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GCSE Biology > Ecology > Flashcards

Ecology Flashcards

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1
Q

State the levels of organisation in an ecosystem.

A

individual, population, community, ecosystem

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2
Q

What is an ecosystem?

A

The interaction between the living components and non-living components (biotic and abiotic factors in area)

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3
Q

State the factors that plants may compete for

A

Light, space, water and mineral ions from the soil

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4
Q

State the factors that animals might compete for

A

Food, mates and territory

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5
Q

What is intraspecific competition?

A

competition within a species

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6
Q

What interspecific competition?

A

competition between different species

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7
Q

What is interdependence?

A

Different species in a ecosystem depend on each other for various resources, if one species is removed, the whole community may be affected.

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8
Q

What is a stable community?

A

A community in which all the biotic factors (the different species) and all abiotic factors are balanced so that population sizes remain relatively constant.

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9
Q

What are abiotic factors?

A

non-living factors

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10
Q

State the abiotic factors that may affect an ecosystem.

A

● Light intensity
● Temperature
● Moisture
● Soil pH and mineral content
● Wind intensity and direction
● Carbon dioxide level
● Oxygen level

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11
Q

Why might light intensity affect an ecosystem?

A

Different species of plants may have different optimum light intensities for growth.

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12
Q

Why does temperature affect the ecosystem?

A

Different species of plants and animals may have different optimum temperatures for temperatures for growth and survival

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13
Q

How does soil pH affect an ecosystem?

A

Certain plants may grow better in either alkaline or acidic soil. Soil pH may affect the appearance of the plant eg. colour of hydrangea

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14
Q

How does moisture level affect an ecosystem?

A

Many plants cannot survive in waterlogged soil as their roots cannot respire. Certain plants are adapted to high moisture levels.

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15
Q

How does windy intensity affect an ecosystem?

A

Plant seeds are more likely to germinate in locations with lower wind intensity, which may also attract animals that depend on the plant to live nearby

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16
Q

How does soil mineral content affect an ecosystem?

A

Most plants require a high level of soil minerals to grow well.

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17
Q

Give an example of a type of plants that have adapted to low soil mineral content

A

Carnivorous plants catch insects to compensate for the low level of soil mineral content.

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18
Q

How does carbon dioxide concentration affect an ecosystem?

A

Higher carbon dioxide concentration leads to more plant growth.

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19
Q

How does oxygen concentration affect an ecosystem?

A

Aquatic animals cannot survive in areas with low oxygen concentration.

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20
Q

State the biotic factors that may affect an ecosystem.

A

food, new predators, new pathogens, competition

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21
Q

What are adaptations?

A

Features that allow an organism to survive in the conditions that they normally live in

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22
Q

What are organisms living in extreme environments called?

A

extremophiles

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23
Q

Give 3 examples of extreme living environments

A

High temperature, high pressure, high salt concentration

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24
Q

State an example of where extremophile bacteria can be found

A

deep sea vents

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25
Q

What is a population?

A

A species that occupy the same habitat

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26
Q

What is a habitat?

A

Place where an organism lives

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27
Q

What is an community?

A

Population of different species interacting

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28
Q

What do food chains show?

A

Food chains show the feeding relationships of different organisms and the flow of energy between the organisms.

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29
Q

What is biomass?

A

the total mass of living material (dry mass of all the living organisms in an area)

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30
Q

What are tropic levels?

A

The stages in a food chain

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31
Q

What do arrows in a food chain represent?

A

The direction of biomass transfer

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32
Q

Describe a simple food chain

A

producer → primary consumer → secondary consumer → tertiary consumer

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33
Q

What is a producer?

A

An organism that makes its own food

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34
Q

What types of organisms are primary producers?

A

Photosynthetic organisms like green plants and algae that trap energy from the sun

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35
Q

What is a primary consumer?

A

An organism that feeds on producers.

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36
Q

What is a secondary consumer?

A

an organism that feeds on primary consumers.

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37
Q

What is a tertiary consumer?

A

an organism that feeds on secondary consumers

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38
Q

What is a predator?

A

A consumer that kills and eats other animals

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39
Q

What is prey?

A

an animal that is hunted and killed by another animal for food

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40
Q

Describe the pattern of predators and prey in a stable community

A

The numbers of predators and prey rise and fall in cycles

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41
Q

Why are producers the first tropic level?

A

Producers provide all biomass for all food chain (production of glucose via photosynthesis)
The rest of the food chain involves the transfer of this biomass

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42
Q

What piece of apparatus is used to measure the abundance and distribution of organisms in an area?

A

quadrant

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43
Q

What piece of apparatus is used to study the distribution of organisms across a gradient?

A

Belt transect

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44
Q

When considering the abundance of organisms, what is meant the term ‘mean’?

A

The average number of organisms

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45
Q

How is the arithmetic mean calculated?

A

Sum of each number of each organism/the total number of each type of organism.

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46
Q

When considering the abundance of different organisms, what is meant by the term ‘mode’?

A

The most populous organism

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47
Q

When considering the abundance of organism, what is meant by the term ‘median’?

A

The organism that represents the middle value when the numbers of each organism are arranged from lowest to highest

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48
Q

Describe how materials cycle through the living and non-living components of an ecosystem

A

● Organisms take in elements from their surroundings e.g. soil, air.
● Elements converted to complex molecules which become biomass.
● Elements transferred along food chains.
● Elements returned to environment during excretion and decomposition of dead organisms.

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49
Q

Give 3 molecules which are cycled through ecosystems

A

oxygen, carbon dioxide, water

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50
Q

Describe the carbon cycle

A
  • Plants fix carbon dioxide into organic molecules during photosynthesis.
  • The organic carbon-containing molecules are passed onto organisms that eat the plants.
  • Carbon dioxide is released back into the atmosphere by respiration from animals and plants.
  • Burning fossil fuels also releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
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51
Q

Why is the carbon cycle important?

A

Carbon-containing molecules such as glucose are important for living organisms to grow and provide energy for vital functions within cells.

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52
Q

Describe the water cycle

A
  • Water from lakes and oceans evaporates.
  • The evaporated water condenses into clouds and returns to earth as precipitation.
  • The water from precipitation is useful for life on land.
  • The water then returns to rivers and oceans through surface runoff.
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53
Q

Why is the water cycle important?

A

Living organisms require water and the water cycle provides organisms on land with a continuous supply of water.

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54
Q

Why are microorganisms important for the cycling of materials through an ecosystem?

A

Microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) return carbon to the environment by releasing carbon dioxide through respiration while they decompose dead matter. The decomposition of dead matter in soil returns mineral ions to the environment for other organisms to use e.g. plants use mineral ions for growth.

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55
Q

What is meant by decomposition?

A

The breakdown of dead materials into simpler organic matter

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56
Q

How do decomposers break down the dead matter?

A

Decomposers release enzymes which catalyse the breakdown of dead material into smaller molecules.

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57
Q

What are two types of decomposition?

A

Aerobic decomposition (with oxygen)
Anaerobic decomposition (without oxygen)

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58
Q

What factors affect the rate of decomposition?

A

Oxygen availability, temperature and water content

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59
Q

Why is oxygen required for decomposition?

A

Most decomposers require oxygen for aerobic respiration

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60
Q

How does the availability of oxygen affect the rate of decomposition?

A

● As oxygen levels increase, the rate of decomposition increases.
● As oxygen levels decrease, the rate of decomposition decreases.

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61
Q

Why can decomposition still occur in the absence of oxygen?

A

Some decomposers respire anaerobically. However, the rate of decomposition is slower as anaerobic respiration produces less energy

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62
Q

How does soil water content affect the rate of decomposition?

A

Decomposers require water to survive:
● In moist conditions the rate of decomposition is high.
● In waterlogged soils there is little oxygen for respiration so the rate of decomposition decreases.

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63
Q

Why does decomposition require water?

A

Water is required for the secretion of enzymes and absorption of dissolved molecules.

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64
Q

How does temperature affect the rate of decomposition?

A

Decomposers release enzymes:
● Rate highest at 50°C (optimum temperature for enzymes).
● Lower temperatures, enzymes work too slowly, rate decreases.
● High temperatures, enzymes denature, decomposition stops.

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65
Q

How is the rate of change calculated when considering the decay of biological material?

A

Rate of change = Change in value / change in time
Where value is a measurable variable associated with the decay of the material

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66
Q

What is compost?

A

The nutrient-rich product of the rapid decay of waste biological (dead plants and animals waste) in optimum conditions set by gardeners and farmers

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67
Q

How is compost used?

A

Used as natural fertiliser to promote growth of crops or garden plants.

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68
Q

Describe how biogas generators work

A

Biogas generators provide methane gas for fuel through anaerobic decomposition that occurs in animal waste.

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69
Q

Describe how environmental conditions affect communities

A

● Environmental conditions e.g. temperature, soil pH, light intensity affect the abundance and distribution of organisms within communities.
● e.g rising global temperatures have been linked to the extinction of frog species (their thin skin makes them more vulnerable to temperature changes).

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70
Q

How can different temperatures be bad for certain communities?

A
  • If the temperature is too low, growth will be slower as organisms will use more energy to stay warm
  • If the temperature is too high, organisms can die and water will become limited as evaporation increases
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71
Q

How can atmospheric gases affect ecosystems?

A
  • Some organisms cannot survive when certain gases are present
  • Polluted water can cause illness to animals that drink it
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72
Q

What detrimental impacts can sulfur dioxide have on the environment?

A
  • Formed when fossil fuels containing impurities are burnt.
  • Sulfur dioxide can dissolve in water to form acid rain which can erode buildings and pollute water sources.
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73
Q

What detrimental impacts can carbon monoxide have on the environment?

A
  • Carbon monoxide is formed from the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels.
  • Carbon monoxide binds irreversibly to haemoglobin which prevents it from carrying oxygen.
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74
Q

Name 5 greenhouse gases

A
  • Water vapour
  • Carbon dioxide
  • Nitrous oxide
  • Methane
  • CFCs
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75
Q

Give 3 human activities that contribute to greenhouse gases

A
  • Burning fossil fuels
  • Deforestation
  • Large scale livestock farming
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76
Q

How do greenhouse gases lead to global warming?

A
  • Greenhouse gases allow heat from the sun to enter the atmosphere.
  • The gases act as a ‘blanket’ and trap the heat in the atmosphere.
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77
Q

State 3 negative consequences of global warming

A
  • Sea level rise caused by melting icebergs.
  • Disrupted farming and agriculture.
  • Increased spread of diseases in warmer climates.
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78
Q

What is biodiversity?

A

the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.

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79
Q

What is the importance of biodiversity?

A

To maintain the stability of an ecosystem

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80
Q

How does biodiversity contribute to the sustainability of an ecosystem?

A

It reduces the dependence on particular species for resources e.g food and shelter, so that even if one species is removed other species can still survive

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81
Q

Why have humans’ consumption of resources and waste production increased?

A

● Rapid rise in human population
● Increase in standard of living

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82
Q

State an example of water pollutants

A

● Sewage
● Fertiliser
● Chemicals

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83
Q

How does eutrophication occur?

A

Fertiliser from farms pollute the water, causing excessive algae growth, depleting the oxygen in the water, causing other plants and animals to die. Dead plants are decomposed by bacteria and the oxygen level decreases further.

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84
Q

State an example of air pollutants

A

Smoke, Acidic Gases

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85
Q

State an example of land pollutants.

A

● Landfill waste
● Chemicals

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86
Q

Which human activities reduce the land available for animals and plants?

A

● Building
● Farming
● Quarrying
● Disposing of waste

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87
Q

Why have peat bogs been destroyed?

A

To produce compost to increase food production.

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88
Q

Why does the destruction of peat bogs greatly contribute to the greenhouse effect?

A

Peat bogs are stores of carbon (carbon sinks) and burning them releases a large volume of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

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89
Q

Why have large-scale deforestation activities occurred?

A

● To provide land for cattle or rice fields
● To grow crops to produce biofuels

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90
Q

What is the greenhouse effect?

A

Greenhouse gases trap energy from the sun as heat in the atmosphere, keeping the temperature on earth suitable for life.

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91
Q

What is causing global warming?

A

The increase in levels of greenhouse gases eg. carbon dioxide and methane, causing the temperature on earth to increase.

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92
Q

What are the harmful effects of deforestation?

A

● Destruction of many animals’ habitats
● Releases large amounts of greenhouse gases

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93
Q

State the consequences of global warming

A

● Rising sea levels
● Melting polar ice caps
● Changing weather patterns
● Migration of animals to find suitable habitats
● Tropical diseases becoming more common

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94
Q

Describe the steps taken to maintain biodiversity

A

● Breeding programmes for endangered species.
● Protection and rebuilding habitats.
● Replanting field margins and hedgerows.
● Reduce deforestation.
● Reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
● Recycling rather than disposing in landfills.

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95
Q

What is the purpose of replanting hedgerows and field margins?

A

There is higher biodiversity in the margins than the fields that they surround.

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96
Q

What does a food chain show?

A

It describes the feeding relationships between organisms and the resultant stages of biomass transfer.

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97
Q

What are tropic levels?

A

The stages in a food chain

98
Q

How are trophic levels represented?

A

Trophic levels are represented by numbers, starting from 1. After 1, trophic levels are numbered according to far along the organism is in the food chain.

99
Q

What is trophic level 1?

A

Plants and algae which make their own food (through photosynthesis) - called producers.

100
Q

What is trophic level 2?

A

Herbivores which eat producers - called primary consumers.

101
Q

What is trophic level 3?

A

Carnivores that eat herbivores - called secondary consumers.

102
Q

What is trophic level 4?

A

Carnivores that eat other carnivores - called tertiary consumers.

103
Q

What is a Apex predator?

A

A carnivore with no predators

104
Q

How do decomposers break down the dead matter?

A

Decomposers release enzymes which catalyse the breakdown of dead material into smaller molecules.

105
Q

Why is dry mass used for biomass?

A

Because the wet mass varies as the volume of water in the organism varies.

106
Q

How do you calculate the efficiency of biomass transfer?

A

efficiency = (energy transferred / total energy available) × 100

107
Q

What percentage of the incident energy from light for photosynthesis do producers transfer?

A

1%

108
Q

What percentage of biomass from one trophic level is transferred to the level above it in feeding?

A

Approximately 10%

109
Q

Why are biomass transfers not 100% efficient?

A

Energy is lost through
- Egestion (removal of faeces)
- Excretion (removal of urine)
- Respiration
- The production of inedible bones

110
Q

How does the efficiency of biomass transfer affect the number of trophic levels in a biomass pyramid?

A

The less efficient the transfer, the fewer trophic levels and the fewer organisms in high trophic levels

111
Q

What is a biomass pyramid?

A

A pyramid that shows the total dry mass of organisms at each trophic level
Trophic level 1 is at the bottom of the pyramid

112
Q

What is a pyramid of numbers?

A

A pyramid of numbers shows the number of organisms at each trophic level

113
Q

Why are some pyramid of numbers not pyramid shaped?

A

Pyramids of numbers don’t take size and mass of organisms into account.

114
Q

What is food security?

A

Having enough food to feed a population

115
Q

State the biological factors threatening food security

A

● Rising birth rates
● Changing diets in developed countries → food is transported around the world
● New pests and pathogens
● Environmental changes affecting food production
● Increased cost of agriculture
● Armed conflicts

116
Q

How does intensive farming increase the production of animals?

A

● Feed animals high protein foods to increase growth.
● Reduce their energy loss to the environment:
○ Limiting movement
○ Regulating their surrounding temperature
● Feed animals antibiotics to prevent diseases.

117
Q

What are the advantages of intensive farming?

A

● Higher yield of food
● More efficient
● Allows easier quality control

118
Q

What are the disadvantages of intensive farming?

A

● May lead to antibiotic resistance.
● Cost is high.
● Ethical objections eg. limiting movement of animals may cause them harm.
● Biodiversity may be reduced.

119
Q

How can fish stocks be conserved?

A

● Control the size of gaps in fishing nets to prevent juvenile fish from being killed, before reaching reproductive maturity
● Introduce fishing quotas.

120
Q

What is a transgenic organism?

A

An organism that has been genetically modified to contain genetic material from another source.

121
Q

State an example of genetically modified foods

A

golden rice

122
Q

How might crops be genetically modified?

A

● To improve nutritional value
● To be pest resistant
● To be pesticide resistant

123
Q

What are the advantages of golden rice?

A

It contains additional beta-carotene which can be converted to vitamin A in the body, supplementing people who do not obtain enough Vitamin A in their diet to prevent night blindness from forming.

124
Q

What is mycoprotein?

A

A protein-rich substance used to make meat substitute food for vegetarians and vegans.

125
Q

How is mycoprotein produced?

A

Fusarium, a fungus, is grown on glucose syrup, in aerobic conditions and the biomass is harvested and purified to get the mycoprotein.

126
Q

What does biotic mean?

A

Factors that result from living things in an ecosystem

127
Q

What is abiotic?

A

Factors that result from non-living things in an ecosystem

128
Q

What is light intensity?

A

An abiotic factor, plants require energy from sunlight to photosynthesise

129
Q

What is temperature?

A

An abiotic factor, most organisms are sensitive to temperature as it can affect metabolic rates and enzyme activity. Some species can only survive within a certain temperature range, if temperatures become too extreme their metabolic rate and enzyme activity is severely affected

130
Q

What is moisture levels?

A

An abiotic factor, moisture in soil is necessary for the survival of most plants and specific humidity levels or water sources are essential for most organisms

131
Q

What is soil pH and mineral content?

A

An abiotic factor, plant cells and enzymes are sensitive to pH and also require minerals for sufficient plant development

132
Q

What is the wind intensity and direction?

A

An abiotic factor, wind can affect the rate of transpiration in plants, can damage organisms and can help some organisms to disperse

133
Q

What is carbon dioxide levels?

A

An abiotic factor, plants require sufficient levels of this gas for photosynthesis

134
Q

What is oxygen levels?

A

An abiotic factor, the levels of oxygen in water can affect animals in aquatic environments. Plants and animals require specific levels of certain gases in order to function effectively, oxygen is essential for aerobic respiration and carbon dioxide is essential for photosynthesis
Some organisms are very sensitive to gases, for example many aquatic organisms need specific levels of dissolved oxygen and lichen is very sensitive to sulfur dioxide levels by pollution

135
Q

What is food and water availability?

A

A biotic factor, animals depend on other animals or plants as sources of food and plants and animals must have a sufficient level of water in order to survive, water is needed for many chemical reactions and to regulate osmotic conditions in the body

136
Q

What is the arrival of new predators?

A

A biotic factor, the arrival of new organisms capable of predation can affect the levels of animals or plants in an ecosystem

137
Q

What are new pathogens?

A

A biotic factor, organisms can be severely affected by the introduction of new diseases

138
Q

What is one’s species outcompeting another species?

A

A biotic factor, if one species is outcompeted the population of that species may decline as individual organisms may not be able to obtain the resources needed to survive and reproduce

139
Q

What is interdependence?

A

Each species within a community depends on other species for food, shelter, pollination and seed dispersal

140
Q

What is the predator-prey relationship?

A

The interdependent interaction between an organism that eats another organism and the consequent effect one species has on the other

141
Q

What does removing a species from an ecosystem do?

A

If one species or population is removed from an ecosystem it can have a significant impact on the entire community

142
Q

What is a stable community?

A

One where all the species and environmental factors are in balance so the population sizes remains fairly constant

143
Q

What are resources?

A

To survive and reproduce, organisms require a supply of materials from their surroundings and from the other living things there

144
Q

What is competition?

A

Organisms need resources that are often scarce to survive and reproduce, so most organisms must compete with one another to obtain or claim these resources

145
Q

What is competition between species?

A

Also known as interspecific competition, different species may compete for resources such as food or territory

146
Q

What is competition within a species?

A

Also known as intraspecific competition, individuals within a species may compete for resources such as food, territory or mates

147
Q

What is the reasons for competition in animals?

A

Food, access to water, mates, shelter or territory

148
Q

What are the reasons for competition in plants?

A

Light for photosynthesis, space, water and mineral ions in the soil

149
Q

What are some examples of adaptions?

A

Large surface area to volume ratio to keep cool in hot environments, thick fur in cold environments, camouflage to hide from other organisms, feet with large surface area to trek on sand or snow

150
Q

What is structural adaptation?

A

Physical features that allow organisms to compete, such as sharp claws in animals to catch prey or broad leaves to optimise photosynthesis in plants

151
Q

What is behavioural adaptation?

A

Behaviours that give organisms an advantage, such as nocturnal activity in desert animals to stay cool or plant shoots growing towards light in plants

152
Q

What is functional adaption?

A

Adaptive body functions in an organism such as concentrated urine in camels to prevent water loss or poison to prevent predation in plants

153
Q

What are extremophiles?

A

Some organisms like the bacteria living in deep sea vents live in extreme environments such as at high temperature, pressure or salt concentration

154
Q

What is environmental change?

A

A change in the abiotic factors of an environment, can affect the distribution of species in an ecosystem

155
Q

What is the distribution of species?

A

The spread or range of species in a habitat or area

156
Q

What is seasonal?

A

Changes in environmental conditions throughout the year can cause species to migrate, thrive successfully, die out or become dormant

157
Q

What is geographic?

A

Different regions of the Earth have very different environments with different abiotic factors that can affect the distribution of species found there

158
Q

What is human interaction?

A

Humans can affect the distribution of species directly through poaching and habitat destruction or via pollution, climate change and the creation of physical barriers

159
Q

What is migration?

A

The movement of individuals or a population of a species from one area to another, usually to benefit from specific abiotic factors such as ideal climates and plentiful food sources

160
Q

What is a decomposer?

A

An organism responsible for the decay and breakdown of waste products and other dead organisms, so that important nutrients can be recycled

161
Q

What is the rate of decay?

A

The speed or rate at which waste products or dead organic material is broken down by decomposers

162
Q

What are the factors affecting the rate of decay?

A

Temperature, water and oxygen availability

163
Q

What does investigating the rate of decay do?

A

Decay is a slow process, so the process can be simulated by using enzymes to break down milk into fatty acids and glycerol

164
Q

What is detritus?

A

Dead particulate organic material such as leaf litter that is mixed with soil

165
Q

What is detritivore?

A

A type of decomposer that feeds on dead organic material such as plant detritus in the form of fallen leaves

166
Q

What is water in decomposition?

A

Decomposing microorganisms works best in moist environments as many chemical reactions involved in decay require water

167
Q

What is oxygen availability in decomposition?

A

Organic material should be aerated so that decomposers can use oxygen for aerobic respiration, providing the microorganisms with energy

168
Q

What is waste biological material?

A

Gardeners and farmers try to provide optimum conditions for rapid decay of waste biological material, which can be converted to compost

169
Q

What is compost?

A

Used as a natural fertiliser for growing garden plants or crops, providing nitrogen for growth and minerals for healthy plant development

170
Q

What is anaerobic decay?

A

Microorganisms deprived of oxygen can anaerobically decompose organic material in a less efficient manner than aerobic decomposition, producing methane gas as a by product

171
Q

What is methane?

A

Can be used as a renewable fuel source called biogas, produced when microorganisms responsible for decomposition are deliberately kept in anaerobic conditions

172
Q

What is a biogas generator?

A

A generator that stores animal waste or plant material that is allowed to anaerobically decompose, in order for large quantities of biogas to be collected

173
Q

What is material cycling?

A

Many different materials cycle through the abiotic and biotic components of an ecosystem

174
Q

What is the water cycle?

A

Provides fresh water for plants and animals on land before draining into the seas, water is continuously evaporated and precipitated

175
Q

What is evaporation?

A

Water evaporates from the sea into water vapour in the air, due to energy from the sun

176
Q

What is condensation?

A

Water vapour eventually cools and condenses to form clouds of fresh water droplets

177
Q

What is precipitation?

A

When many water droplets combine following condensation, precipitation of fresh water can occur as rain, hail, sleet or snow

178
Q

What are streams and rainfall in the material cycling?

A

Water from rainfall can travel down streams and rivers, before returning to the sea

179
Q

What is aquifer?

A

An underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock, following the process of percolation where water filters through rocks and sediment

180
Q

What is a reservoir?

A

An artificial or natural lake where water is stored

181
Q

What is transpiration?

A

Water enters plants through the roots and travels up the stem via the xylem to the leaves, where it transpires and evaporates

182
Q

What is the water in animals?

A

Animals consume water by drinking from water sources or consuming other organisms, water can then be removed via exhalation, urination or excretion as faeces

183
Q

What is the carbon cycle?

A

Returns carbon from organisms to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide to be used by plants for photosynthesis

184
Q

What is photosynthesis?

A

Plants store carbon from the atmosphere by converting carbon dioxide into glucose via the process of photosynthesis

185
Q

What is the carbon in plants?

A

Glucose in plants can be converted into complex carbon-based molecules such as carbohydrates and proteins, which can be passed on to animals that consume these plants

186
Q

What is carbon in animals?

A

Animals obtain carbon by consuming plants and other animals, the carbon is stored as complex molecules such as carbohydrates, lipids and proteins

187
Q

What is respiration in material cycling?

A

Organisms can respire to release energy from glucose, which returns carbon to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide

188
Q

What is the excretion of carbon?

A

Animals can remove carbon via excretion of faeces and urea in urine or as methane gas that enters the atmosphere

189
Q

What is microorganisms in material cycling?

A

Microscopic organisms such as bacteria and fungi that are capable of cycling materials through an ecosystem such as nitrogen and carbon

190
Q

What the cycling of materials by microorganisms?

A

Microorganisms can decompose organic material from dead organisms and return mineral ions to the soil or return carbon to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide

191
Q

What is fossilisation?

A

Organisms that do not decay may fossilise and lock up or fix carbon in sedimentary rocks

192
Q

What is combustion?

A

Coal, oil and natural gas are products of fossilised organisms that can be burned as a fuel source, which releases stored carbon back into the atmosphere as very large amounts of carbon dioxide

193
Q

What factors affect the distribution of a species?

A

Typically abiotic factors such as light intensity or soil mineral content but can also include biotic factors such as competition

194
Q

What is abundance of a species?

A

The amount of individuals of one species found in an area at the same time

195
Q

What are sampling techniques?

A

A range of scientific techniques used by ecologists to measure the distribution and abundance of different species

196
Q

What is a quadrat?

A

A square frame that is thrown or placed to count individuals of a specific species, typically used to estimate a population size in an area

197
Q

What is a transect?

A

A line or tape measure that covers the length of a specific area and can be used as a reference to measure the distribution of a species at regular intervals

198
Q

What is a belt transect?

A

A combination of quadrats and line transects, a quadrat is placed at specific intervals of the transect and can be used to measure the distribution and abundance of a species

199
Q

What is population size or density?

A

The estimated size of the population of one species found in the same area at the same time

200
Q

What is a common species?

A

An easily observable and frequent species such as a daisy or dandelion

201
Q

What is the calculation for total population size?

A

(Total field area/area sampled) x total number of individuals of a specific species counted

202
Q

What is the area sampled calculation?

A

Area of one quadrat multiplied by the number of quadrats used in an investigation

203
Q

What is the expected result for transect investigation?

A

A factor such as light intensity can affect the distribution of a plant species, a shaded area might have few individuals and a more exposed area might have many individuals

204
Q

What is the kit diagram?

A

A diagram used to visualise the abundance and distribution of different species, using belt transect data

205
Q

What is a herbivore?

A

An animal that eats plants, can also be referred to as a primary consumer

206
Q

What is a carnivore?

A

An animal that eats other animals, can be a secondary or tertiary consumer

207
Q

What is an omnivore?

A

An opportunistic animal that can eat both plants or other animals

208
Q

What is a detritivore?

A

A type of decomposer that feeds on dead organic material such as plant detritus in the form of fallen leaves

209
Q

What are fossil fuels?

A

Coal, oil and gas that are fossilised products of ancient organisms, contain high amounts of fixed carbon that would stay underground without human intervention

210
Q

What is deforestation?

A

Plants store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere for photosynthesis, meaning deforestation prevents carbon dioxide levels from naturally decreasing

211
Q

What is burning peat?

A

The decay or burning of peat releases significant levels of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, that would normally have been locked up in peat bog areas

212
Q

What is eutrophication?

A

Where fertiliser run-off provides nutrients to algae in water which is then decomposed by bacteria, starving aquatic environments of oxygen in the process and causing other aquatic organisms to die off

213
Q

What is bioaccumulation?

A

Chemicals such as pesticides that are harmlessly consumed by small organisms can accumulate in the apex predators of a food chain and cause them significant harm

214
Q

What does high biodiversity mean?

A

An area with many different species of organisms that can interact in an ecosystem, such as a rainforest

215
Q

What does low biodiversity?

A

An area with a low variety of species in an ecosystem, such as a cornfield

216
Q

What are the consequences of high biodiversity?

A

A great biodiversity ensures the stability of ecosystems by reducing the dependence of one species on another for food, shelter and the maintenance of the physical environment

217
Q

What is the importance of biodiversity to humanity?

A

The future of the human species on Earth relies on maintaining a good level of biodiversity throughout the world, humanity cannot survive without other organisms

218
Q

What are breeding programmes?

A

Animals that are at risk of extinction can be conserved in zoos and bred to increase the survival chances of the species, plants can be conserved in botanical gardens and gene banks

219
Q

What are the protection and regeneration of rare habitats?

A

Some rare habitats such as wetlands are key sources of biodiversity, a number of these rare habitats are now permanently protected or are being restored in other areas

220
Q

What are reintroduction of field margins and hedgerows?

A

Farms are typically low in biodiversity, so field margins can be planted to encourage wildlife and increase biodiversity

221
Q

What is biotechnology?

A

Technologies that utilise biological systems or living organisms for specific processes

222
Q

What is the importance of modern biotechnology techniques?

A

Enable large quantities of food to be produced from microorganisms or genetically engineered crops with high yields

223
Q

What is fusarium?

A

A microscopic fungal species that is responsible for the production of mycoprotein

224
Q

What are the Conditions for Fusarium growth?

A

Fusarium is grown in a controlled fermenter on glucose syrup under aerobic conditions, where biomass can later be harvested and then purified

225
Q

What is human insulin production?

A

Insulin can be produced by removing DNA from a human pancreas and inserting it into bacteria that can rapidly reproduce and make large quantities of human insulin

226
Q

What are the advantages of human insulin production?

A

Prevents harm to organisms that would traditionally be used as sources of insulin and reduces the risk of rejection

227
Q

What a is food security?

A

Having enough food to feed a human population, this concept is becoming more challenging as population sizes are growing and the expected quality of life of most individuals is increasing
Image: Food security

228
Q

What is increasing birth factor?

A

A biological factor threatening food security, the rate of birth is significantly increasing in some countries, resulting in a growing population

229
Q

What is changing diets?

A

A biological factor threatening food security, novel diets in developed countries are making scarce food resources rarer or of less value as they are transported away from their country of origin

230
Q

What are the costs of agriculture inputs?

A

A biological factor threatening food security, agriculture can be an expensive business that has to be cost-effective for a farmer to want to grow crops or livestock

231
Q

What are conflict in parts of the world?

A

A biological factor threatening food security, conflicts and wars can severely impact access of food or water in certain areas

232
Q

What is intensive farming?

A

An efficient method of food production that restricts the transfer of energy from food animals to the environment

233
Q

What is restricting animal movement?

A

An aspect of intensive farming, keeping animals in enclosed spaces prevents them from wasting energy that can be conserved for the production of meat products

234
Q

What is controlling surrounding temperatures?

A

An aspect of intensive farming, keeping animals in a temperature-controlled room prevents them from expending energy for thermoregulation

235
Q

What is high protein feeds?

A

An aspect of intensive farming, providing animals with high quantities of protein can efficiently increase the rate of growth

236
Q

What are the advantages of intensive farming?

A

Optimises the yield of food production, efficient, less space required, can help achieve food security

237
Q

What are the disadvantages of intensive farming?

A

Risk of antibiotic resistance, heating buildings costs money and requires energy, organisms are often kept in very inhumane conditions such as battery farms

238
Q

What is sustainable fishing?

A

Fishing techniques that are manageable and focus on fish stock conservation by preventing overfishing and maintaining fish populations

239
Q

What are fish stocks?

A

Populations of fish that are used as food sources, fish stocks are declining in oceans around the world

240
Q

What is the importance of maintaining fish stocks?

A

So that fish populations can continued to be used as sources of food, individual fish need to be able to continue breeding otherwise there is a risk that certain fish species may disappear

GCSE Biology (7 decks)

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