Ecology Flashcards
What is an ecosystem?
Non-living and living organisms living in a habitat
What are the 3 diferent levels of organisation?
☆Individual organisms
☆Populations (groups of the sane species)
☆Communities (many populations living together)
What is a population?
Groups of the sane species
What is a community?
Many populations living together
What do plants compete for?
Light, water, space, mineral ions from soil
What do animals compete for?
Food, mates, territory
What is interdependence?
Where organisms rely on each other for certain resources
What are some examples of interdependence factors?
Food, shelter, pollination, seed dispersal
Why does interdependence cause problems?
If one species is removed it can affect the whole community
Define stable community?
All species and environmental factors in balance so population sizes stay constant
What are some examples of stable communities?
♡Tropic rainforest
♡Oak woodlands
What are the two factors that can affect communities?
Abiotic and biotic
What is biotic?
Living (b for bacteria that is living)
Give some examples of biotic factors?
Availability of food, predators, pathogens
What is abiotic?
Non- living
What are some abiotic factors?
Light intensity, temperature, moisture levels, soil ph, CO2 levels (for plants), O2 levels (aquatic)
What are adaptations?
Features
What do organisms have which allows them to live in their normal conditions?
Adaptations
What are some examples of adaptations?
Structural (giraffes long neck) , functional (camels store fat in hump), behavioural (wolves in a pack to hunt)
What are extremophiles?
Organisms that live in extreme environments
What are some extreme conditions where extremophiles live?
•High temp
•High pressure
•High salt concentration
An example of an extremophile?
Bacteria living in deep sea vents
Whst is an adaptation of bacteria that live in high temps?
Have enzymes very resistant to denaturing
What are decomposers?
Organisms that break down dead material
What are some types of decomposes?
Types of bacteria and fungi
What do decomposes need to break down waste?
Oxygen, moisture, suitable temp+ph
How do decomposers break down dead waste?
Secrete enzymes which partly digest the waste, then take up the small,soluble food molecules
What is compost used as?
A natural fertiliser
What is produced when waste in broken down aerobically?
Methane gas
How is methane gas produced?
When waste is broken down aerobically
Why are biogas generators useful?
They produce biogas from waste to use as fuels
What is the carbon cycle?
How carbon is recycled in nature
How does the carbon cycle work?
Needs decomposers to return carbon dioxide into the atmosphere through respiration
What is the water cycle? 💧
How fresh water circulates between living organisms, rivers and the sea
What is the food chain order?
•Producer
•Primary consumer
•Secondary consumer
•Teritary consumer
•Apex predator
(Polly produced seventy two answers)
What is the function of producers?
To make molecules
What is an example of a producer?
Usually a green plant which makes glucose molecules by photosynthesis
What are producers eaten by?
Primary consumers
What is each of the feeding levels called?
A trophic level
What are trophic levels?
Each of the feeding levels (producer, primary consumer etc)
What are prey?
They are eaten by others
What are predators?
They eat other
What is the name given to the top consumers?
Apex predators
What are apex predators?
Carnivores with no predators
What are predator-prey graphs?
Show how im a stable community the numbers of prey and predators fall and rise
What happens in predator-prey graphs? (Population changes)
Both lines follow the same pattern but the changes in predator numbers happen just after the changes in prey
Why are crisp packet filled with nitrogen and not air?
Because it preserves the crisps as decomposers need oxygen
Define biodiversity?
Variety of all the different species of organism on earth
Why is high biodiversity important?
It helps ecosystems to be stable because species depend on each other
What are some factors that put biodiversity at risk?
~Availability of water
~Temperature
~Atmospheric gases
What are the factors that put biodiversity at risk due to?
•Season changes
•Geographic activity (storms +🌋)
•Human interaction
How can pollution occur in water?
From sewage, fertilisers or toxic chemicals. Fertilisers can be washed of land in water
How can pollution occur in air?
From gases like sulfur dioxide which dissolves in moisture to produce acid rain
How does pollution occur on land?
From landfill and toxic chemicals like pesticides
What do peat bogs contain?
Large amounts of dead plant material
Is decay fast in peat bogs?
No due to the conditions in peat
What gas do peat bogs have trapped in them?
Large amount of carbon due to the slow decay
What is peat used for?
Used as cheap compost and burned to generate electricity (which releases CO2)
What is a problem which destroying peat bogs? (Habitat)
Reduces the peat bog habitat which reduces biodiversity
What is s big problem with peat bogs? (CO2)
Once it’s extracted and used for compost it begins to decay releasing large amounts of CO2
What is a disadvantage of not using peat bogs?
More costly to use alternatives
Why has deforestation occurred?
To provide land for cattle+rice fields which provides food. Grow crops so biofuels cab be produced
What are some ways of conserving biodiversity?
♡Breeding programmes for endangered species
♡Recycling rather than landfill
♡Protecting rare habitats:coral reefs and mangroves
