B16 Flashcards
What are food chains?
Shows what is eaten , the feeding relationships in an ecosystem
What is always at the start of a food chain?
A producer
What is a producer?
Usually green plants or algae , they make glucose by photosynthesis. These biological molecules are the plants biomass, the mass of living material
What is biomass?
Animal material used for energy production.(glucose in plants)
How does the food chain work?
Energy is transferred through living organisms in an ecosystem when organisms eat other organisms. Producers are eaten by primary consumers . Primary consumers are eaten by secondary consumers and secondary consumers are eaten by tertiary consumers.
What are predators?
Consumers that hunt and kill other animals and they prey on what they eat.
What happens in a stable community?
Equal amount of predators and prey.
What limits the population of all animals?
Limited by the amount of food available.
What happens as prey increases?
Predators will increase
What will happen if population of predators increases?
Number of prey decrease
What does out of phase mean?
The state of the predator prey cycle . It takes a while for the population to respond to changes in the other population. Isnt an immediate change
Water cycle?
1) energy from the dun makes water evaportate from the land and sea turning it to water vapour
2) water evaporates from plants - this is known as transpiration
3) warm water vapour rises. When it gets higher it cools and condenses to form clouds
4) water falls from the clouds as precipitation (rain, snow )onto land where it provides fresh water for plants and animals
5) water absorbed by soil and taken up plant roots. Provides fresh water for things like photosynthesis. Some water goes in plants tissues and is passed through to animals in the food chain.
6) animals need water for chemical reactions that happens in their bodies . Animals return water to the soil and atmosphere through excretion
7) water not absorbed will be absorbed by streams and rivers
8) then it goes back to the sea and the cycle begins again.
What does the water cycle provide?
Fresh water for plants and animals on land before draining into the seas. Water is continuously evaporated and precipitated
How are elements cycled back to the start of the food chain by decay?
Living things are made from materials they take from the world. These materials are returned to the environment in waste product, or when organisms die and decay
Why do materials decay?
Because they’re broken down by microorganism . Happens faster in warmer, moist , aerobic conditions which is better for microorganisms
Carbon cycle?
1) CO2 is removed from the atmosphere by green plants and algae during photosynthesis. Carbon is used to make glucose , which is turner to carbohydrates , fats and proteins that make up the body of plants and algae
2) when plants and algae respire , carbon is returned to the atmosphere
3) when plants are eaten by animals, some carbon become part of the fats and proteins in their bodies. Carbon moves through the food chain
4) respiration from animals returns some carbon
5) when plants and animals die , other animals and microorganisms feed on the remains , taking in the carbon , when they respire it is returned to the environment
6) animals also produce waste that is broken down by detritus feeders and microorganisms
7) combustion of wood also releases carbon
Processes in the carbon cycle?
release:
respiration (releases CO2)
- decomposition (releases CO2 back into the soil
-combustion (releases CO2)
Take in:
-photosynthesis (plants take in CO2)
-eating(animals take in CO2 by eating plants)
What is evaporation ?
Water evaporates from bodies of water into the atmosphere
What is transpiration?
Water vapour evaporates from the stomata in leaves into the atmosphere
What is respiration in the water cycles?
Releases water vapour into the atmosphere
What is condensation?
Water vapour rises and cools . It then condenses into liquid droplets forming clouds
What is precipitation?
As water droplets in clouds get heavier they start to fall as rain , snow and hail
What is percolation?
Water trickles through gaps in the rocks
