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Biology (LC) > Chapter 4: Ecology > Flashcards

Chapter 4: Ecology Flashcards

1
Q

what is ecogoly?

A

the study of the interactions between organisms and their environment

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2
Q

what is an ecosystem?

A

the living and non living components of a particular area (community of organisms + environment)

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3
Q

what are the five main ecosystems?

A

woodland, grassland, marine, freshwater, desert

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4
Q

what is a community?

A

all different populations in an area

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5
Q

what is a population?

A

all the members of the same species living in an area

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6
Q

what is a biosphere?

A

the part of the planet containing living organisms

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7
Q

what part of the earth is composed of air?

A

atmosphere

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8
Q

what part of the earth is composed of soil and rock?

A

lithosphere

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9
Q

what part of the earth is composed of water?

A

hydrosphere

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10
Q

what is a habitat?

A

the place where a plant or an animal lives

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11
Q

what are the four environmental factors?

A

abiotic
biotic
climatic
edaphic

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12
Q

what does abiotic mean, give examples?

A

non living factors of an environment, temperature, light, air speed, water current, humidity, altitude

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13
Q

what does biotic mean, give example?

A

the living factors of an environment, competition, predation, prey, paraasites, pathogens, pollination, seed disposal, decomposers, humans

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14
Q

what does climatic mean, give examples?

A

the weather in an environment for a long period of time, temperature, rainfall, humidity, day length, wind, salinity (salt)

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15
Q

what does edaphic mean, give examples?

A

the soil of an environment, soil pH, soil type, organic matter, water contents, air content, mineral content

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16
Q

what are the special factors of an aquatic environment?

A

light- plants limited to upper levels, currents- plants need to attach, wave action- cause physical damage, salt content- freshwater or saltwater, oxygen concentration- lower than air

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17
Q

what is energy flow?

A

the pathway of energy transfer from one organism to the next in an ecosystem from feeding

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18
Q

where does energy flow?

A

from the sun (solar energy), to the primary producers (green plants), to the primary consumers (herbivores), to the secondary consumers (carnivores), to the tertiary consumers (top carnivores)

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19
Q

what are producers?

A

organisms that carry out photosynthesis

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20
Q

what are consumers?

A

organisms that take in food from another source

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21
Q

what is a grazing food chain?

A

a sequence of organisms in which one is eaten by the next member in the chain

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22
Q

what is a trophic level?

A

a feeding stage in a food chain

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23
Q

when does a food chain end?

A

when there is no longer enough energy to support another organism

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24
Q

what percentage of energy is lost at each trophic level on a food chain?

A

90%

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25
Q

what is a food web?

A

it consists of two or more interlinked food chains

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26
Q

what does a pyramid of numbers do?

A

counts the number of producers and consumers- usually producers are the largest number and go at the bottom and each trophic level decreases in number but increases in the size of the organisms

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27
Q

what is a niche?

A

the niche of an organism is the functional role it plays in the community

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28
Q

what happens if two species have identical niches?

A

they cant survive for long in the same habitat due to competition

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29
Q

give an example of how a species can adapt to occupy different niches?

A

swallows eat aerial insects, thrush eats ground insects, blackbird eats insects on trees

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30
Q

what is adaptation?

A

it is when an animal changes in order to suit their environment e.g. Darwins finches

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31
Q

what is competition?

A

when two or more species are fighting for the same food

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32
Q

what are decomposers?

A

organisms that feed on dead organic matter

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33
Q

what are detritus feeders?

A

organisms that feed on small pieces of dead organic matter

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34
Q

what is nutrient recycling?

A

the way in which elements are exchanged between the living and non-living components of an ecosystem e.g. carbon and nitrogen

35
Q

why do all organisms need nitrogen?

A

for proteins, dna and rna

36
Q

what must happen to nitrogen gas before it can be used?

A

must be fixed to a nitrate or ammonia

37
Q

what is nitrogen fixation?

A

the conversion of nitrogen gas into ammonia, ammonium or nitrate

38
Q

what is the chemical symbol for nitrogen?

39
Q

what is the chemical symbol for nitrate?

40
Q

what is the chemical symbol for ammonia?

41
Q

what is the chemical symbol for ammonium?

42
Q

give two examples of natural nitrogen fixation?

A

volcanic eruption, lightning

43
Q

what is nitrification?

A

the conversion of ammonia and ammonium compounds to nitrite and then nitrate

44
Q

what is dentrification?

A

the conversion of nitrates to nitrogen gas

45
Q

what is the conversion of nitrates to nitrogen gas called?

A

dentrification

46
Q

what is the conversion of ammonia/ammonium to nitrite/nitrates called?

A

nitrification

47
Q

what s decomposition?

A

the biological process of breaking down organic material into smaller parts

48
Q

what are the four types of bacteria in the nitrogen cycle called?

A
  1. nitrogen fixing bacteria
  2. bacteria of decay
  3. nitrifying bacteria
  4. dentrifying bacteria
49
Q

what is the function of nitrogen fixing bacteria?

A

converts atmospheric nitrogen to nitrates

50
Q

what is the function of bacteria of decay?

A

converts nitrogen waste to ammonia

51
Q

what is the function of nitrifying bacteria?

A

converts ammonia to nitrates

52
Q

what is the function of dentrifying bacteria?

A

converts nitrates to nitrogen gas

53
Q

what other organism can convert dead plants and animals into ammonia?

54
Q

plants absorb nitrates from the soil, what do they do with the chemical?

A

use the nitrogen to form proteins

55
Q

animals consume plants, what do they use nitrogen for?

A

to form proteins

56
Q

what is the role of plants in the carbon cycle?

A

remove carbon from the environment by photosynthesis and return it by respiration

57
Q

what is the role of animals in the carbon cycle?

A

they obtain carbon from plants, they release it through respiration

58
Q

what is the role of micro-organisms in the carbon cycle?

A

return carbon through decomposing dead organic matter

59
Q

what is pollution?

A

any harmful addition to the environment

60
Q

what causes pollution?

A

pollutants

61
Q

give examples of pollutants

A

littering, sewage disposal, fossil fuels, noise,

62
Q

give examples of natural pollutants

A

volcanic emmissions, smoke from forest fires

63
Q

what the three types of pollution?

A

domestic, agricultural, industrial

64
Q

what does ozone gas do?

A

protect us from UV rays

65
Q

what are cfcs?

A

chlorofluorocarbons

66
Q

where do you find cfcs?

A

aerosol cans, fridges

67
Q

where are the two holes in the ozone layer?

A

one over antarctica, smaller one in arctic

68
Q

what are the 5 effects of ozone depletion?

A 
skin cancer,
cataracts,
weakened immune system,
damage to plants and crops,
depletion of plankton
69
Q

how can we control the depletion of the ozone layer?

A

reduce/replace cfcs with hfcs

proper disposal of fridges

70
Q

what is conservation?

A

the protection and wise management of natural resources and the environment

71
Q

what are the benefits of conservation?

A

maintains balance of nature,
prevents death ad extinction of organisms
maintains wide range of biodiversity

72
Q

what is the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere today compared to 200 years ago?

A

today - 0.039%

200 years ago - 0.028%

73
Q

what are 2 causes of the rise in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere?

A

increased combustion of fossil fuels,

deforestation

74
Q

carbon dioxide is a ‘greenhouse gas’, explain this?

A

it means it allows heat radiation from the sun to pass into the earths atmosphere, but does not allow reflected heat rays back out

75
Q

what are the three problems and solutions to the conservation of fisheries?

A

pollution - taking and analysing water samples
overfishing - introduce quotas, restocking
small mesh sizes - monitoring fish catches and equipment

76
Q

what is waste management?

A

involves preventing pollution and conserving the environment including collection, transport, processing, recycling or disposal of waste produced by human activity

77
Q

give examples of waste management in agriculture, fisheries and forestry

A

agriculture - control of slurry to prevent eutrophication
fisheries - fish waste neutralised before being reused
forestry - tree parts not used allow to decay on the soil

78
Q

give 6 examples of problems associated with waste management

A
  1. wastes contain pathogens
  2. toxic chemicals may enter water supply
  3. can cause eutrophication
  4. landfill sites may produce odours, attract animals
  5. dumping at the sea
  6. incinerators release dangerous gases
79
Q

what are the three Rs that control waste production?

A

reduce, reuse, recycle

80
Q

what is a pollutant?

A

a harmful addition to the environment

81
Q

what is the role of micro-organisms in landfill sites?

A

biodegradable wastes broken down by fungi and bacteria

82
Q

what is the role of micro- organisms in sewage?

A

primary sewage treatment - screening or filtering and allowing it to settle
secondary sewage treatment - biological breakdown using fungi and bacteria
tertiary sewage treatment - minerals such as nitrates and phosphates are removed

83
Q

what is eutrophication?

A

the addition of nutrients to fresh water (slurry entering lakes)

Biology (LC) (34 decks)

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