ecology🌺🌸🌼 Flashcards

1
Q

how can percentage efficiency of energy transfer between herbivores and producers be estimated

A

-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
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2
Q

producing strawberries that grow faster and fruit quicker is an example of

A

artificial selection

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3
Q

CDs hung on fruit bushes reflect sun which makes sparrows fly away, this is an example of

A

escape reflex

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4
Q

after a few days sparrows stop flying away from shining CDs what is this an example of

A

habituation

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5
Q

carrot flies move towards chemicals produced by carrots this is an example of

A

positive chemotaxis

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6
Q

line of young chicks follow mother this is an example of

A

imprinting

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7
Q

removing self sown seedlings from farmland stops what biological process

A

succession

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8
Q

how can farmers maximise energy transfer from primary consumers to humans

A
  • keep animals warm
  • reduce animal movement
  • antibiotics
  • selective breeding for improved animals
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9
Q

what is a trophic level

A

position/ level in food chain

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10
Q

name process that converts lake community into peat bog community

A

succession

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11
Q

similarity in mineral recycling in peat bog and deciduous forest

A

chlorphyll breaks down

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12
Q

difference in mineral recycling between peat bog and deciduous forest

A
  • no decomposers in peat bog

- minerals stay in the soil in the forest, minerals stay in plant in peat bog

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13
Q

why do bodies not decompose in peat bogs

A
  • decomposers not present
  • waterlogging reduces o2
  • low pH stops enzymes
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14
Q

why are conservation groups against removal of peat bogs

A
  • bog takes a long time to form

- loss of biodiversity

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15
Q

how is plant protein converted to animal protein

A
  • animal eats plant
  • digest protein to amino acids
  • amino acids for protein synthesis
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16
Q

plant protein is converted to humus. list the processes that contribute to this

A
  • decomposition
  • death
  • excretion
  • egestion
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17
Q

which bacteria converts ammonium compounds to nitrites

A

nitrosomonas

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18
Q

which bacteria converts nitrites to nitrates

A

nitrobacter

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19
Q

why do soil nitrate concentration decrease on cabbage field if it is used to grow repeated crops of cabbage each year

A
  • plants use nitrates
  • no decay
  • no nitrification
  • cabbages harvested
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20
Q

suggest a plant that converts nitrogen gas to nitrates, how would this add nitrate to soil

A
  • legume
  • converts nitrogen to ammonia
  • plants left to decay
  • nitrogen fixing bacteria
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21
Q

two essential steps for a breed of an animal to develop a distinctive metabolism

A
  • mutation

- selection pressure

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22
Q

how do temperate and tropical ecosystems compare when it comes to plant growth and why

A
  • tropical are hotter
  • faster photosynthesis
  • more sunlight
  • more formation of biomass
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23
Q

how to measure energy content of grass

A
  • calorimeter
  • burn in oxygen
  • use known volume of water and measure temperature rise
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24
Q

difference between pioneer community and climax community

A
  • pioneers arrive before climax
  • pioneers subjected to greater change
  • pioneer less biodiversity
  • pioneer less stable
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25
Q

difference between decomposition and denitrification

A

decomposition- breaks down dead matter

  • organic to inorganic
  • increases nitrates

denitrification- converts nitrates to nitrogen gas
-decreases nitrates

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26
Q

difference between conservation and preservation

A

conservation- maintains ecosystem

preservation- leaves ecosystems undisturbed

27
Q

difference between nitrogen fixation and nitrification

A

nitrogen fixation- conversion of nitrogen to ammonia (azotobacter)

nitrification- conversion of ammonia to nitrates (nitrobacter)

28
Q

roots of a plant are cut up and replanted to form plants identical to parent, what is this called

A

reproductive cloning

29
Q

name the modern technique which allows commercial growers to produce large numbers of genetically identical plants that are also virus-free

A

tissue culture/ micropropagation

30
Q

what is the role of decomposers in the decomposition of leaves

A
  • bacteria
  • external digestion
  • by enzymes
  • release of co2 and h2o
  • breakdown makes NH4+
31
Q

how do plant hormones cause shoot to grow faster in dark than light

A
  • auxin more present in dark
  • moves down shoot tip
  • causes cell elongation
32
Q

State and describe two types of ecological interaction that can occur between different
species in a habitat

A

interspecific competition
-red and grey squirrel compete for food

mutualism
-bees pollinate dandelions so d can reproduce and b get to eat

33
Q

removing weeds from a garden stops what biological process

A

interspecific competition

34
Q

how to choose number and locations of samples to ensure sampling is representative of an area

A
  • samples should be proportional to area
  • stratified sampling
  • random sampling within each sector
35
Q

what is bioremediation

A

bacteria used to remove pollutants

36
Q

antibiotics produced by fungi are secondary…

A

metabolites

37
Q

procedure to conserve heather moorland habitat

A
  • burning to maintain variety of heights of plant
  • controlled grazing
  • restricting human access
38
Q

outline primary succession

A

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
39
Q

what limits a population size

A

carrying capacity

40
Q

what is conservation

A

active management of a habitat to preserve biodiversity

41
Q

ecological reasons for conservation

A
  • pollination
  • keystone species
  • mineral recycling
42
Q

what is sustainable conservation

A
  • resources regularly replaced

- resources do not run out

43
Q

selective vs clear felling

A
  • selective removes some trees from an area
  • clear removes all trees from an area
  • both methods increase biodiversity
  • clear felling increases it more
44
Q

examples of actively managed ecosystems

A
  • galapagos islands
  • peat bogs
  • snowdonia
  • lake district
45
Q

competition between species

A

interspecific

46
Q

factors affecting population size

A
  • abiotic: light, water supply and mineral content, temp, space, soil pH
  • biotic: interspecific competition, intraspecific competition, predation
47
Q

how would a non optimum temperature affect size of mammal population

A
  • more energy used on maintaining temperature
  • less energy for growth and reproduction
  • fewer animals reach reproductive age so less offspring
48
Q

what is carrying capacity

A

resources become limiting and population can no longer grow in size

49
Q

what is a niche

A

-conditions and resources required for an organism to survive

50
Q

what is competitive exclusion

A
  • 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
51
Q

what is resource partitioning

A
  • 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
52
Q

what is character displacement

A
  • 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
53
Q

methods to fish sustainably

A
  • 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
54
Q

what is coppicing

A
  • felling trees at base and allowing to regrow

- sustainable source of timber

55
Q

how to increase biodiversity of a forest

A
  • firebreaks
  • clearings
  • selective felling
  • strip felling
  • coppicing
  • edge habitat creation
  • in-situ leaving of naturally dead trees
  • all attract other species
56
Q

problems with non native species

A
  • 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
57
Q

why is bee population declining

A
  • pesticides

- less flowering plants (supply of pollen and nectar) due to intensive crop farming

58
Q

how can a pitfall trap be set up

A
  • place container in a hole in the ground
  • cover to protect from rain
  • leave overnight
  • count invertebrates
59
Q

suggest measures to protect biodiversity of moorland habitat

A
  • protect habitat from destruction
  • ban hunting in area
  • education
  • manage deer populations
  • remove invasive species
  • captive breeding programme
60
Q

what are pooters

A
  • 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
61
Q

what is a tullgren funnel

A
  • 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
62
Q

what is kick sampling

A
  • 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
63
Q

when to use systematic sampling

A

clear change in the physical conditions across the area being studied