adaptation and competetion Flashcards
whats a community
a group of different species and plants etc that all in a habitat
whats an ecosystem
when a community interacts with non living elemsnts
whats inderpendence
when a community relies on all other members to survive- eg animals polonate flowers which produce fopd which animals eat
whats a stable enviroment
when the species and enviromental factors remain very constant eg rainsforests and coral reefs
what are abiotic factors
things that are not alive but affect comunities
abiotic factors affecting communities
light intesnity- needed for photosynthesis
temp- limits plant growth
moisture levels- people and plants cant grow with no water
Ph levels and levels of minerals in soil
oxygen levels
co2 levels- limits photosynthesis and makes aplant more attravtice to predators
whats a biotic factor
alive factors that affect a group
biotic factors effecting communities
availability of food- short supply causes famine and less plant growth
new pathogeons means that people havent developed any resistence to it
new predators
insterspecies competition like grey vs red squirrels- if one species is too successful the other may have numbers too low for breeding
explain mmeasuring population size practical
so you have a tape measure of 20 by 20m and then you have two bags of numbers 1-20. you pick one out and stand there and the second one is a coordinate. then you olace down the 0.5 by 0.5 quadrat and count the daisies. repeat x10
how can you use the experiment to measure factors
for something such as light intensity you use a transit line which stretches outwards and you can out the less or mlore stuff
equation for estimate amount
total area/ area sampled x number in area sampled
what are transects for
when you suspect that an abiotic factor is affecting the growth of an organism you can put a straight line between two points and count the transects of an organism
what do animals compete for
food
land
mates
why do animals compete for food
predators can compete to catch prey- groups of animal may be better adapted or certain genetics are better suited like sharp eyes
prey try to adapt best so theyre not caught- such as becoming poisonous and warningly colourful
if a species is more picky it is more at risk
herbivores compete for one type of food- new rabbits in australia meant other prey couldnt compete for grass
why do animals compete for terretory
best terretories can be better places for food availbility and safety to reproduce
why do animals compete for mates
in some sppecies winning the fights means you get severak mates eg lions and deer
or try and stand out- eg peacocks
how are animals successful competitors
having needs that are speciific to them, such as a unique diet and habitat or not being too picky/interdependant
being better developed than others of your kind
being the best adapted
what do plants compete for
light for photosynthesis
water to keep turgid and for photosynthesis
nutrients from soil for food
space to grow
how are plants adapted for competition
flowers bloom early when the branches are still bare so the dormant trees are taking up less light and minerals from the soil and they use the fallen leaves as minrerals
roots at different levels
leaves grow in SA or height to take more light
they use wind to take their seeds far away so they dont have to compete with them for food
how do epiphytes collect food adaptions
they are high in the trees and get their nutrienst from the air and others leaves
how do some plants transfer their seed by bat
thry ptoduce lots of nectar at night on top of a cuctus which bats feed on, thr pollen transferes around on the bats fur
how are animals teeth adapted
herbivores can grind up plant cells whilst carnivorsed have sharper for ripping flesh
how do animals adapt to surroundings- birds lillies and cold
sea birds get rid of extra salt by fake crying incredibly salty tears
lillies have loads of air space in laves so they can float and photosynthesis
in the cold cells produce an anitfreeze which stops water in it from freezing
what are extremeophiles
organisms that adapt to live in extreme conditons such as salt temp and high oressure
what kind of features do organisms have to survive
physical ones
behavioural like migration in the cold months
functional such as metabolsim and reproduction
how do animals adapt in cold climates
larger the animal the smaller the SA ratio then the less energy that will be tranferred in from the cold and loss to he cold
thin skinned areas are much smaller like ears
thick fur coats and layer of fat
anti freeze in cells which stop them from freezing
how do animals in heat adapt
animals in heat can go a long time without drinking and have very concentrated urine, they can source their water from foods
they are very inactive and only really move when its at its coldest
they rest a lot in the shade
large thin ears and high sa v ratio so that they can tranfer energy out to keep colder
adaptations found in extremophiles
bacteria in v salty seas would lose their structure to osmosis as the water conc is lower outside, but theyre adapted so the membrane doesnt let out water
some bacterias have ezymes that dont denature at hot conditions
how do anniamls adapt to camoflage and why
prey need to avoid being seen and predators need to avoid being seen so they can sneak up
animals have seaosnal coats like in the arctic foxes are white in snow and brown in the summer
lionses and many dessert animals are brown
whats the issue with plants in hot dry conditiosn
photosynthesis occurs very fast and so the stomata opens more to allow gases in and let water out, in heatphotosynthesis is fast so it looses water via the stomata fast
how do desert plants adapt their SA to reduce water loss
if its very large they can mass collect morning dew and then funnel that water to the roots to be collected by the xylem for photosynthesis
some have leaves with a waxy cuticle to stop evapouration
many have very small leaves to reduce the SA thst waetr can escape from
examples of plants with leaf adaptations- butchers broom and marram grass
butchers broom- it lives in shade and dry condiitons and has fake leaves that are relaly stem and hence have fewer stomata
marram grass- in desserts it has tight curled leaves that decrease the sa
cacti- they have very small leaves that have been reduced to spikes, this also wards off animals
how do plants adapt their roots in deserts
they have much longer ones t collect more minerals in a sparse enviroment- going straight, down or both
how do plants store water in deserts
in rare wet periods plants can mass collect water and store it in either fleshy leaves, a stem- eg the cactuses large green body, or roots
