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Biology > Ecology > Flashcards

Ecology Flashcards

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AP® Biology flashcards Biology 101 flashcards
1
Q

Ecology

A

Is the study of how living things interact with each other and their environment

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2
Q

An ecosystem

A

Is a group of living organisms and their interactions with their environment

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3
Q

Biosphere

A

Any part of earth where life can exist

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4
Q

Habitat

A

A place where a plant or animal lives

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5
Q

Population

A

All the members of the same species living in an area

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6
Q

Community

A

All the different populations that live in an area

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7
Q

Flora

A

Plants

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8
Q

Fauna

A

Animals

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9
Q

Niche

A

Functional role of an organism in an ecosystem

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10
Q

Abiotic

A

~ Non-living factors
~ e.g. altitude, aspect, light intensity and air speed

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11
Q

Biotic

A

~ Living factors
~ e.g. plants for food and shelter, predators, prey, parasites and pathogens, competitors, pollinators, and decomposers

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12
Q

Climatic

A

~ Weather conditions
~ e.g. temperature, rainfall, humidity, wind, light intensity and day length

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13
Q

Edaphic

A

~ Soil factors
~ e.g. soil type, soil pH and soil texture

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14
Q

Food chain

A

A sequence of organisms showing the transfer of energy from one to the next

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15
Q

Grazing food chain

A

~ One where the initial plant is living
~ Grass -> Rabbit -> Fox

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16
Q

Detritus food chain

A

~ Begins with dead organic matter and animal waste
~ Dead leaves -> Earthworms -> Thrush -> Hawk

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17
Q

Food web

A

Consists of a number of interlinked food chains and shows the feeding relationships between organisms in the ecosystem

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18
Q

Producers

A

Are organisms that can make their own food (autotrophs)

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19
Q

Consumers

A

~ Are organisms that cannot make their own food (heterotrophs)
~ Primary consumers feed on producers (herbivores), secondary consumers feed on primary consumers (carnivores) and tertiary consumers feed on secondary consumers

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20
Q

Herbivore

A

Only eats plants

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21
Q

Trophic levels

A

Is the position of an organism in a food chain

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22
Q

Carnivore

A

Only eats meat

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23
Q

Omnivore

A

Eats plants and animals

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24
Q

Pyramid of numbers

A

Represents the number of organisms at each trophic level in a food chain (Note inverted pyramid of numbers)

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25
Q

Nutrient recycling

A

~ The reuse of nutrients by organisms (if asked for definition only)
~ The way in which elements are exchanged between the living and non-living components of the ecosystem

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26
Q

Nitrogen fixation

A

Conversion of nitrogen gas into nitrates

27
Q

Nitrification

A

Conversion of ammonia to nitrite and nitrite to nitrate

28
Q

Dentrification

A

Conversion of nitrates into nitrogen gas

29
Q

Pollution

A

Is any harmful addition to the environment

30
Q

Pollutants

A

Are substances that cause pollution

31
Q

Eutrophication

A

The over-enrichment of lakes with nutrients resulting from excess artificial fertilisers that have been washed into rivers and lakes. Algae bloom occurs and uses up the nutrients. The algae dies and is broken down by bacteria which uses up oxygen in the water, this leads to the death of aquatic organisms i.e. fish

32
Q

Conservation

A

Is the management of the environment

33
Q

Composting

A

Is an aerobic process during which micro-organisms decompose organic matter into a stable substance called compost which recycles all the nutrients required for plant growth

34
Q

Competition

A

Struggle between organisms for resources that are in short supply

35
Q

Contest competition

A

An active confrontation between two organisms for a resource where only one wins

36
Q

Scramble competition

A

Each organism gets an equal share of the resource and there is no direct competition

37
Q

Parasitism

A

A relationship in which one organism (the parasite) benefits from another (the host) and causes it harm

38
Q

Parasite

A

A living organism that live on or in another organism causing it harm

39
Q

Ectoparasite

A

Live on the host organism causing it harm e.g. fleas on a dog

40
Q

Endoparasite

A

Live in the host causing it harm e.g. liver fluke in sheep

41
Q

Predation

A

The capturing, killing and eating of other organisms for food

42
Q

Predator

A

An animal that captures, kills and eats other animals for food

43
Q

Prey

A

Are animals that are captured, killed and eaten by predators

44
Q

Biological pest control

A

Introduction of predators to control a pest e.g. ladybird and the aphid

45
Q

Symbiosis

A

Two organisms of different species that live in close association where at least one benefits e.g. bacteria living in the colon produce vitamin B and K

46
Q

Sample ecosystems

A

Grassland, woodland, hedgerow, seashore and freshwater

47
Q

Carbon cycle

A

~ Plants : Remove carbon for photosynthesis and return it through respiration
~ Animals : Get carbon by eating plants and release it through respiration
~ Micro-organisms : Return carbon to the environment when they decompose dead plants and animals

48
Q

Importance of the carbon cycle

A

To balance carbon dioxide levels and used in photosynthesis in plants

49
Q

Bacteria

A

Decay nitrogen waste to ammonia

50
Q

Importance of the nitrogen cycle

A

To convert nitrogen to a useable form (nitrates) for living organisms

51
Q

Types of pollutants

A

~ Industrial/Air pollution
~ Agricultural pollution : Pollutant -> Slurry and fertilisers
Caused by -> Washed or leached from the land
Result -> Formation of algae blooms and eutrophication

52
Q

Benefits of conservation

A

Maintains biodiversity, a balance of nature and prevents extinction

53
Q

Example of conservation in fishing

A

Net mesh size

54
Q

Waste management

A

Reduce, re-use, recycle

55
Q

Waste management in agriculture

A

Slurry
~ Problem : Pollutes rivers - eutrophication
~ Solution : Stored in slurry tanks and spread during misty weather

56
Q

Limitations of the pyramid of numbers

A

~ Cannot be drawn to scale
~ Do not take into account the physical size of the organisms e.g. oak tree

57
Q

Factors that control population

A

~ Competition
~ Parasitism
~ Predation
~ Symbiosis

58
Q

Intra-specific competition

A

Between members of the same species

59
Q

Inter-specific competition

A

Between members of different species

60
Q

How do organisms survive competition?

A

~ Animals : Camouflage e.g. frogs or moving away from over-populated areas
~ Plants : Weeds survive because they produce large numbers of seeds and thrive in poorer soil conditions

61
Q

How do parasites differ from predators?

A

Smaller and often attack within

62
Q

Adaptions of predators

A

~ Excellent eyesight to locate prey e.g. eagles
~ Fly very quietly as to not alert prey e.g. owls

63
Q

Adaptions of prey

A

~ Camouflage so they blend into the background to avoid being spotted
~ Have large ears to hear predators approaching e.g. rabbits

64
Q

Factors affecting human population numbers

A

~ Famine
~ Disease
~ War
~ Contraception

Biology (11 decks)

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