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gcse mock bio > ecology > Flashcards

ecology Flashcards

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1
Q

what do animals fight for in an ecosystem

A

space
food
water
mates

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2
Q

what does abiotic factor mean

A

non living factors of the environment

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3
Q

what do plants fight for in an ecosystem

A

light
space
water
nutrients

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4
Q

three examples of abiotic factors

A

light intensity
temperature
moisture level

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5
Q

how can changes in abiotic factors affect poulations

A

decrease in light intensity —> decrease the rate of photosynthesis —> affect plant growth —> decrease in population

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6
Q

what does biotic factors mean

A

living factors of the environment

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7
Q

three biotic factors

A

New predators
Competition
New pathogens

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8
Q

Example of a knock on effect from biotic factors

A

two squirrel species competing for the same food. one Outcompete the other meaning the other population decreases.

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9
Q

what are the three ways of adaption?

A

Structural, behavioural, functional

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10
Q

what is structural adaptation

A

features of an organisms body structure, e.g shape or colour

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11
Q

what is behavioural adaption

A

ways the organism behaves e.g seasonal migration

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12
Q

What is functional adaption?

A

things that go on inside organisms body, e.g hibernation lowers metabolism, dont have to hunt when food is scarce

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13
Q

what is biomass

A

material from plants and animals

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14
Q

what happens to some of glucose in a plant

A

made into other biological molecules (biomass), aka the plants energy store

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15
Q

order of food chain

A

Producer
Primary consumer
Secondary consumer
Tertiary consumer

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16
Q

what pattern are predatory-prey cycles

A

out of sync - takes a while for each population to respond to a changr

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17
Q

what does a quadrat measure

A

abundance of species in an area

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18
Q

what does a transect measure

A

how distribution changes across an area

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19
Q

how can you ensure quadrats are placed randomly

A

throw them
close your eyes and place them somewhere

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20
Q

how can you use a quadrat to measure abundance in a certain area

A

• place the quadrat randomly
• count the organisms within the quadrat
• repeat as many times as possible
• work out mean
• multiply the mean by the total area of the habitat

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21
Q

how can you use a transect to record distribution

A

• mark out a line using tape measure
• use quadrat to count organisms/percentage cover at 0m
• record in table
• repeat at regular intervals across line
• plot onto graph

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22
Q

how do you calculate percentage cover

A

• count the number of smaller squares in the quadrant that are covered by the organism you are studying
• squares covered/total squares x 100

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23
Q

three changes that affect distribution of an organism

A

Temperature
Availability of water
Composition of atmospheric gases

24
Q

what are the four steps of the water cycle/recycle?

A

• evaporation/transpiration (from plant)
• condensation
• Precipitation
• drains into see

25
Q

How are elements cycled back to the start of the food chain? 5 steps

A

• living things made of material they take from their environment
• These get passed down the food chain
• these materials are returned through waste products or decay
• decay Happens faster in warm, moist, aerobic conditions (microorganisms are more active)
• decay put this stuff that living things need to grow back into the environment

26
Q

How should recycling elements in the food chain work in a stable community?

A

Materials taken out of environment = materials put back in

27
Q

General example of cycle of elements in food chain

A

• plants turn elements e.g oxygen, carbon, nitrogen into the complex compounds (carb, prot, fat)
• these get passed up food chain
• organisms in food chain die
• Decay stuff that plants need to grow e.g mineral ions back into soil

28
Q

Order of carbon cycle
6 steps

A

• plant and algae photosynthesise, CO2 removed from atmosphere for glucose
• this CO2 is passed into consumers
• CO2 returned when animals respire
• decomposition of animals and plants releases CO2
• these dead organisms are also use as fossil field
• Combustion of these releases CO2

29
Q

what is compost?

A

Decomposed organic matter
Used as natural fertiliser

30
Q

What do you call the animals and microorganisms that feed on dead remains?

A

Detritus feeders

31
Q

Four factors that affect the rate of decay

A

temperature
Water availability ab
Oxygen availability
Number of decay organisms

32
Q

What conditions create a fast rate of decay?

A

warm temperature
Moist environment
Available oxygen
Numerous microorganisms and detritus feeders

33
Q

what is biogas?

A

Anaerobic decay waste material

34
Q

what is an extremophile

A

microorganisms adapted to live in very extreme conditions

35
Q

How can anaerobic decay produce fuel?

A

By decaying plant and animal waste anaerobically, microorganisms can produce biogas. Biogas is mainly made up from me thing which can be burned as fuel.
Bio gas cannot be stored at a liquid must be used straight away

36
Q

Batch generator versus continuous generator

A

Batch: small batches manually loaded with waste
Continuous: produced all the time, waste continuously fed in at steady rate, large scale

37
Q

what must a biogas generator have?

A

Inlet for waste material
Outlet for digested material
Outlet for biogas to be piped

38
Q

What is biodiversity?

A

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

39
Q

Why is biodiversity so important?

A

Keeps ecosystem stable: species depend on each other for shelter and food

40
Q

What are some things that increasing population population leads to?

A

• demand for space – deforestation
• demand for agriculture - land space, rice crops, eutrophication
• demand for nonrenewable resources, e.g. oil to make luxuries
Increased pollution in water land and air

41
Q

how does global warming work/greenhouse effect?

A

Increased greenhouse gases pollute the atmosphere. This absorbs more energy from the Sun and traps it

42
Q

Four consequences of global warming

A

levels rising
Changes in species distribution
Changes in migration patterns
Reduction and biodiversity

43
Q

what is a peat bog

A

Plants that live in bogs don’t fully decay as there is not enough oxygen. These partly rotted plants build up to form Peat. Carbon is stored in the peat

44
Q

How to peat bogs contribute to warming

A

The books are often drained to create space for farmland or peat is cut unused for fuel.
This exposes it to more oxygen, resulting in decomposition

45
Q

three consequences of deforestation

A

Less carbon dioxide taken in
More carbon dioxide released
Less bio diversity

46
Q

four programs to protect ecosystems and biodiversity

A

breeding pro
Habitat protection
Reducing deforestation
Reducing waste

47
Q

four conflicts in protecting ecosystems and biodiversity

A

Cost
Economy E.G employment
Food security e.g pesticide laws
Development of society (demand)

48
Q

Dietary categories of each trophic level

A

One: producer
Two: herbivore
Three: carnivore
Four: carnivore

49
Q

3 deomposers

A

bacteria
Fungi
Detritus feeders

50
Q

how does decomposition work

A

Decomposers secrete enzymes that break the dead stuff down into small soluble food molecules
These then diffuse into the microorganisms

51
Q

what do the different layers show on a pyramid of biomass?

A

Relative mass of living material
- How much all the organisms would weigh

52
Q

why does biomass get lost

A

organisms don’t eat every part
Organisms don’t absorb everything, rest is released as faeces
Some biomass is converted into other substances

53
Q

formula for efficiency of biomass transfer

A

biomass transferred to next level/biomass available from previous level
x100

54
Q

What factors can affect fArming?

A

Lupus, pathogens, environmental conditions

55
Q

Two ways to maintain fish stocks

A

fishing quotas – limits number and size of fish that can be caught

net Size - reduce number of unwanted fish being killed. younger fish can escape and breed.

56
Q

advantages of factory farm

A

Limits the movement which reduces energy transfer
Energy not wasted maintaining temperature

57
Q

two disadvantages of factory farming

A

Disease spread easily
Ethical objections

gcse mock bio (5 decks)

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