B7 - Ecology Flashcards
What is an abiotic factor?
Give examples
Abiotic factor - non living element in an ecosystem
e.g. water / stones / Carbon Dioxide
What is a biotic factor?
Give examples
Biotic Factor - a living element of an ecosystem
e.g. animals / plants / predators / new pathogen / food
What is biodiversity?
Biodiversity - the variety of different species living on the earth on in an ecosystem
How does the increasing human population reduce biodiversity?
More people mean
- More resources needed
(e. g. more trees for wood / more land for grazing/farming) - More waste and pollution of WATER / LAND / AIR
What are the 3 different types of adaptation?
1) Structural - features of their body e.g. shape or colour
2) Behavioural - e.g. migration etc
3) Functional - inside the body e.g. metabolism / losing less water etc
What are structural adaptations?
Give examples
Structural - features of their body
e.g. shape or colour
What are behavioural adaptations?
Give examples
Behaviour adaptations - the way the animal behaves
e.g. migration etc
What are functional adaptations?
Give examples
Functional adaptations - inside the body
e.g. metabolism / losing less water etc
What are extremophiles?
Organisms adapted to live in extreme conditions e.g.
high temperatures e.g. volcanoes
High pressure e.g. deep sea vents
What are the consequences of deforestation?
Less Carbon Dioxide taken in (less trees photosynthesising)
More carbon dioxide released (trees burnt to clear land and microorganisms feeding on dead wood)
Less Biodiversity (loss of habitats)
In ecology, what is a producer?
Producers make their own energy using the sun (photosynthesis). They start the food chains.
What happens to the energy as you go up a food chain?
The energy decreases
Explain how a transect is used
Mark out a line with a tape measure
Count all the organism you are interested in that touch that line
or place quadrats along the line and count the organisms in the quadrats
What can quadrats be used to investigate?
Quadrates can be used to estimate the population of organisms in a area e.g. daisies on the field
How should a quadrat be placed in a field?
How can this be done?
Randomly
Draw a grid and select a grid number using random number generator or names in a hat