B16 - Adaptation, interdependence and competition

Question 1

Organisation in an ecosystem

Answer 1

Species - organisms that can reproduce to produce fertile offspring
Population - organisms of the same species in a habitat
Community - all the populations of organisms in a habitat

Question 2

What is an ecosystem

Answer 2

Interaction of a community of living organisms (biotic) with the non-living (abiotic) parts of their environment

Question 3

What is a stable community

Answer 3

Where all the species and environmental factors are in balance so that population sizes remain fairly constant

Question 4

What do plants compete for

Answer 4

Light and space, and for water and mineral ions from the soil.

Question 5

What do animals compete for

Answer 5

Food, mates and territory

Question 6

Abiotic factors

Answer 6

Light intensity
temperature
moisture levels
soil pH and mineral content
wind intensity and direction
carbon dioxide levels for plants
oxygen levels for aquatic animals

Question 7

Biotic factors

Answer 7

Availability of food
new predators arriving
new pathogens
one species outcompeting another so the numbers are no longer sufficient to breed

Question 8

Adaptation types

Answer 8

Structural - features of an organism’s body structure/appearance,e.g. horns or camouflage
Behavioural - what an organism does, e.g. being nocturnal, huddling to keep warm
Functional - the way things work inside an organism’s body, e.g. producing toxins

Question 9

What are extremophiles

Answer 9

Organisms that live in environments that are very extreme, such as at high temperature, pressure, or salt concentration. Bacteria living in deep sea vents are extremophiles