ecology Flashcards
what is an ecosystem?
interaction of a community of living organisms with the non-living parts of the environment
give 4 examples of abiotic factors:
-moisture level
-light intensity
-temperature
-carbon dioxide level (for plants)
-wind intensity and direction
-oxygen level (for aquatic animals)
-soil pH and mineral content
give 4 biotic factors:
-new predators
-competition
-new pathogens
-availability of food
state adaptation an arctic seal may exhibit:
-white fur, camouflage
-rounded shape, store of fat.
and low surface area to volume to retain heat
examples of functional adaptations:
-metabolism
-reproductive system
how do camels conserve water supply:
-produce little sweat
-small amounts of concentrated urine
-accumulate fat in their humps, can break down later for water
describe how brown bears are adapted to their environment: [6]
-lives in northern latitudes (cold)
-diverse diet including plants, fish, invertebrates, fungi and mammals like deer
-structural
thick fur, conserve heat
long sharp claws to catch fish
lots of muscle to bring down strong mammals
-behavioural
adapted to eat range of food to survive
-functional
when hibernating, metabolism goes down to conserve energy
define extremophile:
microorganisms adapted to live in extreme condition such as archaea and bacteria
give examples of extremophiles locations:
-high salt con salt lakes
-high pressure deep sea vents
-high temps, hot springs
what is transpiration?
evaporation of water from plants
5 places where co2 is stored:
-in the air
-in the soil
-in plants’ biological molecules
-in fossil fuels
-in animals’ bio molecules
two groups of organisms that carry out decomposition:
-detritivores
small animals like worms and woodlice
-decomposers
microorganisms, such as bacteria and fungi
4 factors that affect decay:
-o2 availability
-temperature
higher temp, +kinetic, enzymes closer to optimum temp, +rate of reactions
-water content
conditions need to be moist for decomp to happen, but if too much water not enough o2
-number of decay orgs
what is biogas?
-anaerobic decay produces mix of gases called biogas inc methane
-when methane burned releases lot of energy, can be used for electr, etc
what is a biogas generator?
-containers
-decay
-use in fields
large containers where animal or plant waste left to decay anaerobically.
there cannot be any oxygen in the container.
else, the microorgs will respire aerobically and won’t prod a lot methane
when biogas removed from tank, sludgy material left over,
contains high density of useful minerals,
can be spread on fields like fertiliser
reasons why deforestation occurs:
-growing cattle (farming)
-growing food for cattle
-growing crops for biofuel
-for the wood (logging)
main problems of deforestation:
-trees won’t be there to photosynthesize and take in co2
contributes to global warming
-trees removed through burning, release co2, huge plumes of suffocating, polluting smoke
-the habitat and large biodiversity destroyed
-species extinct
what are peat bogs?
-conditions
-organisms
-plants
-areas of land where water is acidic and waterlogged
-decay microorgs can’t survive (bcs too acidic, water stops air getting in soil)
-partially rotten plants in the bogs store the co2 instead of emitting it (reduces glo war)
what is the disadvantage of removing peat bogs?
-water removed; oxygen gets back in the soil, decay microorgs can come back and decay plants which let out co2
-reduces biodiversity
what are top carnivores called?
apex predators
what are omnivores?
eat producers and other animals
what is the role of decomposers and detritivores?
recycle nutrients from animals and plants back into the ground so they can be used again by plants
uses of land:
quarrying, building, farming, dumping waste
reasons why only 10% of energy gets passed up biomass:
-not every part of org gets eaten
-bits they do eat may not be absorbed
egested as faeces
-most of nutrients animals absorb used to release energy thru resp; biomass released as waste prod: co2, urea
