B16/17/18 - Ecology

Question 1

ecology

Answer 1

the study of organisms and how they interact with the environment around them

Question 2

habitat

Answer 2

a place where an organism lives

Question 3

individual

Answer 3

one organism of a species

Question 4

population

Answer 4

total number of organisms of one species living in a habitat

Question 5

define:

community

Answer 5

populations of different species that live in a habitat

Question 6

define:

ecosystem

Answer 6

a community of interacting organisms and their physical environment

Question 7

interdependence

Answer 7

organisms in an ecosystem that are dependent on each other

Question 8

list 3:

common examples of interdependence within an ecosystem

Answer 8

• plants produce food through photosynthesis
• animals eat plants
• animals pollinate plants
• animals eat animals
• animals use biological materials to create shelters
• plants use nutrients from animal droppings

Question 9

define:

biotic factor

Answer 9

a factor caused by a living organism

Question 10

define:

abiotic factor

Answer 10

a factor not caused by a living organism

Question 11

list 3:

abiotic factors that affect a community

Answer 11

• light intensity
• temperature
• humidity
• soil pH and mineral content
• air movement
• availability of oxygen
• availability of carbon dioxide

Question 12

list 3

biotic factors that affect a community

Answer 12

• availability of food
• new pathogens
• new predators
• interspecific competition (competition between species)

Question 13

What is a quadrat?

Answer 13

a square frame used to sample the population of organisms within the area

Question 14

quantitative sampling

Answer 14

a technique where several random readings are taken and the mean is found between them

Question 15

How do you sample a population of daisies with a quadrat?

RP

Answer 15

1. find the area of a location and split it into 1m by 1m squares
2. use random numbers as coordinates to avoid bias
3. sample 10% of the location
4. count the number of daisies in each quadrat
5. find the mean of all samples that were found
6. use the mean to find the estimated amount of daisies in the location

Question 16

How do you sample a population of daisies with a transect?

Answer 16

1. stretch a tape between two points
2. use a quadrat to take samples across the line

Question 17

Why are transects used?

Answer 17

determine a biotic or abiotic factor that affects the distribution of population across the transect

Question 18

What are 2 ways in which animals compete for mates?

Answer 18

• they fight
• they display themselves to gain attention with an adaptation that can make them stand out

Question 19

list 4:

What do animals compete for?

Answer 19

• water
• food
• territory (space)
• mates

Question 20

list 4:

What do plants compete for?

Answer 20

• light
• water
• minerals
• space to grow

Question 21

define:

extremophiles

Answer 21

organisms that survive and reproduce in extreme conditions

Question 22

give 2 examples of adaptations in extremophiles

Answer 22

• High heat - adapted enzymes that do not denature at high temperatures
• Salty habitat - adapted cytoplasm so water does not leave cells through osmosis

Question 23

Epiphytes are found in rainforests. What adaptation do they have to help them survive?

Answer 23

They can live high above the ground by taking water and nutrients out of the air.

Question 24

define:

adaptation

Answer 24

a feature of an organism which helps it to survive

Question 25

# name and define 3: types of adaptations

Answer 25

- behavioural - responses to events - functional - body processes - anatomical - structural body features

Question 26

give 2 adaptations that animals have in cold climates

Answer 26

- smaller the surface area to volume ratio the easier it is to minimise energy dissipating to the surroundings (physical adaptation) - large layers of insulation, e.g. blubber and fur (physical adaptation)

Question 27

give 3 adaptations that animals have in hot and dry climates

Answer 27

- functional adaptations in kidneys to produce little urine - behavioural adaptations to keep cool, walking in the evenings and early mornings - thinner skin (anatomical adaptation) dissipate more energy to the surroundings

Question 28

What are the 2 main problems that animals face in the desert?

Answer 28

- coping with a lack of water - stopping their body temperature from getting too high or too low

Question 29

# define: biomass

Answer 29

the mass of organisms

Question 30

# formula: efficiency of energy transfer between organisms

Answer 30

efficiency = biomass before / biomass after

Question 31

2 types of biomass

Answer 31

wet biomass - mass of organism incuding water dry biomass - mass of organism without water

Question 32

# list: name of each tertiary level | up to 4th

Answer 32

1. producer 2. primary consumer 3. secondary consumer 4. tertiary consumer

Question 33

# define: stable community

Answer 33

a community where species and environmental factors are in balance so that *population sizes stay fairly constant*

Question 34

# define: competition

Answer 34

organisms competing for resources

Question 35

What does a pyramid of biomass show?

Answer 35

The biomass of different trophic levels of a food chain.

Question 36

# define: decomposers

Answer 36

microorganisms that break down (decompose) organic material | bacteria and fungi

Question 37

# define: detritivores

Answer 37

consume organic material | fungi and invertebrates

Question 38

# list 3: How energy is lost up tropic levels

Answer 38

- movement - heat - reproduciton

Question 39

# name: the 2 cycles found in nature

Answer 39

the *water cycle* and the *carbon cycle*

Question 40

importance of the water cycle

Answer 40

provides fresh water to organisms on land

Question 41

importance of the carbon cycle

Answer 41

carbon is vital for organisms, creating structures like proteins and DNA

Question 42

# name and explain 3: conditions for decay and a reason

Answer 42

- warmth - enzymes - moisture - digesting food - oxygen - aerobic respiration

Question 43

# define: abundance | Ecology

Answer 43

number of organisms of a species (population) in a specific area

Question 44

# define: distribution | Ecology

Answer 44

how organisms are spread out in an area

Question 45

What does a quadrat measure?

Answer 45

Abundance (population)

Question 46

What does a transect measure?

Answer 46

Distribution of organisms

Question 47

How do peat bogs help the environment?

Answer 47

they are carbon sinks | store carbon from atmosphere