Biology Flashcards
Abiotic factors
The non - living characteristics of an ecosystem
Atmosphere
The thin layer of gases that surrounds the earth
Biomes
Large geographical regions define by climate with a specific set of biotic and abiotic features
Biosphere
The zone in, on, and around earth where life can exist
Lithosphere :
Earth’s land
Hydrosphere :
Earth’s water
Biotic factors
Living things, their remains, and the features, such as nests, associated with their activities
Cellular respiration
The process by which sugar and oxygen are converted into carbon dioxide, water, and energy to provide energy for the cell
Cellular respiration reaction:
Sugar + oxygen —–> carbon dioxide + water
Consumers
Organisms that obtain their energy by consuming other organisms or the products of other organisms
Ecological niche
The function a species serves in its ecosystem, including where it lives, what it eats, and how it behaves
Food webs
A representation of the feeding relationships within a community
Habitat
The environment where an organism lives
Photosynthesis
The process by which the sun’s energy is converted into chemical energy
Photosynthesis reaction :
Carbon dioxide + water ——–> (light energy) sugar + oxygen
Producers
An organism that makes its own energy - rich food using the sun’s energy
Sustainable ecosystem
An ecosystem that mantains relatively constant biotic and abiotic features forever
Trophic level
The level of an organism in an ecosystem depending on its feeding position along a food chain
What is a biogeochemical cycle?
A biogeochemical cycle shows the movement of matter through the biotic and abiotic environment
What is succession?
The gradual, and usually predictable, changes in the composition of the community and abiotic conditions following a disturbance
What is fragmentation?
The state of when a habitat is still present, however, it is divided up into smaller pieces
What are the three parts of the biosphere?
Atmosphere, Lithosphere, and Hydrosphere
What is an example of an abiotic factor and a biotic factor?
A rock and a nest
A population is all the members of the same _________
Species
A food web is more _____________ than a food chain
sustainable
An invasive species usually have some type of _____________ over a natural species
Advantage
The function that a species serves in an ecosystem is called….
The ecological niche
The arrows in a food chain show the direction of _________ _____
Energy flow
Only _____ of the energy is passed along at each stage in a food chain
10%
What is the primary consumer in a food chain?
Herbivore
What is the source of all energy in an ecosystem?
The sun
Which pyramid is broken into blocks representing the number of organisms at that trophic level?
Numbers pyramid
In the water cycle what is the name of the process where water moves from plants to clouds?
Transpiration
Name 3 sources of carbon dioxide in the carbon cycle
- Animal respiration
- Volcanoes
- Fossil fuels
What are primary and secondary disturbances?
Primary disturbance - a big disturbance
Secondary disturbance - a smaller disturbance
What is the main cause of animal endangerment?
Habitat loss
An under pass and over pass are examples of ____________ between fragments
connectors
What type of pyramid show how much energy is available at each trophic level?
Energy pyramids
___________ are large geographical regions defined by climate with a specific set of biotic and abiotic features
Biomes
_______________ is the gradual, and usually predictable, changes in the composition of the community and abiotic condition following a disturbance
Succession
Primary consumers are organisms that…
eat producers
_______ _______ is the level of an organism in an ecosystem depending on its feeding position along a food chain
Tropic level
What is Canada’s biggest biome?
The boreal forest
What is Canada’s coldest biome?
The tundra
Which biome are we in?
The temperate deciduous forest
Outside of the tolerance range, in the zone of stress or intolerance, the species will be ________
Absent
Clear cutting is a human action that can alter ________ factors
abiotic
The range within the species thrives is the ___________ range
optimal
The variety in a food web helps keep ___________ in check
populations
For every abiotic factor, a species will have a ______________ _________
tolerance range
The populations of ____________ and ______ are closely linked together
predator, prey
List a threat to biodiversity :
Climate change, invasive species
_______________________ : is when toxins get more concentrated as they move up the food chain
Bioamplifcation
_____________________ : is when the amount of toxins increases inside an organism over time
Bioaccumulation
How can animals higher up the food chain be affected by pesticides?
By pesticides killing the organisms they eat
Species can also become more resistant to pesticides, making them ________________ and _________ ________________.
Stronger, more dangerous
When resistance develops in a pest, farmers can choose between two things.
- Switch pesticides
- Apply a greater concentration of a pesticide
What is farming without pesticides called?
Organic farming
What is acid rain?
Rain that is more acidic than usual by a combonation of certain chemicals within the air
_________ _______ are clear becauses less organisms live in them
Acidic lakes
Oil tanker accidents can cause ____ _______.
oil spills
What are the chemicals that are in the air when talking about acid rain?
Sulfur dioxide and Nitrogen oxides
What are the main causes of acid rain?
Factories and transportation
What is pollution?
Harmful contaminants released into the environment
In organic farming, what percentage of crops are lost to pests?
30%
What are the three techniques that oraganic farmers use to maximize crop production?
- Biological control (releasing predators)
- Altered timing (avoiding peak pest populations)
- Crop rotation and mixed planting (mixing around the types of crops each year)
What are the two main classes of pesiticides?
- Broad spectrum pesticides :
- multipurpose, wide range of species (DDT) - Narrow spectrum pesticides :
- toxic to a few species (Bt)
What does the revolving nose piece have on it?
Three objective lens
What is the 4x objective lens called?
The scanning objective lens
What are the 10x and 40x objective lens called?
10x = low power objective lens
40x = high power objective lens
What are the two adjustment knobs called?
- Coarse adjustment knob
- Fine adjustment knob
How much does the eyepiece / ocular lens magnify?
10x
What does “micro” and “scope” mean
micro - small
scope - to view
What are microscopes used for?
To enlarge small things such as cells to be studied
Do not let the objective lenses touch the ______ or _______
stage, slide
What is biodiversity?
The variety of life found in an area
What is a carrying capacity?
The max population size of a particular species that a given ecosystem can sustain
What is monoculture?
Refers to farmland where only one thing is grown
4 types of pesticides:
- Herbicides - kills plants
- Insecticides - kills insects
- Rodenticides - kills rodents
- Fungicides - kills fungi
What is a pest?
An organism that competes with or damages crops
What are the three cycles seen in nature?
- Water cycle
- Carbon cycle
- Nitrogen cycle
What are the 5 Canadian biomes?
- Boreal forest
- Temperate dedicuous forest
- Mountain forest
- Tundra
- Grassland
What are the three main forms of pollution?
- oil spills
- acid rain
- plastics
