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Biology AQA Triple > Ecology > Flashcards

Ecology Flashcards

Paper 2 - B7

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1
Q

In an ecosystem, what is the difference between a population and a community?

A

A population is a group of organisms of the same species. A community is a group of populations (different species)

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2
Q

What do Plants compete for?

A

Light, space, minerals, water

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3
Q

What do Animals compete for?

A

Food, territory, mates (within a species only)

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4
Q

What name is given to the a) living and b) non-living parts of an ecosystem?

A

a) biotic b) abiotic

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5
Q

What is an ecosystem?

A

The interaction of a community of living organisms (biotic) with the non-living (abiotic) parts of their environment

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6
Q

List the ways in which one organism might depend on another within an ecosystem (interdependence)

A

Food, shelter, pollination, seed dispersal

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7
Q

What are some abiotic factors which might affect a
community of organisms?

A

light intensity; temperature; moisture levels; soil pH & mineral content; wind intensity & direction; carbon dioxide levels (plants only); oxygen levels (aquatic animals)

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8
Q

What are some biotic factors which might affect a
community of organisms?

A

availability of food; new predators arriving; new pathogens; one species outcompeting another so that there are not enough individuals to breed

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9
Q

What is an Adaptation?

A

Special features an organism has to enable it to be successful within its environment

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10
Q

What are the 3 different categories of adaptation which enable an organism to be successful within its environment?

A

Behavioural, structural, functional

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11
Q

What are extremophiles?

A

Organisms that can live in extreme environments such as high temperature, pressure or salt concentration

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12
Q

Where might you find extremophiles in the ocean?

A

In deep sea vents

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13
Q

What are the producers of biomass for all life on earth?

A

Photosynthetic organisms (including plants)

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14
Q

How can we represent feeding relationships within a community?

A

Food chains or webs

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15
Q

What organisms are at the start of all food chains?

A

Photosynthetic organisms such as plants or algae

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16
Q

What is a Quadrat?

A

A piece of equipment that can be used to estimate percentage cover of plants in an ecosystem

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17
Q

What is the Transect Line?

A

The line along which quadrats can be placed to investigate the distribution of plants within an ecosystem

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18
Q

What is meant by the terms ‘distribution’ and ‘abundance’ when studying organisms within an ecosystem

A

-How the organisms are spread out within the ecosystem
-How many there are

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19
Q

In a food chain, name the first trophic level

A

Producers

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20
Q

Name the trophic level in a food chain that feeds on producers

A

Primary consumers

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21
Q

Name the third trophic level in a food chain

A

Secondary consumers

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22
Q

Name the fourth trophic level in a food chain

A

Tertiary consumers

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23
Q

What name is given to a consumer that kills and eats other animals?

A

A predator

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24
Q

What name is given to an animal that is eaten by another animal?

A

Prey

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25
Q

Why do the population numbers of predators and prey rise and fall in cycles?

A

When prey numbers are high, there is lots of food for the predators, but this means more predators so more prey are eaten.

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26
Q

In the carbon cycle, what is the only way in which carbon dioxide can be removed from the air and turned into other carbon compounds?

A

By plants in photosynthesis

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27
Q

In the water cycle, name the process by which water from the ground is returned to the air

A

Evaporation

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28
Q

In the water cycle, name the process by which water vapour is converted to a form that plants and animals can use

A

Precipitation

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29
Q

In the carbon cycle, how is the carbon in dead organisms recycled?

A

Microorganisms decompose the organism, respire and return carbon dioxide to the air

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30
Q

Aside from recycling carbon, what other important role do microorganisms play in decomposition?

A

Returning mineral ions to the soil

31
Q

(Triple only) Give 3 factors that affect the rate of decay of biological material

A

Temperature, water availability, oxygen availability

32
Q

(Triple only) What is compost?

A

Substance produced by decay of waste biological material that can then be used as a natural fertiliser for growing garden plants or crops

33
Q

(Triple only) What is produced by anaerobic decay of waste biological material?

A

Methane

34
Q

(Triple only) What is biogas?

A

A fuel containing methane produced by anaerobic decay in biogas generators

35
Q

(Triple only) Give 3 environmental changes that can affect the distribution of species in an ecosystem

A

Temperature; availability of water; composition of atmospheric gases

36
Q

What is biodiversity?

A

The variety of all the different species of organisms on earth or within an ecosystem

37
Q

How does high biodiversity make an ecosystem more stable?

A

By reducing dependence of one species on another for food, shelter

38
Q

What effect are humans having on biodiversity and why is this a problem?

A

Reducing it; means less available for future use

39
Q

What are the two effects of an increasing human population and increased living standard?

A

More resources are used; more waste is produced

40
Q

How can pollution occur in water?

A

Sewage, fertiliser or toxic chemicals

41
Q

How can pollution occur in air?

A

Smoke and acidic gases

42
Q

How can pollution occur on land?

A

Landfill and toxic chemicals

43
Q

Why is pollution a problem?

A

Kills plants and animals and reduces biodiversity

44
Q

Give 4 ways in which humans can reduce the amount of land available for other animals

A

Building; quarrying; farming; dumping waste

45
Q

Which habitat is being destroyed to produce garden compost?

A

Peat bogs

46
Q

What two problems are being caused by the destruction of peat bogs?

A

Reduces biodiversity; burning/decay of peat releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere which leads to global warming

47
Q

Give two reasons why large scale deforestation is being carried out

A

To provide land for cattle and rice fields; to grow crops for biofuels

48
Q

Name two greenhouse gases

A

Carbon dioxide and methane

49
Q

List 3 consequences of global warming

A

Sea level rise; ice caps melting; habitat destruction; extinction; changes to animal behaviour or distribution

50
Q

What can farmers do to increase biodiversity in fields where they only grow one type of crop?

A

Reintroduce field margins and hedgerows

51
Q

What can humans do to reduce the amount of waste in landfill?

A

Recycling resources

52
Q

How can humans help to protect endangered species?

A

Breeding programmes

53
Q

How can humans help to reduce destruction of rare habitats?

A

Protection (e.g. laws, nature reserves) and regeneration

54
Q

How can governments help to reduce global warming?

A

Reduction of deforestation and carbon dioxide
emissions

55
Q

(Triple only) What name is given to carnivores with no predators?

A

Apex predators

56
Q

(Triple only) How do decomposers break down dead plant and organic matter?

A

They secrete enzymes into the environment. Small soluble molecules then diffuse into the microorganism

57
Q

(Triple only) How can we visually represent the relative amount of biomass in each level of a food chain?

A

Pyramids of biomass

58
Q

(Triple only) What is represented by each ‘bar’ on a pyramid of biomass?

A

The total dry mass of all organisms within a trophic level (average dry mass of one organism x total number of organisms)

59
Q

(Triple only) How is biomass lost between each trophic level in a food chain?

A

Not all ingested material is absorbed - some egested as faeces; some lost as waste e.g. carbon dioxide and water in respiration; water and urea in urine; glucose used in respiration

60
Q

(Triple only) How do we calculate efficiency of biomass transfers between trophic levels?

A

% efficiency = biomass available to next level/biomass entering level x 100

61
Q

(Triple only) What is food security?

A

Having enough food to feed a population

62
Q

(Triple only) What is sustainable food production?

A

Production of sufficient resources for the population, with minimal impact on the environment and/or leaving enough for the population to recover

63
Q

(Triple only) What are the factors that affect food
security?

A

Increasing birth rate in some countries; changing diets in developed countries; new pests/pathogens; environmental changes e.g. rains fail = famine; cost of agricultural inputs;
conflict

64
Q

(Triple only) How does intensive farming increase efficiency of food production?

A

Restricts energy transfer from food animals to environment

65
Q

(Triple only) Give 2 ways in which energy transfer from food animals to the environment can be reduced in intensive farming

A

Limiting movement; controlling temperature of surroundings

66
Q

(Triple only) What can be supplemented in animal feed to increase growth?

A

Protein

67
Q

(Triple only) Why is there currently a need for sustainable fishing methods?

A

Fish stocks in oceans are declining. If they are too low, breeding cannot continue and species could disappear completely from certain areas

68
Q

(Triple only) Give two ways in which fish stocks can be kept at a sustainable level

A

Control of net size (smaller nets, larger holes) and introduction of fishing quotas

69
Q

(Triple only) How can genetic modification help meet the food demands of a growing human population?

A

Genes can be altered to increase crop yield and quality

70
Q

(Triple only) What is mycoprotein?

A

A protein-rich food produced by Fusarium fungus, suitable for vegetarians

71
Q

(Triple only) Name the fungus that produces mycoprotein

A

Fusarium

72
Q

(Triple only) What conditions are needed to produce mycoprotein?

A

Glucose syrup growth medium; aerobic conditions

73
Q

(Triple only) How can scientists grow HUMAN insulin to treat diabetes?

A

Genetically modified bacteria (alternative is to use animal insulin which is not the same and may have issues for people who object to use of animal products)

74
Q

(Triple only) What is golden rice?

A

Rice genetically modified to be high in beta-carotene which is needed to make vitamin A

Biology AQA Triple (16 decks)

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