B15: Ecology

Question 1

What is an ecosystem?

Answer 1

The interaction of a community of living organisms with the non-living parts of their environment.

Question 2

What is a stable community?

Answer 2

A community where all the species and environmental factors are in balance so that population sizes remain fairly constant.

Question 3

What is interdependence?

Answer 3

When one species is removed or very numerous, and it affects the whole community.

Question 4

What are some ways in which species depend on each other within a community?

Answer 4

Food.
Shelter.
Pollination.

Question 5

What are some abiotic factors that may affect communities of organisms?

Answer 5

Light intensity.
Temperature.
Wind intensity and direction.

Question 6

What are some biotic factors that may affect communities of organisms?

Answer 6

Availability of food (struggle for food and consequently die).
New predators arriving (species could get wiped out).
New competitors (outcompeted species struggle to breed).

Question 7

What is the simplest way to count the number of organisms?

Answer 7

Use a quadrat.

Question 8

What could you do to make sure sampling is random.

Answer 8

Use a random number generator.

Question 9

What do animals compete for?

Answer 9

Food.
Territories.
Mates.

Question 10

What makes an animal a successful competitor?

Answer 10

Adaptations to be better at finding food or better at finding a mate than the other member of its species.

Question 11

What do plants compete for?

Answer 11

• Light for photosynthesis, to make food.
• Water for photosynthesis and for keeping their tissues rigid and supported.
• space to grow, allowing their roots to take in more water and nutrients and their leaves to capture light.

Question 12

What do organisms need to survive and reproduce?

Answer 12

A supply of materials from their surroundings and from the other living organisms in their habitat.

Question 13

What are extremophiles?

Answer 13

Organisms that survive and reproduce in the most difficult conditions.

Question 14

What are some examples of animal adaptations?

Answer 14

• Herbivores have teeth for grinding up cells.

- Carnivores have teeth adapted for tearing flesh or crushing bones.

Question 15

What do plants need to survive and reproduce?

Answer 15

Plants need light, carbon dioxide, water, oxygen and mineral ions to produce glucose to give them the energy they need to survive.

Question 16

What do animals need to survive and reproduce?

Answer 16

Water, oxygen and food from other living organisms.

Question 17

What is an example of a plant adaptation?

Answer 17

-Epiphytes are adapted to live high above the ground attached to other plants. They collect water and nutrients from the air.

Question 18

What is a habitat?

Answer 18

An area where organisms live.

Question 19

What is a ‘community’?

Answer 19

A group of interdependent organisms of different species.