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Ecology Flashcards

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AP® Biology flashcards Biology 101 flashcards
1
Q

What is biodiversity?

A

Measure of number of different species living in an area.

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2
Q

What is population?

A

Number of organisms of same species living in an area.

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3
Q

What is a habitat?

A

Place where a population lives.

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4
Q

What is the environment?

A

An organism’s surroundings. Contains factors that influence the organism. Factors can be divided into abiotic and biotic factors.

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5
Q

Wha does abiotic mean?

A

Non-living factors, e.g. temperature.

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6
Q

What does biotic mean?

A

Living factors, e.g. a predator.

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7
Q

What is a community?

A

Several populations of different species living in habitats close together.

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8
Q

What is an ecosystem?

A

Area where a community of organisms live and are affected by environmental factors.

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9
Q

What are abiotic factors?

A

Temperature.
Moisture.
Light intensity.
Wind speed.
pH.

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10
Q

What are biotic factors?

A

Predators.
Competition.

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11
Q

How are abiotic factors measured?

A

Temperature = thermometer
Moisture = dry mass (% change in mass of soil)
Light intensity = light meter
Wind speed = anemometer
pH = pH meter

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12
Q

What are quadrats used for?

A

To investigate abundance of plants and/or animals in a habitat.

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13
Q

What are the two types of quadrat sampling?

A

Random sampling.
Belt transect.

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14
Q

What is the procedure for random sampling?

A
  1. Divide area to be sampled into grid using measuring tapes placed at right angles.
  2. Use random numbers to generate coordinates within grid onto which quadrats are placed.
  3. Place quadrat at each coordinate.
  4. Count number/estimate % cover of each species in each quadrat.
  5. Use key to identify each species.
  6. Record results in a table.
  7. Calculate average of each species.
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15
Q

Why is the belt transect method used?

A

When there is gradual change from one side of habitat to another, like change in light between outer edges of forest to centre.

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16
Q

What is the procedure for belt transect?

A
  1. Extend measuring tape from one side of habitat to another.
  2. Place quadrat at 0m on tape.
  3. Count number/ estimate % cover of each species.
  4. Use key to identify each species.
  5. Record results in a table.
  6. Move quadrat along measuring tape.
  7. Repeat steps 3-5 at regular intervals along measuring tape.
  8. Continue until full length of measuring tape been sampled.
  9. Calculate average of each species.
  10. Draw bar chart to show data collected.
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17
Q

What is competition?

A

‘Battle’ between living organisms for same resource or resources.

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18
Q

What do plants compete for?

A

Water.
Light.
Space to grow.
Minerals.

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19
Q

What do animals compete for?

A

Water.
Food.
Territory (space to live).
Mates.

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20
Q

How do predators affect competition?

A

Affect the distribution and number of animals present.

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21
Q

How is energy lost at each tropic level?

A

Heat energy lost through respiration of organisms at each stage.
Energy lost through excretion (in urea).
Energy lost through egestion (in faeces).
Energy lost through some parts of an organism not being eaten, e.g. most secondary consumers do not eat hair or bone.

This is why food chains are short. Shorter food chains have more energy flowing through them.

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22
Q

How is energy calculated at different tropic levels?

A

Energy of primary consumer = Trophic level 1 energy - energy lost)

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23
Q

How do you calculate the percentage effeiciency of energy transferred from secondary consumer to tertiary consumer?

A

(Energy in tertiary consumer / energy in secondary consumer) x 100

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24
Q

What is the source of energy for every food chain?

A

The Sun.

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25
Q

How is the Sun’s energy lost?

A

Light is reflected or passes through levels.

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26
Q

How do producers produce food?

A

Trap sun’s energy, use it in photosynthesis to make food to pass on to animals.
Also release oxygen used by animals for respiration.

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27
Q

What do the arrows in food chain represent?

A

Represent energy flow and flow of carbon and nitrogen.

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28
Q

How efficient is the transfer of energy between trophic levels?

A

10 to 20% efficient.

29
Q

What is a pyramid of numbers?

A

Simple diagram used to represent the number of organisms at each trophic level.

30
Q

What is a typical pyramid of numbers?

A

Number of organisms at each level decreases from bottom to top.

31
Q

What is an atypical pyramid of numbers?

A

There are fewer producers.

32
Q

What is a pyramid of biomass?

A

Diagram used to represent mass of living material at each trophic level.

33
Q

What are the advantages of pyramid of numbers?

A

Relatively easy to collect data.

34
Q

What are the disadvantages of pyramid of numbers?

A

Do not take into account the size of the organisms.

35
Q

What are the advantages of pyramid of biomass?

A

More accurate than pyramids of numbers - i.e are always a pyramid shake as take into account sizes of organisms.

36
Q

What are the disadvantages of pyramid of biomass?

A

Very difficult to collect data, and collections data may involve killing some of the organisms involved.

37
Q

What are fossil fuels?

A

Natural fuels that were formed millions of years ago from remains of living things. Coal, oil and natural gas are fossil fuels.

38
Q

What does photosynthesis do in the carbon cycle?

A

Only stage in carbon cycle that decreases level of carbon dioxide in atmosphere.

39
Q

What does respiration and combustion do in the carbon cycle?

A

Increase levels of atmosphere CO2.

40
Q

How do humans disrupt the carbon cycle?

A

Increased combustion of fossil fuels has added more carbon dioxide to atmosphere.

Increased deforestation has removed many forests, less carbon dioxide can be taken out of atmosphere by photosynthesis.

41
Q

What do these changes cause?

A

Unbalance amount of carbon dioxide leading to increase of carbon dioxide in atmosphere.

This causes global warming.

42
Q

What does global warming cause?

A

Climate change - more weather extremes such as droughts and severe storms.
Polar ice caps melt.
Sea levels to rise and increased flooding.
More land to become desert.
Loss of habitats.

43
Q

What are the two stages of decomposition?

A

Stage 1 = Decay by earthworms.
Stage 2 = saprophytic decomposition

44
Q

What does saprophytic decomposition involve?

A
  1. Bacteria and fungi secrete enzymes onto decaying matter.
  2. Extracellular digestion of matter releases soluble minerals.
  3. Absorption of minerals by bacteria/fungi.
45
Q

What do these stages form?

A

Humus.

46
Q

What conditions need to be optimum for humus to form?

A

Enough oxygen (microbial respiration).
Warmth for optimal enzyme activity.
Moisture (decomposition doesn’t occur in dry conditions.

47
Q

What are the names of the bacteria involved in the nitrogen cycle?

A

Nitrogen fixing.
Nitrifying.
Denitrifying.
Decaying (Bactria/fungi)

48
Q

What is the process for nitrogen-fixing?

A

Nitrogen fixation.
Nitrogen gas in air > nitrates in soil.

49
Q

What requirements do nitrogen-fixing bacteria have?

A

Aerobic.
Oxygen.
Higher temperatures.

50
Q

What is the process for nitrifying?

A

Nitrification.
Ammonium compounds > nitrates.

51
Q

What requirements do nitrifying bacteria have?

A

Aerobic.
Oxygen.
Higher temperatures.

52
Q

What is the process for denitrifying?

A

Denitrification.
Nitrates in soil > nitrogen gas.

53
Q

What requirements do denitrifying bacteria have?

A

Anaerobic.
Low oxygen levels.
Waterlogged soil.

54
Q

Wha this the process for decay?

A

Decay.
Protein (plants/animals) > ammonium compounds (ammonia)

55
Q

What requirements do decay bacteria/fungi have?

A

Oxygen.
Higher temperatures.
Moisture.

56
Q

Wha this active uptake (transport)?

A

Movement of particles from area of low concentration to area of high concentration using energy from respiration.

57
Q

Where does active uptake (transport) take place in plants?

A

Root hair cells in root nodules.

58
Q

What is the process of active uptake (transport)?

A

Minerals in soil are absorbed into root hair cells against the concentration gradient, so minerals move from area of low concentration (in soil) to area of low concentration (in cell). This requires energy from respiration.

Glucose is made in leaf.
Oxygen is in air spaces between soil particles.

59
Q

What are the minerals absorbed by active uptake used for?

A

Nitrates = Growth
Magnesium = Chlorophyll
Calcium = Cell walls

60
Q

What are the positive human affects on the environment?

A

Reforestation.
Sustainable woodland.
International treaties - Kyoto Protocol 1997, Paris Agreement 2015 (legal).

61
Q

What are the negative human effects on the environment?

A

Deforestation.
Slaughter of animals/crops harvested (N-cycle).
Burning fossil fuels (C-cycle, acid rain)
Leaching of fertilisers (run-off).

62
Q

What is the composition of natural fertilisers?

A

Plant and animal waste.

63
Q

What are the advantages of using natural fertilisers?

A

Improves soil quality.
No cost.
Nutrients released slowly.
Less likely to leach into waterways.

64
Q

What are the disadvantages of using natural fertilisers?

A

Difficult to store and spread.
Composition of minerals contained can vary.

65
Q

What is the composition of artificial fertilisers?

A

Industrially produced, usually rich in nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK).

66
Q

What are the advantages of using artificial fertilisers?

A

Easily applied to fields.
Easy to monitor level of minerals added (more accurate).

67
Q

What are the disadvantages of using artificial fertilisers?

A

Expensive.
Soluble and can leach easily, causing pollution.

68
Q

What is eutrophication?

A

Type of water pollution triggered by too many minerals/nutrients entering the water.

69
Q

How does eutrophication occur?

A
  1. Nitrates (minerals in sewage or fertiliser leach into water from soil as minerals are soluble.
  2. Leads to increased aquatic plant and algal growth.
  3. Aquatic plants die due to lack of light or nitrates from things like algal bloom on water surface.
  4. Aerobic bacteria decomposes dead plant material, using up oxygen in water.
  5. Aquatic animals die due to oxygen shortage.

Biology (7 decks)

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