CB9 Ecosystems

Question 1

What is a population?

Answer 1

A group of one species living in an area

Question 2

What is a community?

Answer 2

All the different organisms living and interacting with one another in a particular area

Question 3

What is a habitat?

Answer 3

The place where an organism lives.

Question 4

What is an ecosystem?

Answer 4

All the living organisms and the non-living components in an area.

Question 5

What is a biotic factor?

Answer 5

A living factor that affects an ecosystem.

Question 6

What is an abiotic factor?

Answer 6

A non-living factor that affects an ecosystem.

Question 7

Name 2 examples of biotic factors.

Answer 7

Competition, predation, pathogens

Question 8

Name 4 examples of abiotic factors.

Answer 8

Temperature, light intensity, water, pH, mineral content, aeration

Question 9

What is a producer?

Answer 9

An organism that uses light energy or a chemical reaction to produce its food.

Question 10

What is a consumer?

Answer 10

An organism that feeds on another organism for a source of food.

Question 11

What is a predator?

Answer 11

A consumer that eats another consumer.

Question 12

What is prey?

Answer 12

A consumer that is eaten by another consumer.

Question 13

What is interdependence?

Answer 13

Where organisms in an area need each other for resources e.g. for food and shelter

Question 14

Name 4 examples of interdependent relationships in an ecosystem?

Answer 14

Competition, predation, parasitism, mutualism

Question 15

What is biomass?

Answer 15

Mass of tissues in an organism

Question 16

What is a trophic level?

Answer 16

Feeding level in a food chian, such as producer or primary consumer.

Question 17

Name 4 resources that plants could compete for.

Answer 17

Light, space, water, minerals

Question 18

Name 4 resources that animals could compete for.

Answer 18

Food, water, territory, mates for reproduction

Question 19

What is mutualism?

Answer 19

A relationship between two species where both species benefit.

Question 20

What is parasitism?

Answer 20

A relationship between two species where the parasite benefits but the host is harmed.

Question 21

What does abundance measure in an ecosystem?

Answer 21

How common organisms are in the ecosystem.

Question 22

What does distribution measure in an ecosystem?

Answer 22

Where organisms are found in the ecosystem.

Question 23

What is a representative sample of an ecosystem?

Answer 23

A measurement of the organisms that reflects the true abundance and distribution of species in an ecosystem.

Question 24

What 2 things can we do to make samples more representative of an ecosystem?

Answer 24

Increase the number of samples and use a random sampling method.

Question 25

What method of sampling should be used to estimate the abundance of a species in an ecosystem?

Answer 25

Random sampling using grid coordinates.

Question 26

What is random sampling?

Answer 26

Collecting samples in an unbiased way i.e. no human choice of where a sample is taken.

Question 27

What is a quadrat?

Answer 27

A square frame used to collect samples of plants or slow moving animals in an ecosystem.

Question 28

What is the formula for estimating the abundance of a species in an ecosystem?

Answer 28

abundance estimate = total organisms in all quadrats × ( total area sampled ÷ total area of quadrats)

Question 29

What method of sampling should be used to measure the distribution of a species in an ecosystem?

Answer 29

Systematic sampling using a belt transect.

Question 30

What is a belt transect?

Answer 30

A straight line that runs parallel with a suspected change in a factor along which samples can be taken.

Question 31

What 2 measurements are made at each sample along a belt transect?

Answer 31

Population of each species, measurement of abiotic factor