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Biology > B4 > Flashcards

B4 Flashcards

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1
Q

What is an ecosystem?

A

Made up of all living organisms and physical conditions in an area

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2
Q

What is a community?

A

The organisms that live within an ecosystem

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3
Q

What is a habitat?

A

The area that organisms live within

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4
Q

What is a population?

A

Total number of organisms of each species

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5
Q

What are the three groups that organisms can be divided into?

A

Producer - organisms that make their own food by photosynthesis. Plants and algae
Consumers - organisms that cannot make their own food, have to eat other organisms to gain energy. All animals
Decomposers - special group of consumers, gain energy by feeding on dead or decaying material

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6
Q

What is an organisms biomass?

A

Mass of living material present

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7
Q

How is energy transferred between organisms?

A

A consumer eats a producer
When it respires the energy from its food is transferred to ATP for growth
Therefore the biomass of the consumer increases

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8
Q

What is a food chain?

A

Displays what an organisms eats
The arrow shows the transfer of biomass from one organ is to the next

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9
Q

What is a trophic level?

A

Each step in the food chain

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10
Q

What does the food chain always begin with?

A

A producer
Plant or algae
Trophic level 1

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11
Q

What consumers are trophic level 2?

A

Herbivores (only eat plants)
Primary consumer

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12
Q

What consumers are at trophic level 3?

A

Carnivores (only eat other animals)
Secondary consumers

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13
Q

What consumer is at trophic level 4?

A

Tertiary consumer
Eats the secondary consumer

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14
Q

What is a food web?

A

A diagram that illustrates a series of interlinked food chains
As in many communities animals eat more than one type of organism

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15
Q

What are the two types of factors that affect an ecosystem?

A

Abiotic factors - non living conditions that affect an ecosystems or organisms that live in them
Biotic factors - living factors conditions that affect an ecosystems or organisms that live in them

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16
Q

What are some abiotic factors?

A
  • Temperature
  • light intensity
  • moisture levels
  • pH levels of soil
  • salinity (salt levels) of water
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17
Q

What are the types of interdependence?

A

Predation
Parasition - only one organism gains
Mutualism - mutual benefit

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18
Q

How does light intensity affect communities?

A

Light is required for photosynthesis so plants evolve to adapt to different light intesities
Areas of low light plants have large SA leaves

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19
Q

How does temperature affect communities?

A

Affects the enzymes that control metabolic reactions
Plants develop faster in warmer temperatures as the matabolic reactions are faster

20
Q

How does moisture level affect communities?

A

Causes plants to wilt
Water is required for photosynthesis

21
Q

How does soil pH affect communities?

A

Affects biological activity in the soil
Availibiltu of certain minerals
Some grow in acidic conditions others in alkaline

22
Q

What do plants need to survive?

A

Light
Water
Space
CO2
minerals

23
Q

What do animals need to survive?

A

Food
Water
Breeding partners
Soace
Shelter

24
Q

What is interdependance?

A

How different organisms depend on each other within a community

25
Q

What are ecological relationships?

A

Interactions between organisms

26
Q

What do pyramids of numbers show?

A

Population at each trophic level
Bar width represents the number of organisms
Producer at the bottom

27
Q

What are pyramids of biomass?

A

Shows the biomass at each trophic level

28
Q

How do you calculate biomass?

A

Measure the average mass of each organisms and multiply it by the number of organisms present

29
Q

Why is the dry mass used?

A

As water content varies between individuals
Organisms must be killed and dried in a kiln before weighing

30
Q

How is biomass lost?

A
  • when not all of the organism is eaten (bones, plant roots)
  • some biomass is used in respiration
  • some parts cannot be digested (hair, teeth), removed in faesces, egestion
  • waste products are lost through excretion
31
Q

How do you calculate efficiency of biomass transfer?

A

Efficiency of biomass transfer (%) = biomass available after transfer / biomass available before the transfer x 100

32
Q

What is the difference between interspecific and intraspecific?

A

INTRA - within a species
INTER - between a species

33
Q

What is nutrient cycling?

A

Plants obtain the minerals they need from the soil
These are passed on to animals when the plant is eaten
When the plant loses material or the organism dies the declmposers release the trapped ‘nutrients’
Many are released into the soil to be absorbed by plants, others into the atmosphere

34
Q

What are the materials cycled?

A

Carbon - most common elements in organsims. Cycles from atmosphere, living organisms and fossil fuels. Also can be trapped in oceans and rocks
Nitrogen - makes up 80% of the atmosphere. Used to make DNA and proteins, most commonly used as a compound (nitrate, ammonia)
Water - essential component for any ecosystem

35
Q

What is the nitrogen cycle?

A

Cba

36
Q

What is the water cycle?

A

Cba

37
Q

What is the carbon cycle?

A

sorry

38
Q

What are decomposers?

A

Microorganisms - bacteria and microscopic fungi
Break, or decay dead organic material at microscopic level
Also break down animal waste

39
Q

What are sapfophytes?

A

Organisms that feed on dead material

40
Q

What is a detritivore?

A

Small animals
Speed up decomposition by shredding organic material into very small pieces
This creates a largerbSA for decomposes to work kn

41
Q

How are ‘nutrients’ released by decomposers?

A

Bacteria and fungi release enzymes that break down substances in the organic matter
They then absorb the soluble nutrients into their bodies and use them for growth and as an energy store
The bacteria and fungi will be eaten by other organismsresulting in the nutrients being passed on
Some nutrients are released directly into the soil/ environment

42
Q

What factors affect rate of decomposition?

A
  • Warm temperatures - high temperatures denatured the enzymes which prevents decomposition, results in the death of the organism. In low temperatures rate is slower
  • Moist environments - if not enough water is present the reactions within the microorganism will slow down or be preventeded, slows or stops decomposition
  • Oxygen - oxygen is needed for the microorganisms to respire, as decays very slowly in anaerobic conditions
43
Q

How to calculate the rate of decay?

A

Rate of decay = change in mass(g)/time (days)

44
Q

What are some biotic factors?

A
  • number of predators
  • food availability
  • number of insects o pollinate plants
  • disease
  • human activity, e.g mining
45
Q

What do organisms compete for?

A

Animals:
- food
- space
- water
- mates
Plants:
- space
- water
- light
- minerals

Biology (14 decks)

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