adaptions Flashcards
how are desert plants adapted
- they have broad leaves to increase its surface area so it can collect the dew formed in the early evening
- they have thick waxy cuticle and small fleshy leaves to keep water in
how are plants in dry climates adapted
- have tight curls to reduce the surface area so less water can leave the plant by evaporation and trap layers of moist around the plant
- leaves with a small surface area to reduce water loss
how are plants adapted to collect water
- some plants are adapted with an extensive root system where their roots extend either over a wide area , roots that go down a long way or both
- this adaption allows the plant to uptake as much water as possible
how are cacti adpated
- the leaves have been reduced to sines with a very small surface area to prevent water lost
- their sharp spines discourage animals from eating them
how do plants store their water in dry climates
in their tissues, stems, roots or fleshy leaves
how do cacti store water
- their body of green contain water store their water in
how are animals adapted
- structural adaptions
- behavioural adaptions
- functional adpations
adaptions of animals in cold climates
- they have a small surface area to volume ratio to reduce the transfer of energy to the surroundings and minimise cooling
- have lots of thick bubbler fat under there skin which keeps them warm and acts as in insulator
- thick fur coat outside of their skin that insulates them and reduces the transfer of energy to the surroundings
why do animals camouflage themselves
to hide from its predator or prey
how do arctic animals camouflage themselves
- in the winter the snow matches their fur and in the summer they have grey coating so they dont stand out as much
how do lionesses camouflage themselves
they have a sandy brown colour to blend in dried grass in the savannah
how are animals adapted in hot climates
- have a large surface area so that more energy can be transferred to the surroundings and maximise heat loss
-they have thin ears to maximise their cooling affects - produce concentrated urine and their kidneys can survive with little to no urine
- they are active in the evening when its cooler and sleep in the morning when its hot
what do plants, animals and microorganisms need to survive
- plants require oxygen, carbon dioxide and water to make glucose so it can provide energy for their cells and using water to maintain their cells
- animals need food from other organisms, water an oxygen
- microorganisms either require little to no oxygen to survive and need a range of things
why do plants need photosynthesis and water
- plants need photosynthesis to produce the glucose needed for energy and growth and need water to maintain their cells and tissues
adaptions of ericphytes
- attracted to other plants
- live above grounds
- collect water and nutrients from the air by specially adapted leaves
- live in rainforests
how are carnivores adapted
- too have teeth which can tear flesh and eat animal
hoe are herbivores adapted
- to have teeth to grind plants
how are lillies adapted
to have lots of air space which helps the photosynthesis quicker as it floats to the surface
how are animals and plants adapted in cold climate
they produce chemicals that heat them up
what are extremophiles
microorganisms that can reproduce and survive in very difficult conditions
how are microorganisms that live in very hot temperature adapted
they have enzymes that wont denature in high temperatures
how are microorganisms that live in salty water adapted
they adapted their cytoplasm so water does not move out of their cells by osmosis
what is a community
its made up of populations of species that are all interdependent in their habitat
what is an ecosystem
an ecosystem is made up of a community that survives on abiotic factors of their environment
what is the sun used for
it is a source of energy for all organisms and is transferred trough the chemical bonds that make up and organism
what is interdependence
when all organisms depend on each other, this is why if one species becomes very numerous or is removed it will affect other species
how are plants and animals interdependent
- plants make food by photosynthesis
- animals eat plants
- animals pollinate plants
- animals use plants or animal material to build nest and shelter
- plants need nutrients from decay and dropping
what makes a community stable
if the climate is stable
what does a stable community mean
the number of plant and species and population of species would stay constant
what are quadrats used for
to measure the distribution of organisms or the population size of plants or any slow moving animal
measurements of quadrants
0.5m2 long with an area of 0.25m2
how to make your results valid using a quadrant
1) placing the quadrant randomly by spinning and closing your eyes then opening them and walking 10 steps
2) by using a random generator
what does quantitative sampling show
it compares the distribution of the organisms in different habitats or the variety of organism in several habitats
how to calculate quantitative sampling
calculating the mean
what is sampling used for
to find the changes of the distribution of organisms overtime
what do transects allow you to see
- what abiotic factor is linked to the distribution of organisms
what is a line transect
- when you place a tape between two points
what do animals compete for
- food
- territory
- water
why are animals that eat a range of plants more likely to be successful than picky eater
as if they are a peaky eater they are at risk of dying out if anything happens to there only food source
what do carnivores compete for
prey
what do herbivores compete for
planrs
how are successful predators adapted
they are adapted to have long legs for fast running and sharp eyes to spot prey
how are prey animals adapted
they are adapted to help prevent them from becoming a meal for a predator and some prey contains poisons which will make the predator sick but these types of prey have warning colours which predators learn to avoid
what is a territory
a place to build a nest or the space needed for an animal to find food and produce
how do territories help animals
- the help them reproduce
- they help them make sure they have enough food and water for their children
how do males compete to get a mate
have fights between themselves
- display themselves to get female attention
what is a successful competitor
an animal that is adapted to be better at finding food a mate than other members of its own species and must be able to breed successfully
how do animals avoid competition
- feeding on local animals
- eat a type of food that other animals avoid
what do plant compete for
- light for photosynthesis
- water for keeping their tissues rigid and for support
- nutrients from the soil to make all the chemical they need in their cells
- space to grow so their roots can catch water and their leaves can catch sunlight
how do big tall plants affect other plants
they take up a lot of water and minerals from the soil and reduce the light reaching the plant beneath them
how do some plants get into competition with their own seedling
- they shed their seeds and it lands nearby causing parent plant to be in direct competition with its own seedling
how do parent plants compete with their seedling
- as the parent plant is larger it will take most of its minerals, water ions and light so the parent plant will deprive its offspring with everything they need to grow properly
how are roots of desert plants adapted to avoid competition
- they produce a chemical that stops seeds from germinating, killing the competition before it grows
how do plants avoid competition
- small plants flower early in the year as this is when plenty of light gets through the branches of trees
- having different roots
- plants that grow in the shade might grow taller to reach the light and grow leaves with a bigger surface area to take as much light in
how can different roots avoid competition
- shallow roots can take in water and nutrients near the surface of the soil whilst others have deep roots that go underground
how can plants avoid growing their seeds near them
- they use the wind to spread their seeds as far as possible
- produce fruits and seeds with special adaptations for flight to carry their seeds away
- explosive seed pods animals and water to carry their seeds away
what are abiotic factors
non living factors
what abiotic factors affect communities
- light intensity
- temperature
- moisture levels
- wind intensity and direction
- availability of oxygen
- availability of carbon dioxide
-soil pH and mineral content
how does light intensity affect communities
limits photosynthesis so light intensity affects distribution of plants and animals but some plants are adapted to live in low light areas
how does temperature affect communities
is a limiting factor on photosynthesis and growth of plants
how does moisture levels affect communities
if there is no water there will be no life
how does soil pH and mineral content affect communities
the level of mineral ions has an impact on the distribution of plants and the pH of the soil has a major impact on what you can grow on it, the rate of decay therefore the amount of mineral ions released back into the soil
how does wind intensity and direction affect communities
areas with strong prevailing wind can affect the slope of trees and landscapes and can make plants transpire fast
how does the availability of oxygen affect communities
- affects water living organisms
how does the availability of carbon dioxide affect communities
- its a limiting factor for photosynthesis and plant growth and can affect the distribution of organisms
what are biotic factors
living factors
biotic factors that can affect communities
- availability of food
- new pathogens and parasites
- new protectors arriving
- interspecific competition
how does availability of food affect communities
when there is plenty of food organisms breed successfully when food is in short supply animals struggle to survive and do not breed
how does new pathogens and parasite affect communities
when a new pathogen enters the community the organism has no resistance to the pathogen and can damage or wipe the community
how are new predators arriving affect communities
organisms that have no defence against predators may quickly be wiped out
how does interspecific competition affect communities
- a new species may outcompete another to the point where numbers have become too low for successful breeding
REQUIRED PRACTICAL - estimating the total population of daises
1) place 2 20m tape measures at right angles
2) get two bags contain the numbers of 1 - 20
3) the first student removes a number from the bag and moves to their number on one of the tape measure (e.g if they pulled out 8m they would got to the 8m mark)
4) the second student does the same thing but moves to the other tape measure (e.g if they pulled out 12m they would got to the 12m mark)
5) the third student places the quadrat on the ground at the coordinates of both of the students points (e.g 8 by 12)
6) the students then record the number of daisies in the first quadrat and the return their numbers back to the bags and repeat this process 9 more times for a total of ten samples
7) they then would estimate the total pop size by : total area/ area sampled x number or daises counted in sample
how do you find the total population
total area/ area sampled (area sampled = area of quadrat x the total number of times you threw the quadrat) x number of organisms of that species counted in sample
REQUIRED PRACTICAL - the effect of light intensity on the distribution of daises
1) place a tape measure starting from the shady region all the way to the end of the field
2) use a quadrat to count the number of daisies at the start of the transect and record the light intensity using a light meter
3) move the quadrat 1m down the tape measure and repeat the measurements, continue doing this all the way down the tape measure
when do we use a transect
to observe how factors affect a population
when do we use quadracts
to see the distribution of a population
