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Biology Paper 2 > Ecology > Flashcards

Ecology Flashcards

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1
Q

Habitat

A

Environment where an organism lives

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2
Q

Population

A

Total number of organisms of the same species living in the same geographical area

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3
Q

Community

A

Populations of different species within the same habitat

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4
Q

Ecosystem

A

Both the biotic and abiotic parts of an environment and how they interact.

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5
Q

What do plants compete for?

A
  1. Sunlight
  2. Space
  3. Minerals in soil
  4. Water in soil
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6
Q

What do animals compete for?

A
  1. Food
  2. Water
  3. Mating partners
  4. Territory
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7
Q

Interdependence

A

When different organisms in an ecosystem rely on eachother for survival

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8
Q

Biotic factors

A

Living parts of ecosystem

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9
Q

Abiotic factors

A

Non-living parts of an ecosystem

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10
Q

Biotic factor (food):

A
  • availability of food
  • competition between species
  • spread of new infection/disease
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11
Q

Abiotic factors:

A
  • light intensity
  • tempurture
  • water
  • ph & mineral content of soil
  • wind intensity and direction
  • carbon dioxide and oxygen levels
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12
Q

Structural adaptations

A

Adaptations of body shape and structure

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13
Q

Functional adaptations

A

Adaptations of bodily functions of an organism

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14
Q

Behavioural adaptations

A

Adaptations to an organisms lifestyle or behaviour

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15
Q

Primary comsumers

A

Consumers that eat producers

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16
Q

Secondary consumer

A

Animal that eats primary consumers

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17
Q

Random sampling:

A
  • only used for plants / slow moving species
  • area of the location is measured
  • quadrats are randomly placed in different areas of the location (using random number generator, randomly throwing etc)
  • number of organisms in the quadrats are counted and recorded
  • mean of each quadrat is calculated
  • number is multiplied by the area to estimate how much of that organism is in an area
18
Q

Total population size formula

A

(Total area / area sampled) X AVG number of organisms per sample

19
Q

Sampling along a transect:

A
  • used to see how the number of organisms changes along a habitat
  • transect is placed along targeted area
  • quadrat is placed along regular intervals along the transect
  • around of organisms in each quadrat is counted and recorded
20
Q

Carbon cycle

A
  • starts as carbon dioxide in the air
  • taken in from the air by photosynthesising plants and algae
  • carbon dioxide returns to the air by aerobic respiration
  • plants and algae can be eaten by animals which also respire carbon dioxide
  • animals also release waste products and dead remains
  • these are digested by decomposing microorganisms which also respire
  • can also form into fossil fuels which release carbon by combustion by humans
21
Q

Water cycle

A
  • almost all water is found in oceans as salt water
  • energy from sun causes this to evaporate into water vapour in the air
  • when it cools down, it condenses into air
  • water falls back to the ground as precipitation (rain, snow etc), which is fresh water
  • some of the water evaporates back into the air
  • some of the water passes through rocks and forms aquifers
  • some of the water forms rivers and streams which eventually drain back to the sea.
  • plant absorbs water through the roots and leaves through stomata as water vapour (transpiration)
  • animals take In water by drinking and eating, releases it in urine and waste products
22
Q

Decomposition conditions:

A
  • takes place faster at warmer temperatures; uses enzymes to break down plant materials which optimum tempurture is warm (can’t get too hot or cold or enzymes denature)
  • decomposition is faster in moist environment: some of the decay chemical reactions require water to work and keeps decomposing microorganisms moist
  • good amount of oxygen is needed as decomposers aerobically respirates
23
Q

Anaerobic decay

A
  • when decomposers decay without oxygen
  • produces gases including methane (biogas) which can be used as fuel
24
Q

Biodiversity

A

The variety of different species of organisms

25
Q

Types of pollutants:

A
  • sewage and fertilizers can go into water, reducing dissolved oxygen levels, killing aquatic sea life
  • toxic chemicals from factories can release into water, also killing sea life
  • toxic chemicals can also be dumped onto land, killing land animals
  • greenhouse gases released from power stations and vehicles pollute the air
  • waste can be dumped in landfills which destroy habitats for organisms
26
Q

Consequences of global warming:

A
  • loss of habitats for animals (e.g arctic): population of habitats organisms will fall
  • disease carrying insects move upwards to cooler climates
  • migrations patters of animals change
  • plants flower earlier due to warmer conditions in cooler countries, warmer countries might not be able to grow crops due to high temperatures
27
Q

Methods to maintain biodiversity:

A
  • breeding programs for endangered species
  • protection and regeneration of habitats
  • farmers leave field margins and hedgerows where lots of different organisms can grow
  • reducing deforestation
  • reducing carbon emissions to reduce global warming
  • recycling waste instead of landfills
28
Q

Trophic levels

A

Positions on food chain

Trophic level 1: producers
Trophic level 2: primary consumers
Trophic level 3: secondary consumers
Trophic level 4: tertiary consumers

29
Q

Apex predators:

A

Carnivores with no predators

30
Q

Why does biomass reduce in each level of the pyramid?

A
  • biomass is the living tissue of a organism
  • not all eaten biomass ends up as biomass in the predator
  • this is because not all material is absorbed and some is excreted
  • also some of the absorbed biomass is turned into waste products (e.g urea)
  • also some of the biomass is used for respiration to release energy (e.g for movement, maintaing body temperature)
31
Q

Food security

A

Having enough food to feed a population

32
Q

Threats to food security

A
  • increasing birth rate
  • changing tastes
  • pests and pathogens that eat food crops
  • environmental change which affects crop growth
  • cost of fertilizers / food for animal can become too high for some farmers
  • conflicts that affect farming and water supply
33
Q

Free Vs factory farming

A
  • free range animals water more energy from biomass by respiration (moving around) and maintaining body temperature (colder outdoor areas)
  • grows slower and produces less (milk/eggs)
  • factory farms restrict animals movement and are warmer so less energy is wasted
  • less biomass is wasted making them grow faster and make more eggs/milk
  • also fed higher protein food
34
Q

Factory farming benefits

A
  • easier to harvest eggs indoors
  • less biomass is wasted by respiration
  • more food available for humans to eat
35
Q

Factory farming drawbacks

A
  • when kept in crowded conditions, diseases spread easier
  • this is prevented by giving animals antibiotics, which increases risk of antibiotics resistant bacteria
  • indoors makes animal more stressed and likely to fight
  • ethically objected by people
36
Q

Factory farming drawbacks

A
  • when kept in crowded conditions, diseases spread easier
  • this is prevented by giving animals antibiotics, which increases risk of antibiotics resistant bacteria
  • indoors makes animal more stressed and likely to fight
  • ethically objected by people
37
Q

Overfishing and it’s effects

A
  • when too much fish is farmed, it leads to low levels of fish population
  • eventually their won’t be enough mature fish left to breed
  • this means fish can’t be farmers leading to less food supply
38
Q

Fighting overfishing

A
  • fishing quotas are set on number of fish that can be caught
  • set size regulation so small fish can escape so they can grow and reproduce
39
Q

Genetic modifaction

A

When genes of an organisms are changes to produced desired traits

40
Q

Benefits of GM crops:

A
  • has more nutritional value
  • can be resistant to insects so more crops survive and are available for consumption
  • used for vegetarian products and are suitable to vegetarians
41
Q

Why do some people against GM crops?

A
  • skepticism due to lack of research on long term effects

Biology Paper 2 (1 decks)

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