B7 Ecology v2

Question 1

two reasons why high biodiversity is important

Answer 1

“keeps ecosystems stable bcz different species rely on each other for food. different species also
maintain the correct physical environment for each other.”

Question 2

two reasons why the earths population is rising so quickly

Answer 2

modern medicine and modern farming

Question 3

two reasons why a larger population is putting huge demands on the environment

Answer 3

• survival

- higher standard of living

Question 4

what are three types of waste we produce with example of each

Answer 4

air (smoke and acidic gases), water (sewage polluting lakes), land (toxic chemicals used for farming).

Question 5

what are the two main greenhouse gases

Answer 5

carbon dioxide and methane

Question 6

give three consequences of climate change

Answer 6

ice caps melting, distribution of animals due to rainfall pattern changes, reduction in biodiversity

Question 7

four things humans use land for

Answer 7

building, quarrying, farming and waste dumping.

Question 8

3 consequences of chopping down trees

Answer 8

less carbon dioxide taken in, more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, less biodiversity

Question 9

what are peat bogs, what happens to them and why

Answer 9

area of land that are acidic and waterlogged, plants don’t decay in them due to lack of oxygen

Question 10

why is destroying peat bogs bad for the atmosphere

Answer 10

carbon in plants is stored in the peat, so it would therefore release co2 into the atmosphere

Question 11

list four programs created to protect biodiversity

Answer 11

breeding, rare habitat protection, hedgerows, deforestation reduction

Question 12

list three conflicting pressures when it comes to biodiversity

Answer 12

Cost, destruction of livelihoods, high demand for land

Question 13

what are trophic levels

Answer 13

different stages of the food chain which contain organism(s) that perform a specific role in the food chain

Question 14

what does trophic level 1 contain

Answer 14

producers such as plants and algae which make their own food from the sun

Question 15

what does trophic level 2 contain

Answer 15

tertiary consumers such as wolfs which have no predators above them

Question 16

give two examples of decomposers and why they are important

Answer 16

bacteria and fungi, they continue the carbon cycle

Question 17

what three things are there less of as you move down the trophic levels

Answer 17

biomass, energy, organisms

Question 18

what does a pyramid of biomass show

Answer 18

It visually displays the amount of organisms in each trophic of the food chain and how much of one species is feeding on another

Question 19

how do decomposers break down material in an environment

Answer 19

by secreting enzymes

Question 20

how does biomass pass through a food chain

Answer 20

when organisms eat other organisms

Question 21

what is biomass

Answer 21

the total quantity or weight of organisms in a given area or volume

Question 22

what percentage of biomass is actually usually passed on between each trophic level

Answer 22

10%

Question 23

three reasons why only a small percentage of biomass is passed between trophics

Answer 23

• energy secreted by feces
• not all of the organism is actually consumed
• energy is used for other things such as keeping warm

Question 24

What is the equation for biomass efficiency

Answer 24

(biomass at next level/biomass at previous level) x 100

Question 25

what is the definition of food security

Answer 25

having enough food to feed the whole population

Question 26

list three things that threaten food security

Answer 26

soaring population, pathogens on farms, conflict

Question 27

how can food production be made more efficient

Answer 27

through limiting the movement of livestock and keeping them in a temperature controlled environment

Question 28

two specific way food production can be made more efficient

Answer 28

feeding calves chickens and fish high protein food to further increase growth. factory farm them in cages

Question 29

What is biotechnology

Answer 29

where living things and biological processes are manipulated to produce a useful product

Question 30

what is mycoprotein

Answer 30

food made from fungi, such as quorn

Question 31

how can bacteria be engineered to produce human insulin

Answer 31

“plasmid is removed from bacterium, insulin gene is cut out of human chromosome using a restriction enzyme, which is also used to cut
open the plasmid. the plasmid and insulin gene are mixed, ligase is then added to end up with millions of bacteria that produce insulin”