into nitrogen compounds in the soil. There are the two main ways that this can happen
What are the two main ways of getting nitrogen fixation?
- Lightning= There is enough energy in a bolt of lightning that its enough to make nitrogen with oxygen in the air to give nitrates
- Nitrogen-fixing bacteria
What are the four main bacteria involved in the nitrogen cycle?
1) Decomposers
2)Nitrifying bacteria
3)Nitrogen-fixing bacteria
4Denitrifying bacteria
What do decomposers do?
Break down proteins (in rotting plants and animals) and urea (in animal waste) and turn them into ammonia
What does nitrifying bacteria do?
Turn ammonia in decaying matter into nitrates
What does nitrogen-fixing bacteria do?
Turn atmospheric nitrogen into nitrogen compounds that plants can use
What does denitrifying bacteria do?
Turn nitrates back into nitrogen gas
Where is carbon monoxide mostly released?
In car emmisions
How is acid rain caused?
It is caused sulfur dioxide
