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Biology > Ecology > Flashcards

Ecology Flashcards

1
Q

What is ecology?

A

The interaction of organisms with each other and with their environment

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2
Q

What are biotic factors and examples of them?

A

Biotic factors are the living components of an ecosystem, for example
Predators
Pathogens
One species outcompeting another
Availability of food

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3
Q

What are abiotic factors and examples of them?

A

Abiotic factors are the nonliving components of an ecosystem, for example
Light intensity
Temperature
Moisture levels
Soil pH and mineral levels
Wind intensity
Carbon dioxide levels
Oxygen levels

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4
Q

How do plants compete with each other for resources?

A

By bigger plants having bigger leaves to absorb more light and longer roots to absorb more minerals and water

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5
Q

What resources do animals compete for?

A

Water, food, territory and mates

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6
Q

Define interdependence

A

Each species depending on other species in a community for things such as food, shelter, pollination etc

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7
Q

Why will a smaller organism struggle to keep warm?

A

A smaller organism will have a larger surface area to volume ratio which causes them to lose heat more easily and struggle to keep warm

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8
Q

Why does a larger organism retain heat better?

A

A larger organism will have a smaller surface area to volume ratio which means they don’t lose heat as easily and can keep warm

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9
Q

What are structural adaptations and give an example

A

Features of an organism’s body structure such as shape and colour e.g. an arctic animal having white fur to blend in

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10
Q

What are behavioural adaptations and give examples

A

The way organisms behave e.g. species of birds migrating to warmer climates in the winter or owls being nocturnal

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11
Q

What are functional adaptations and give examples

A

The things that go on inside the organism’s body that can be related to processes like reproduction and metabolism e.g. bears lowering their metabolism when hibernating or desert animals producing little sweat and only small amounts of concentrated urine

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12
Q

What are extremophiles?

A

Microorganisms that are adapted to live in very extreme environments, for example
Volcanic vents
Very salty lakes
High ocean pressures

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13
Q

What do trophic levels show?

A

How many steps away the organism is from the start of the chain

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14
Q

What is a pyramid of biomass?

A

A chart, drawn to scale, showing the biomass at each trophic level - it’s the total mass of all the organisms of one trophic level

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15
Q

Why is biomass lost at each stage?

A

Uneaten materials e.g. bones
Waste products e.g. faeces, urine, carbon dioxide
Used in metabolic reactions e.g. respiration

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16
Q

How do you calculate biomass?

A

Efficiency = biomass transferred to next level / biomass available at previous level x 100

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17
Q

What is the carbon cycle?

A

The processes and events involved in recycling carbon through the environment

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18
Q

What is the process of the carbon cycle?

A

1) Carbon is taken out of the air in photosynthesis - glucose is a carbon based compound
2) Carbon moves through food chains as plants and animals are eaten and the carbon becomes part of their fats and proteins which are also carbon based compounds
3) Carbon is then returned to the atmosphere when animals respire, as dead animals decay, in burning fossil fuels by humans and dissolved in oceans

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19
Q

What are examples of decomposers?

A

Bacteria and fungi

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20
Q

What are examples of detritivores / detritus feeders?

A

Beetles, slugs, snails, woodlice, maggots, earthworms

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21
Q

How do decomposers break down dead matter?

A

By a process called decay / rotting
They do this by releasing enzymes to the dead matter and consuming the broken down substance

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22
Q

How do detritus feeders breakdown dead matter?

A

They feed on detritus (organic matter made up of dead plants or animals) and digest it internally. They can also feed on faeces

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23
Q

What is decay?

A

The breakdown of dead organic matter (often called rotting)

24
Q

What four factors affect the rate of decay?

A

Temperature
If the temperature is too high or too low then the decomposing enzymes can’t survive and the rate of decay is slowed down
Oxygen levels
If there is a lack of oxygen, the decomposing enzymes can’t respire and survive, slowing down the rate of decay
Water levels
If there is a lack of water, the decomposing enzymes can’t survive, slowing down the rate of decay
The number of decay organisms
If there are less organisms to produce decomposing enzymes to feed on the dead matter, the rate of decay will be slower

25
Q

How do decomposers and detritus feeders contribute to the carbon cycle?

A

Decomposers and detritus feeders feed on dead matter and the waste of animals. They respire and release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The dead matter not consumed is turned into fossil fuels

26
Q

What are biofuels and how do they differ from fossil fuels?

A

Biofuels are fuels made from recently living organisms. They are different from fossil fuels because those organisms died millions of years ago

27
Q

What are the positives of biofuels?

A

They are cheap, renewable and easy to transport
Biofuels are also carbon neutral because they only release carbon dioxide that the organism had taken in during its lifetime

28
Q

What are the negatives of biofuels?

A

They require a lot of space (deforestation is often needed to make the fields) and transportation, harvesting and processing releases carbon dioxide

29
Q

How do batch generators work?

A

They are manually loaded with waste, left to digest and then the products are cleared away

30
Q

What are the positives and negatives of batch generators?

A

Positives
They don’t have to be filled up as often as continuous generators

Negatives
They don’t produce biogas at a steady rate
They only produce biogas in small batches

31
Q

How do continuous generators work?

A

Waste is continually fed in so the biogas is produced at a steady rate

32
Q

What are the positives and negatives of continuous generators?

A

Positives
They produce biogas at a steady rate
They are suitable for large scale projects

Negatives
They have to be filled up very often

33
Q

Why has population explosion occurred?

A

Medical advancements and improved agricultural productivity

34
Q

Why is Africa experiencing greater population growth than other parts of the world?

A

High fertility rates, declining mortality rates and improved healthcare

35
Q

Why is the mass of household waste increasing each year?

A

The growing population
An increase in the standard of living e.g. more disposable packaging and overbuying resources

36
Q

What is the process of the greenhouse effect?

A

1) Energy from the sun is absorbed by the Earth
2) The Earth radiated this energy back out into the atmosphere
3) The greenhouse gases in the atmosphere absorb the energy
4) The gases re-radiate the energy in all directions, including back down to Earth

37
Q

What are the causes of global warming?

A

Burning fossil fuels
Deforestation (fewer trees to take in carbon dioxide in photosynthesis and the trees are also often burned or left to decompose which releases carbon dioxide)

38
Q

What are the consequences of global warming?

A

Rising sea levels due to the melting ice caps and glaciers that run into the sea
Changes in the distribution of organisms e.g. organisms that need warmer climates may be spread further
Changes in migration patterns causing animals to migrate at different times of the year
Extreme weather such as floods, droughts, heatwaves, forest fires, hurricanes and cyclones
Reduced biodiversity

39
Q

What is algal bloom and how does it affect wildlife?

A

When fertilisers wash into rivers, allowing algae to grow but this blocks the light for plants in the water and causes them to die. This means that there is a lack of photosynthesis to produce oxygen for the fish in the water and they also die

40
Q

How is soil erosion caused and how can it lead to the collapse of food webs?

A

It’s caused by toxic chemicals used in farming polluting the soil (it can also be caused by nuclear waste buried underground). This results in reduced mineral concentration in the soil, leading to less plants being able to survive and less food being available to species as the producers at the bottom of the food chain have been reduced

41
Q

How is acid rain formed and how can it harm biodiversity?

A

Burned fossil fuels release sulphur dioxide which reacts with rain, creating acid rain. This damages plants and makes lakes acidic, massively affecting biodiversity as it reduces photosynthesis which reduces the availability of food and it hugely affects marine life

42
Q

What are the four main human activities that reduce the amount of land available to plants and animals?

A

Building
Farming
Quarrying
Dumping waste

43
Q

What are the main reasons for deforestation?

A

Provide land for farming and quarrying
Provide land and wood for building
Provide fuel and paper

44
Q

What are the effects of deforestation?

A

Increased carbon dioxide concentration
Increased global warming
Loss of habitats due to soil erosion

45
Q

What are the effects of destroying peat bogs?

A

Reduction of biodiversity
Loss of habitats
Carbon dioxide is released when burned which contributes to global warming

46
Q

What is food security?

A

Having enough food to feed a given population

47
Q

What factors can threaten food security?

A

Drought
War / conflict
Natural disasters
Disease in crops
Economic crisis
Cost of agricultural machinery
Population growth
Changing diet in developing countries

48
Q

How can farmers increase the growth of animals?

A

Feeding animals a more protein concentrated diet
Factory farming livestock (raising them in small pens), fish can be factory farmed in small cages
Keeping them in temperature controlled conditions (this reduces the amount of energy used for keeping warm / movement so that more energy is available for growth)

49
Q

What are the advantages of battery farming?

A

More efficient
Costs less
Less labour intensive
Less risk of attack from predators like foxes
Less energy is lost from the food chain so there is more available for human consumption

50
Q

What are the disadvantages of battery farming?

A

Horrible conditions for the animals
Unethical
Animal cruelty
Diseases can spread among the animals easily
Energy used to control temperatures comes from burning fossil fuels
Quality of the product is poorer

51
Q

What are the consequences of overfishing?

A

It reduces the amount of fish available for human consumption, it affects food webs and has led to some species becoming endangered

52
Q

How can fish stocks be sustained?

A

Having fishing quotas (limits on what fish can be caught)
Having bigger holes in nets so baby fish can escape
Limiting fishing during breeding season so that populations can recover

53
Q

What is mycoprotein?

A

Mycoprotein is a new food source, used to make a high protein, low fat meat substitute from fungi

54
Q

How is mycoprotein made?

A

It is made from Fusarium which is grown in large vats on glucose syrup which acts as food and oxygen is supplied so the fungus can respire aerobically. Nitrogen (in the form of ammonia) and other minerals are also supplied. It’s kept at 30 degrees celsius and the optimum pH. The fungal mass is then harvested, purified and dried to make the mycoprotein

55
Q

How can cultured meat slow down the rate of global warming?

A

Less farming of cows that release methane
Less fossil fuels burned for farming facilities (heating, transport etc)
Less deforestation because less space is needed

56
Q

What are other advantages of cultured meat, aside from slowing down the rate of global warming?

A

It can be mass produced
It’s disease free meat
There’s no harm to animals so there are less ethical issues and it could be suitable for vegetarians
More land would then be available for farming crops

57
Q

How can loss of biodiversity be reduced?

A

Breeding programmes for endangered species
Protection of habitats
Reintroduction of hedgerows (the bushes on the side of the roads)
Reduction of deforestation and carbon dioxide emissions
Recycle rather than dump waste

Biology (7 decks)

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