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GCSE Biology > B4 - ecosystems > Flashcards

B4 - ecosystems Flashcards

1
Q

what is a habitat

A

a place where plants, animals and microorganisms live

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2
Q

what does abiotic mean

A

non living elements of an ecosystem such a climate, temperature, water and soil type

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3
Q

what is an ecosystem population

A

all the members of a single species that live in a particular habitat

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4
Q

what is an ecosystem community

A

all the organisms that live in a habitat (plants and animal)

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5
Q

what is an ecosystem

A

the living organisms in a particular area, together with the non living components of the environment

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6
Q

what does biotic mean

A

living elements of an ecosystem, such as plants and animals

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7
Q

what are some examples of biotic elements

A

organic matter, living things, oysters, jellyfish, zooplankton

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8
Q

what are some examples of abiotic elements

A

climate, non living things, sunlight, temperature, humidity, soil

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9
Q

how do you measure temperature

A

with a thermometer or temperature probe

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10
Q

what effect does temperature have on living organisms

A

in low temperatures, chemical reactions happen too slowly, meaning all metabolic reactions slow down

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11
Q

how do you measure nutrients/soil pH

A

chemical analysis/ indicator paper

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12
Q

what effect do nutrients/ soil pH have on living organisms

A

plants and microorganisms need nutrients to make other chemicals they need to grow

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13
Q

how do you measure the amount of light

A

with a light meter or light sensor

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14
Q

what effect does light have on living organisms

A

plants need light for photosynthesis

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15
Q

how do you meausure water

A

with a rain gauge/ dehydrate soil sample

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16
Q

what effect does water have on living organisms

A

needed by all organisms for living processes

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17
Q

how do you meausure oxygen

A

with a gas probe

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18
Q

what effect does oxygen have on living organisms

A

needed by all organisms for aerobic respiration

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19
Q

how do you meausure carbon dioxide

A

with a gas probe

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20
Q

what effect does carbon dioxide have on living organisms

A

needed by plants for photosynthesis

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21
Q

what is a quadrat

A

a square frame of know area used for sampling abundance and distribution of slow or non moving organisms

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22
Q

what are transects used for

A

transects are used to investigate changes in population from one area to another, for example down a rocky seashore or along sandunes or marshland

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23
Q

what is used for transects

A

a measuring tape or chord is marked at regular intervals is laid out across the area

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24
Q

how are organisms samples when using transects

A

organisms are sampled by placing a quadrat at regular intervals along the line

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25
what is distribution
the spatial arrangement of a population across an area
26
what are the 3 different types of distribution
uniform, random, clumped
27
what does a pitfall trap do
traps small invertebrate animals living on soil
28
what does a pooter do and what is the fine mesh used for
collects insects | the fine mesh is used to prevent inhalation of organisms in the container by the user
29
what does a tullgren funnel do
collects insects
30
how is a pooter used
1) insects are pulled into the container through a metal tube 2) inhale through the flexible tube
31
what is a tullgren funnel
an apparatus for collecting small organisms from soil or leaf litter
32
what is a net (kick sampling) used for
used to sample invertebrates living on the bottom of flowing water, using a net to capture organisms which can then be identified
33
what are decomposers
organisms that gain their energy by feeding on dead or decaying material
34
what is a detritivore
a small animal which breaks down organic matter into small pieces. they can help speed up decomposition
35
what are some examples of decomposers
bacteria, fungi, snails, some insects
36
how is temperature a factor affecting rate of decomposition
too high - denatured enzymes. prevents decomposition. death of microorganism.
37
how is water content a factor affecting rate of decomposition
little water would slow down reactions | reduces/stops decomposition
38
how is oxygen availability a factor affecting rate of decomposition
oxygen needed for respiration. anaerobic conditions prevent most decomposition. microorganisms cannot survive in anaerobic conditions
39
what is the equation to calculate the rate of decay
rate of decay (g/day) = change in mass (g) ÷ time (day)
40
what is the water cycle
the continuous journey water takes from the sea, to the sky, to the land and back to the sea
41
why is the water cycle important
because it ensures the availability or water for all living organisms, and regulates weather patterns on our planet
42
what is transpiration
the loss of water from a plant. transpiration is caused by the evaporation and diffusion of water from a plant's surface. most transpiration happens at the leaves
43
what is evaporation
the process where liquid changes to a gas
44
what is condesation
the process where gas changes to a liquid
45
what is precipitaion
any form of moisture that falls to the ground. this includes rain, snow, hail and sleet. precipitaion occurs when water vapour cools
46
what are some key facts about carbon
the atmosphere contains 0.04% of carbon. carbon is a material in photosynthesis. animals eat plabts, therefore absorbing carbon
47
how is carbon dioxide returned to the atmosphere
by plants, animals and decomposers respiring. by combustion of fossil fuels and wood. by volcanoes as they release carbon dioxide from the earth's core into the atmosphere
48
what is the process of the carbon cycle
1) photosynthesis and eating of plants 2) death of plants and animals and excretion 3) respiration 4) decay and respiration 5) combustion
49
what are some key facts about nitrogen
atmospher contains 78.09% nitrogen (also in soil). plants take in nitrogen and store it. animals need it for proteins. bacteria can decompose plants and animlas
50
what is the role of decomposers
to return the nitrates in plants and animals to the soil
51
how do decomposers return nitrates in plants/animals to the soil
1) when plants and animals die and decay, decomposers break their proteins down, releasing ammonia 2) animal wastes, urea and faeces, contain nitrogen. they convert it to ammonia
52
what is the role of denitrifying bacteria
are in the soil and break down nitrates, releasing nitrogen into the air
53
what is the role of nitrogen fixing bacteria
convert nitrogen gas into a useable form by the plants
54
what is the role of nitrifying bacteria
convert the ammonia (in urine) to nitrates
55
why must nitrogen in the air be turned into
nitrogen in the air must be turned into a form that plants can use by nitrogen fixation
56
what does lightning do in the nitrogen cycle
lightning fixes nitrogen in the air and turns it into nitrates in the soil
57
what is decomposition
the process by which dead animals and plants are turned into nitrates by putrefying bacteria
58
how are ammonia compounds turned into nitrates
ammonia compounds are turned into nitrates by nirtifying bacteria
59
what are producers
plants that begin the food chain by making energy from carbon dioxide and water
60
what is the role of primary consumers
eat producers for example plants and algae
61
what is the role of secondary consumers
eat the primary consumers to obtain energy
62
what are omnivores
animals that eat plants and animals
63
what is an example of a food chain
sun-grass-grasshopper-shrew-owl
64
what does energy do in a food chain
energy moves through (along) food chain
65
what do trophic levels describe
trophic levels describe the feeding positions in the food chains. energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next, along the food chain
66
what does parasitism mean
when one organism benefits but the other is harmed by the relationship
67
what does mutusalism mean
where 2 organisms of different species exist in a relationship, where each species benefits from the activity of the other
68
what does predatation mean
a biological interaction where a predator (an organism that is hunting) feeds on prey (the organism that is attacked)
69
what are the 3 different stages of decomposers releasing nutrients
1) enzymes released by fungus 2) enzymes digest the dead matter and make it soluble 3) soluble products absorbed by the fungus
70
Why aren’t food chains long
Energy is lost at all levels in food chains Animals at the top of a long food chain would not have enough energy to survive
71
What does the area of each bar represents in a pyramid of numbers
The number of organisms at each trophic level in a specified area
72
What does the area of each bar represent in a pyramid of biomass
The amount of organic matter,biomass, at each trophic level in a specified area
73
What happens at each trophic level in a pyramid of biomass
At each trophic level the amount of biomass and every available is reduced, giving a pyramid shape
74
What are 4 disadvantages of pyramids of biomass
1) organisms need to be collected and killed to measure dry mass 2) it is difficult to catch and weigh the organisms 3) biomass varies 4) some organisms are omnivores and feed at more than one level
75
Why is biomass lost
Some plant material, which cannot be digested, leaves the body as faeces. Some animal material cannot be digested e.g. bone,horn, hooves, claws and teeth. Biomass eaten by animals is also used in respiration to release energy, and leaves the animal as carbon dioxide and water
76
What is the equation for energy efficiency
Efficiency of energy transfer = (Energy transferred to next level (output) ÷ energy in the previous level (input)) X 100

GCSE Biology (14 decks)

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