B-7 Ecology

Question 1

• What is a habitat

Answer 1

• The place where an organism lives

Question 2

What is a population

Answer 2

• All the organisms of one species living in one place

Question 3

• What is a community

Answer 3

• What a abiotic factors- Different populations of species living in a habitat

Question 4

What are abiotic factors

Answer 4

• Non-living factors e.g temperature
  wind
  oxygen
  soil ph
• Change in environment could be an increase or decrease in an abiotic factor
• Can cause change in organisms
• E.g increased c02 can lead to more growth and therefor more competition for space-

Question 5

• What are biotic factors

Answer 5

• Living factors e.g food
• new predators
• Competition
• Change in environment can lead to new biotic factor. Can effect population size

Question 6

• Whats an ecosystem

Answer 6

• interaction of community of living and non living parts of environment

Question 7

What is competition

Answer 7

• Organisms need things from there environment and these are in limited supply- needed to survive
• Compete for both light, space, food with other species and other species

Question 8

• What is interdependence

Answer 8

• Each spices replying on other species for thing such as food and water

Question 9

• What are adaptations

Answer 9

• Organisms are adapted to live in different environmental conditions
• Allow them to live in these conditions

Question 10

• What are structural adaptations

Answer 10

• Features of an organisms body structure
  e. g Artic foc - white fur0 avoid predators- camouflage
• Thick layer of blubber and low surface volume ratio in wales- stop heat loss
• Camel s- thin layer of fat- Large surface area to volume ratio- allows them to lose heat

Question 11

What are behavioural adaptations

Answer 11

• Ways in which organisms behave

- E.g swallows migrate to warmer climates to avoid issues

Question 12

What are functional adaptations

Answer 12

• Things that go inside an organisms body
  e. g desert animals conserve water by sweating little and having very counteracted urine
• E.g born bears hibernate and lower metabolism- don’t need to hunt

Question 13

What are food chain

Answer 13

• Show whats eaton by what in an ecosystem
• Start with producer
• Then primary consumer
• The energy decreases down the food chain

Question 14

• What is the trend in predator prey relationships

Answer 14

• Population of spices is usually limited by amount of food available
• Population of prey increases will cure an increase in number of predators
• However as the population of predators increases the population of prey decreases
• This forms cycles of falling an driving numbers of prey interlinked with one another - there is a delay

Question 15

• What are the stages in the water cycle

Answer 15

• Energy and sun make water evaporate
• Water evaporates from plants
• Warm water vapour carried upwards- cools condenses and forms clouds
• Water falls from clouds as precipitation- provides fresh water
• Some taken up by soil and taken up in plants for photosynthesis - eaton by animals
• Animals take in water and extract it
• Water is also run off back into it- all gets evaporated all over again

Question 16

• How are elements cycled back to start of food chain

Answer 16

• Decay
• Living things get passed up the for chain though consumption
• • retuned back into the environment as waste product or when they die and decay
• Decay happens as there broken down by micro-organisms - puts it back into soil
• In a stable community the materials are taken out and placed back in at a steady and continuous rate

Question 17

What are the steps in the carbon cycle

Answer 17

• Co2 is removed from atmosphere by green plants and algae during photosynthesis
• When they respire some carbon returned
• When eaton by animals - carbon becomes part of the,
• When animals respire carbon put into atmosphere
• When algae and animals die they decay and carbon is related
• Waste also produces this
• Combustion also does this
• Carbon is constantly being cycled

Question 18

• What is biodiversity

Answer 18

• Variety of different species of organisms on Earth or within an ecosystem

Question 19

• Why is biodiversity important

Answer 19

• Makes sure ecosystems are stable as species rely on one another- help maintain physical conditions
• Needed so humans can survive

Question 20

• What are the effects of a rising population on an ecosystem,

Answer 20

• Puts pressure on environmental resources
• People wanting a higher standard of living is also doing this- e.g pressure on oil usage
• We will run out

Question 21

• How are water water, land and air date being produced

Answer 21

Water- -Sewage and toxic chemicals from industry and polluting lakes, rivers and oceans . Chemicals on fertilisers can be washed into them

Land- Toxic chemicals for farming- bury nuclear waste-landfil sites

Air- Smoke ad acidic gases related into atmosphere can pollute the air e.g sulphur dioxide- acid rain

Question 22

• Who does the greenhouse effect work

Answer 22

• Suns long rays are easily pushed though atmosphere
• Trapped by greenhouse gases , the thicker the layer it is the more will be trapped and deflected back
• Deflected back and temp increases on earth

Question 23

• What could be the consequences of global warming

Answer 23

• Increasing sea levels- flooding
• Wild animal and plant distribution could change
• Change sin migration patterns
• Biodiversity reduced as some organisms may find it hard to survive

Question 24

• What are the reason for deforestation

Answer 24

• Cattle ranching or rice

- Grow crops for biofuels

Question 25

• What are the issues of deforestation

Answer 25

• Less co2 taken in- increased greenhouse effect - locked up carbon realised
• Burning trees causes co2 to be related. Decay releases co2 through respiration
• Less iodiveristy - destroyed habitat

Question 26

• What are bogs

Answer 26

• Areas of land that are acidic and waterlogged. Plants don’t fully decay s theres not enough oxygen. Partially rotten plants build up
• Carbon is stored within it
• Drained so it can be used as farmland and peat being used for energy source

Question 27

• What is the issue with destroying eat bogs

Answer 27

• Comes into contact with air- decompose- respire and relate carbon
• Also carbon is related when they burn
• Habitat also destroyed- reduction in biodiversity

Question 28

• What can be set up to protect biodiversity

Answer 28

• Breeding management programs- endangered- bred in captivity
• Protecting endangered habitats e.g mangrove
• Reintroduce hedgerows - provide a habitat where will flowers and grasses can grow- more biodiversity
• Deforestation reduction
• Reduce landfill- reduce amount of land taken up

Question 29

What are the conflicting pressures tat effect how biodiversity is maintained

Answer 29

• Costs money- money thought to be more useful elsewhere
• Costs to livehoof- e.g reducing deforestation can lead to unemployment- which is more important
• food security put under pressure. organisms seen as pests and killed to get higher yield- reduces biodiversity
• Development- land in higher demand