ecology🌺🌸🌼 Flashcards
how can percentage efficiency of energy transfer between herbivores and producers be estimated
-herbivore energy/producer energy x100
- sample of producers collected
- sample of herbivores collected
- collect samples from same area
- measure biomass of population
- calculate energy content of producers and herbivores
producing strawberries that grow faster and fruit quicker is an example of
artificial selection
CDs hung on fruit bushes reflect sun which makes sparrows fly away, this is an example of
escape reflex
after a few days sparrows stop flying away from shining CDs what is this an example of
habituation
carrot flies move towards chemicals produced by carrots this is an example of
positive chemotaxis
line of young chicks follow mother this is an example of
imprinting
removing self sown seedlings from farmland stops what biological process
succession
how can farmers maximise energy transfer from primary consumers to humans
- keep animals warm
- reduce animal movement
- antibiotics
- selective breeding for improved animals
what is a trophic level
position/ level in food chain
name process that converts lake community into peat bog community
succession
similarity in mineral recycling in peat bog and deciduous forest
chlorphyll breaks down
difference in mineral recycling between peat bog and deciduous forest
- no decomposers in peat bog
- minerals stay in the soil in the forest, minerals stay in plant in peat bog
why do bodies not decompose in peat bogs
- decomposers not present
- waterlogging reduces o2
- low pH stops enzymes
why are conservation groups against removal of peat bogs
- bog takes a long time to form
- loss of biodiversity
how is plant protein converted to animal protein
- animal eats plant
- digest protein to amino acids
- amino acids for protein synthesis
plant protein is converted to humus. list the processes that contribute to this
- decomposition
- death
- excretion
- egestion
which bacteria converts ammonium compounds to nitrites
nitrosomonas
which bacteria converts nitrites to nitrates
nitrobacter
why do soil nitrate concentration decrease on cabbage field if it is used to grow repeated crops of cabbage each year
- plants use nitrates
- no decay
- no nitrification
- cabbages harvested
suggest a plant that converts nitrogen gas to nitrates, how would this add nitrate to soil
- legume
- converts nitrogen to ammonia
- plants left to decay
- nitrogen fixing bacteria
two essential steps for a breed of an animal to develop a distinctive metabolism
- mutation
- selection pressure
how do temperate and tropical ecosystems compare when it comes to plant growth and why
- tropical are hotter
- faster photosynthesis
- more sunlight
- more formation of biomass
how to measure energy content of grass
- calorimeter
- burn in oxygen
- use known volume of water and measure temperature rise
difference between pioneer community and climax community
- pioneers arrive before climax
- pioneers subjected to greater change
- pioneer less biodiversity
- pioneer less stable
difference between decomposition and denitrification
decomposition- breaks down dead matter
- organic to inorganic
- increases nitrates
denitrification- converts nitrates to nitrogen gas
-decreases nitrates
difference between conservation and preservation
conservation- maintains ecosystem
preservation- leaves ecosystems undisturbed
difference between nitrogen fixation and nitrification
nitrogen fixation- conversion of nitrogen to ammonia (azotobacter)
nitrification- conversion of ammonia to nitrates (nitrobacter)
roots of a plant are cut up and replanted to form plants identical to parent, what is this called
reproductive cloning
name the modern technique which allows commercial growers to produce large numbers of genetically identical plants that are also virus-free
tissue culture/ micropropagation
what is the role of decomposers in the decomposition of leaves
- bacteria
- external digestion
- by enzymes
- release of co2 and h2o
- breakdown makes NH4+
how do plant hormones cause shoot to grow faster in dark than light
- auxin more present in dark
- moves down shoot tip
- causes cell elongation
State and describe two types of ecological interaction that can occur between different
species in a habitat
interspecific competition
-red and grey squirrel compete for food
mutualism
-bees pollinate dandelions so d can reproduce and b get to eat
removing weeds from a garden stops what biological process
interspecific competition
how to choose number and locations of samples to ensure sampling is representative of an area
- samples should be proportional to area
- stratified sampling
- random sampling within each sector
what is bioremediation
bacteria used to remove pollutants
antibiotics produced by fungi are secondary…
metabolites
procedure to conserve heather moorland habitat
- burning to maintain variety of heights of plant
- controlled grazing
- restricting human access
outline primary succession
PIONEER COMMUNITY
- begins with bare rock
- arrival as seeds or spores
- pioneer species have several adaptations
INTERMEDIATE COMMUNITY
- herb species including grasses
- followed by shrubs and trees
CLIMAX COMMUNITY
- dominance by few tree species
- little change over time
what limits a population size
carrying capacity
what is conservation
active management of a habitat to preserve biodiversity
ecological reasons for conservation
- pollination
- keystone species
- mineral recycling
what is sustainable conservation
- resources regularly replaced
- resources do not run out
selective vs clear felling
- selective removes some trees from an area
- clear removes all trees from an area
- both methods increase biodiversity
- clear felling increases it more
examples of actively managed ecosystems
- galapagos islands
- peat bogs
- snowdonia
- lake district
competition between species
interspecific
factors affecting population size
- abiotic: light, water supply and mineral content, temp, space, soil pH
- biotic: interspecific competition, intraspecific competition, predation
how would a non optimum temperature affect size of mammal population
- more energy used on maintaining temperature
- less energy for growth and reproduction
- fewer animals reach reproductive age so less offspring
what is carrying capacity
resources become limiting and population can no longer grow in size
what is a niche
-conditions and resources required for an organism to survive
what is competitive exclusion
- two organisms occupy very similar niches = competition between them for resources
- one may be slightly better adapted to compete than other, so other species could starve or not find a habitat
- second species move to find different niche
- possibly evolve over generations to adapt new niche
what is resource partitioning
- resource eg fruit tree is divided up to satisfy the needs of different feeders
- fruit may be grazed by one species, the leaves by another
- the two species are not competing directly for the fruit tree but coexisting on different parts of it
what is character displacement
- closely related species that inhabit the same geographical region and occupy similar niches differentiate in order to minimise niche overlap and avoid competitive exclusion
- natural selection therefore favours those species that compete less with other species
methods to fish sustainably
- fishing quotas
- banning fishing in some areas
- regulating mesh size of nets (to allow undersized/juvenile fish to escape)
- limiting the size of the fishing fleet by issuing licenses
- inspecting the catch as a fishing boat returns to port
- banning certain practices eg. gillnets (static nets that catch anything that swims by, and the fish struggle and die in distress)
- promoting sustainable practices such as trolling that reduces bycatch
what is coppicing
- felling trees at base and allowing to regrow
- sustainable source of timber
how to increase biodiversity of a forest
- firebreaks
- clearings
- selective felling
- strip felling
- coppicing
- edge habitat creation
- in-situ leaving of naturally dead trees
- all attract other species
problems with non native species
- often no natural competitors, predators or pathogens that help limit population growth
- can massively increase in number
- large numbers of non-native species can negatively affect the native species through factors such as competition and disease
why is bee population declining
- pesticides
- less flowering plants (supply of pollen and nectar) due to intensive crop farming
how can a pitfall trap be set up
- place container in a hole in the ground
- cover to protect from rain
- leave overnight
- count invertebrates
suggest measures to protect biodiversity of moorland habitat
- protect habitat from destruction
- ban hunting in area
- education
- manage deer populations
- remove invasive species
- captive breeding programme
what are pooters
- small containers with two tubes sticking out that are used to suck up small insects and other small invertebrates
- first tube is placed over the insect and the second tube is used to create suction
- second tube covered by gauze to prevent ingestion
what is a tullgren funnel
- funnels with a light bulb above and a container below that are used to collect invertebrates that live in leaf litter or soil
- leaf litter or soil placed in the funnel and the light and heat forces the invertebrates to move down until they drop into the container
what is kick sampling
- used to catch freshwater invertebrates living in streams or rivers
- net placed on the stream-bed so that the water is flowing into it and the stream-bed just above the net is churned up by the scientist (using their foot) for a set period of time
- invertebrates are carried by the stream into the net
when to use systematic sampling
clear change in the physical conditions across the area being studied
