B17.1 - B17.4 - Organising Of An Ecosystem✔️ Flashcards
What are the produces of biomass for life on earth?
Photosynthetic organisms are the producers of biomass for life on earth
What are food chains uses for?
Representing feeding relationships within a community - all food begins with a producer which synthesises molecules - usually green plant or algae which makes glucose by photosynthesis
How is energy transfered throughout the food chain?
Animials at lower trophic levels are consumed by those at high trophhic level however only around 10% of this energy is transferred to the higher organism
2 ways biomass is mostly lost?
- not all ingested material is absorbed, some is egested as faeces
- some absorbed material is lost as waste, such as carbon dioxide and water in respiration and water and urea in urine
What are predators?
Consumers that eat other animials - in a stable community the number of predators and prey rise and fall in cycles
What are decomposers?
A group of organisms that break down waste and dead animials and plants
What is function of the water cycle?
The water cycle provides fresh water for plants and animals on land before draining into the seas. Water is continuously evaporated and precipitated.
What is the function of the carbon cycle?
The carbon cycle returns carbon from organisms to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide to be used by plants in photosynthesis.
How is carbon dioxide and minreals returned to the soil?
Decay of dead animials and plants by microorganisms which returns carbon dioxide and minreal ions to the soil
Explain the water cycle at each step in depth?
1) water evaoprates constantly from the surface of the land,rivers and lakes
2)it condenses - as it rises into the cooler air and forms clouds
3)precipitated onto the surface as rain,snow or hail
4)water passes through bodies of animials and plants - realeased during respiration in their life
Equation for combustion?
Fuel + oxygen - carbon dioxide + water
Equation for respiration?
Glucose + oxygen - carbon dioxide + water
How is water lost by animials and plants?
Through transpiration and respiration - loss of water vapour from plants and animials directly to the atmosphere
What is the carbon cycle?
The constant cycling carbon
How is carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere by photosynthesis? What is the carbon used for?
Green plants an algae remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere for photosynthesis - use carbon from carbon dioxide to make carbohydrates,proteins and fats
How is carbon dioxide returned to the atmosphere through respiration?
Oxygen is used to break down glucose to provide energy for cells - carbon dioxide and water are waste products - returning carbon dioxide to the atmosphere
How does combustion return carbon dioxide to the atmosphere? Mention fossil fuels and wood?
Wood from trees contain lots of carbon locked into the molecules and fossil fuels contain lots of carbon and when these are burnt they release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere
What are carbon sinks?
Stores where carbon is “locked up” like fossil fuels (for example coal,oil and gas)
How can minreal ions from animals find there way into plants?
Decomposer (like maggost ans worms) break down dead animals, returning minreal ions (including nitrates) into the soil which are taken in by plants through the roots and used to make proteins and other chemicals in their cells
Importance or decomposition?
Is vital for the recylcing of materials in an ecosystem, however certain factors can affect the rate of decay
How does temperature affect decomposition?
Warmer temperatures increase the rate of chemical reactions and enzymes - too hot and the microrganims will die (enzymes will also denature) but if it is too cold the enzymes will work too slowly and the reaction will be slow
How does moisture (water) affect rate of dedomposition?
Microrganims involved need water to carry out biological processes
How does oxygen affect decomposistion?
Organims need oxygen to respire (needed for survival) - microrganims involved in anerobic respiration do not need oxygen
What is compost?
Decomposed organic matter (eg food waste) that is used as a natural ferteliser for crops and garden plants
