ecology

Question 1

what are the environmental changes that affect the distribution of species in an ecosystem?

Answer 1

temperature, water availability, atmospheric gas composition

Question 2

what is biodiversity?

Answer 2

the variety of different species of organism on earth or within an ecosystem

Question 3

what is peat?

Answer 3

a material that forms when plant material has not fully decayed as there is not enough oxygen.

Question 4

why are peat bogs important?

Answer 4

to eat are a habitat for many species, in particular migrating hirds

Question 5

what is deforestation?

Answer 5

the cutting down of a large number of trees in the same area, in order to use the land for something else

Question 6

why do we do deforestation?

Answer 6

to provide land for cattle and rice farms, to grow crops

Question 7

what problems does deforestation cause?

Answer 7

more CO2 can contribute to global warming (less photosynthesis and more respiration from decay) and the number of habitats is reduced

Question 8

what is global warming?

Answer 8

when the temperature around the world is increasing, as we are producing greenhouse gasses.

Question 9

what are the consequences of global warming?

Answer 9

melting of ice caps reducing habitats, rising sea levels, temperature and rainfall can affect migration of species, and less biodiversity due to extinct animals.

Question 10

what are the positive ways human interact with ecosystems?

Answer 10

maintaining rainforests, reducing water pollution and monitoring changes over time, preserving areas, replanting habitats.

Question 11

what are the negative ways humans interact with ecosystems?

Answer 11

producing greenhouse gasses therefore global warming, producing sulfur dioxide which leads to acid rain, chemicals used in gaming leaking into the environment, clearing land to build on

Question 12

what programmes have been put in place to maintain biodiversity?

Answer 12

breeding programmes, protecting rare habitats, reintroduction of hedgerows and field margins. reduction of deforestation, recycking

Question 13

what is in level one of the tropic levels and what do they eat?

Answer 13

producers and they make their own food by photosynthesis.

Question 14

what is in level two of the tropic levels and what do they eat?

Answer 14

primary consumers, they are herbivores eating the plants (producers)

Question 15

what is in level three of the tropic levels and what do they eat?

Answer 15

secondary consumers, they are carnivores that eat the herbivores

Question 16

what is in level one of the tropic levels and what do they eat?

Answer 16

tertiary consumers, carnivores eating other carnivores. they have no predators so are called apex predators.

Question 17

how much % of the biomass is transferred to the next?

Answer 17

about 10%

Question 18

why is not all biomass transferred to the next trophic level?

Answer 18

not all biomass can be eaten, glucose lost in respiration, urine and faeces is lost

Question 19

why is it more common to find less animals in the higher trophic levels?

Answer 19

because less biomass is transferred.

Question 20

what is food security?

Answer 20

having sufficient food to feed the population.

Question 21

what factors affect food security?

Answer 21

increasing birth rate, changing diets, pests and pathogens destroying crops, climate change, conflicts in countries.

Question 22

what are farmers aims?

Answer 22

to increase the amount of energy that is converted to biomass in livestock because it is more efficient.

Question 23

what are farmers techniques?

Answer 23

raising animals in small cages so less movement therefore less respiration, areas are left at high temperatures so less energy is wasted on controlling body temp, they are also given high protein foods.

Question 24

why is the number of fish in the ocean decreasing?

Answer 24

humans are fishing at a faster rate then populations can regenrate

Question 25

what preventions have been put in place to prevent no. of fish decreasing even more?

Answer 25

limits of net sizes so smaller fish are not caught and can reproduce, fishing quotas mean only a certain amount of fish can be caught to prevent overfishing