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AQA GCSE Biology > Ecology 2 > Flashcards

Ecology 2 Flashcards

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1
Q

What is biodiversity?

A

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

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2
Q

What is the relationship between biodiversity and stability in an ecosystem?

A

The more diverse an ecosystem, the more stable it is

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3
Q

What has led to an increase in pollution?

A

The rapid human population growth and an increase in the standard of living has led to an increase in resource use and waste production and therefore pollution

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4
Q

Where can pollution occur?

A
  • in water
  • in air
  • on land
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5
Q

What pollution occurs in water?

A

sewage, fertiliser or toxic chemicals

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6
Q

What pollution occurs in air?

A

smoke and acidic gases

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7
Q

What pollution occurs on land?

A

landfill and toxic chemicals

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8
Q

How does sewage pollute?

A

It can spread communicable diseases such as salmonella and parasites

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9
Q

What can toxic chemicals do in ecosystems to pollute them?

A

bioaccumulate

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10
Q

What does bioaccumulation of toxic chemicals result in?

A

an increase in the concentration of toxins at higher trophic levels in the food chain

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11
Q

What does eutrophication result from?

A

the overuse of fertilisers

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12
Q

What is eutrophication?

A
  • algal blooms grow quickly due to fertilisers
  • they cover the surface of the pond/lake and block light from reaching plants at the bottom of the lake/pond
  • the plants die as they can’t photosynthesise
  • bacteria use up all available oxygen for respiration to decay the dead plants
  • this results in the water becoming uninhabitable for any life except anaerobic bacteria as oxygen levels fall
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13
Q

What are smogs formed from?

A

Dense particulates (tiny solid particles found in smoke)

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14
Q

Where are smogs a particular problem?

A

Large cities

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15
Q

What release sulfur dioxide and acidic gases?

A
  • burning of fossil fuels

- car exhausts

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16
Q

What does the sulfur dioxide do once released?

A

Dissolve/ react in rainwater to form sulfuric acid which falls as acid rain

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17
Q

What can acid rain do?

A
  • kill trees and entire forests
  • destroy stone buildings and statues
  • make lakes and streams acidic
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18
Q

What makes carbon monoxide a silent killer?

A

it is a colourless and odourless gas

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19
Q

Where is carbon monoxide produced from?

A

the incomplete combustion of fuels

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20
Q

How are CFCs polluting?

A

they damage the ozone layer which allows harmful UV radiation to reach the Earth

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21
Q

How do humans reduce the amount of land available for other animals and plants?

A

building, quarrying, farming and dumping waste

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22
Q

What does the future of the Human species rely on?

A

Maintaining a high level of biodiversity

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23
Q

What is meant by an area which has high biodiversity?

A

it contains a wide variety of different organisms

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24
Q

What does smoke pollution cause?

A

an increase in tiny particulates in the air which can cause global dimming and affect human health

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25
Q

Describe the effects of sulfur dioxide pollution on living organisms:

A
  • causes smog when mixed with smoke and can cause serious breathing problems
  • dissolves in water vapour/rainwater and reacts with oxygen in the air to form sulfuric acid which falls as acid rain
  • acid rain can kill plants and makes lakes, rivers and streams acidic
  • if the concentration of acid gets too high, plants and animals can no longer survive
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26
Q

Why have landfill sites become more common?

A

The ‘make do and mend’ culture has changed

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27
Q

What is important to do to reduce landfill?

A

recycling

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28
Q

How is landfill use polluting?

A

Attracts vermin which can spread communicable disease and produces leachate, a toxic liquid

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29
Q

How do we use land differently in comparison to before the industrial revolution?

A

We use more land to live on, farm crops and livestock, produce timber and to quarry

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30
Q

What effect is producing timber and quarrying having?

A

Changing the habitats available for plants and animals

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31
Q

Where is peat found?

A

In boggy, acidic environments

32
Q

What are the advantages of peat?

A
  • it is a good soil improver/compost
  • good source of fuel
  • acts as a carbon store, removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
33
Q

Why is peat a good compost?

A

Because it’s found in boggy, acidic environments the rate of decay is slower so peat isn’t completely decomposed which means it has lots of minera inl ions it ideal for the growth of other plants

34
Q

What are the disadvantages of peat?

A
  • burning it as a fuel is just as harmful as fossil fuels, releasing carbon dioxide
  • it reduces biodiversity too from destruction of peat bogs, removing habitat for other species
35
Q

What is deforestation?

A

The wide spread removal of trees without replacement

36
Q

How is deforestion damaging?

A
  • it reduces biodiversity as acts as habitat and food source
  • it reduces photosynthesis, reducing carbon dioxide uptake
  • increases soil erosion and leaching
  • mskes the soil less fertile due to disrupting the nutrient cycle
  • affects the water cycle due to less transpiration, leading to desertification
37
Q

What is global warming?

A

The gradual rise in global temperatures over time

38
Q

What is the greenhouse effect?

A

Attributed to the increase in greenhouse gases, mainly Carbon Dioxide and methane, that trap the Sun’s rays that would normally leave the Earth’s atmosphere and go into space

39
Q

What are the effects of global warming?

A
  • habitat loss due to flooding (ie. when low-lying areas are flooded by rising sea levels)
  • changes in the distribution of species in areas where temperature or rainfall has changed
  • changes to the migration patterns of animals
40
Q

How does deforestation increase the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere?

A
  • means there are fewer trees to remove carbon dioxide from atmosphere for photosynthesis
  • trees are burned which releases carbon dioxide
41
Q

Why is deforestation being carried out?

A
  • increase amount of land for farming
  • build new roads/homes
  • to fufil demand for supply of wood for building
42
Q

How is an increase in the emission of greenhouse gases linked to global warming?

A
  • energy from the Sun is transferred to the Earth
  • greenhouse gases in the atmosphere absorb some of the energy
  • an increase in the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere increases the amount of energy absorbed
  • this causes an increase in average global temperatures
43
Q

What are humans doing to reduce the negative effects that they have on ecosystems and biodiversity/

A
  • Breeding programs for endangered species
  • protection and regeneration of rare habitats
  • reintroduction of hedgerows in agriculture
  • reduction of deforestation in some countries
  • an increase in recycling programmes
44
Q

What are the main causes for endangered species?

A
  • destruction of habitat
  • poaching and hunting
  • diseases
45
Q

How do fertilisers get from the land to nearby water sources?

A
  • through leaching

- during rainfall, water picks up nitrates from the soil and runs into nearby water supplies, contaminating them

46
Q

What is food security?

A

When people have reliable access to sufficient, affordable, nutritious food to support a healthy life

47
Q

What factors affect food security?

A
  • increasing birth rate and increasing population size
  • more food being transported to developed countries
  • the rising cosrs of agriculture, fuel etc.
  • lack of rain, leading to drought and failed harvests
  • new pests and pathogens
  • political reasons leading to conflict and famine
48
Q

What is famine?

A

An extreme shortage of food leading to many deaths

49
Q

What farming methods increase the growth rate of animals?

A
  • restricting the movement of animals and controlling the temperature of their environment can reduce energy loss
  • feeding animals specific diets, e.g. one high in protein
50
Q

What must be done with fish stock numbers?

A

Maintained at a level that will allow breeding to continue otherwise species could go extinct

51
Q

What have been introduced to sustain fish populations?

A
  • fishing quotas, allowing population sizes to recover

- controlled holes in fishing nets to ensure smaller/younger fish can escape easily and grow large enough to breed

52
Q

How is mycoprotein made?

A

Fusarium fungus is grown on a glucose syrup, in aerobic conditions and the biomass is harvested

53
Q

Other than mycoprotein, what else is helping to improve and increase food production?

A

genetic modification: allows the production of more nutritious foods or crops that grow in hostile environments

54
Q

What factors can affect the distribution of organisms?

A

Availability of water, mineral ion concentration in soil, soil pH, temperature, atsmopheric gases

55
Q

How is climate change affecting the distribution of migrating birds in winter?

A
  • northern regions are becoming warmer
  • birds migrate to those regions as southern ones become too hot
  • causing higher population sizes of birds in the north
56
Q

What are the benefits of zoos?

A
  • may be only protected habitat for animal
  • can conserve and increase numbers of an endangered species
  • zoos can educate public on species loss
57
Q

What are drawbacks on zoos?

A
  • animals are kept in captivity

- inbreeding can occur

58
Q

What are the environmental impacts of landfill sites?

A
  • to create sites, large areas of land have to be cleared. This destroys habitat for animals and plants, reducing biodiversity
  • landfill sites also cause chemicals to leak into land and waterways, such as leachate. This pollution can cause loss of organisms
59
Q

How can the biomass of an organism be measured?

A
  • by drying an organism/ removing all the water in it

- measuring its mass

60
Q

Why is the percentage of biomass in food which can be used by a cow, lower than most other organisms?

A

Since the cow does not digest all its food as it is high in cellulose

61
Q

What is malnutrition?

A

What occurs when one does not eat a balanced diet

62
Q

What is sustainable food production?

A

Ways of producing food which can feed all the population now and further generations

63
Q

How has global warming negatively impacted food security?

A
  • Global warming is linked ti increasing droughts and floods
  • these decrease the amount of food that can be grown
  • so less people have access to sufficient, affordable, nutritious food
64
Q

How does controlling the movement of animals increase their growth?

A
  • so they don’t use their muscles as much
  • this reduces the need for respirations
  • so more biomass/glucose available from their food for growth
65
Q

How does controlling the temperature of animals increase their growth?

A
  • so they don’t have to use much biomass in respiration for warming up or cooling down
  • this leaves more biomass for growth
66
Q

How would food security increase if we ate less meat?

A
  • eating less meat reduces the amount of land that is used to grow crops for animals to graze on and then for humans to eat the animals
  • this means biomass isn’t lost at two levels in the food chain
  • if we eat crops directly ie. vegetarian then less biomass is lost
  • this reduces the number of stages in food chains which increases the efficiency of food production
  • there will be a greater mass of food for humans to eat
67
Q

Evaluate farming fish compared to fishing wild fish:

A
  • farmed fish are specially bred for fast growth
  • they provide a cheap source of protein for people
  • it helps protect wild fish stocks
  • fish are fed high-protein diet which could be made from ground up wild-caught fish or cereals that could have been used for human food
  • it can also be seen as unethical to keep fish in cages and restrict their movement
68
Q

Why is fusarium a sustainable food source?

A
  • it can be grown using cheap food sources from waste starch
  • fungus grows quickly so a lot can be produced in a short time
  • fermenters take up less space than farms
  • fermenters do not produce much pollution
69
Q

How is biodiversity beneficial for an ecosystem?

A
  • it makes an ecosystem more stable
  • reduces the dependence of one species on another for food, territory or mates
  • some species are interdependent and one species may support the survival of another
70
Q

What are the advantages of landfill sites?

A
  • waste products are disposed of in managed landfill sites and not dumped
  • waste can be processed and suitable materials recycled
71
Q

What are the disadvantages of landfill sites?

A
  • they take up space, destroying habitats
  • cause visual pollution
  • heavily pollutes surrounding areas and toxic chemicals can leach out into groundwater system
  • reduces biodiversity within the area
72
Q

What are increasing the methane concentration in the atmosphere?

A
  • rice crops

- cattle farming

73
Q

How does the reintroduction of hedgerows and field margins increase biodiversity?

A
  • hedgerows provide a habitat for a wide range of plants and animals
  • field margins allow wildlife to move freely between habitats to find food, shelter and mates
  • wildflowers in the hedgerow and margin are important sources of nectar and pollen for insect-pollinators si field nargins promote pollination of plant species dependent on pollinators
74
Q

What are the ecological benefits of protecting rainforests?

A
  • maintains high level of biodiversity and thus prevents the endangering and extinction of species
  • thus also increases the stability of the ecosystem due to interdependence
  • means we can continue to use plant products for medicines and discovering new ones
  • less carbon dioxide released into atmosphere as trees aren’t burned and microorganisms aren’t respiring as they can’t feed on dead plant material left
  • more carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere, so less contribution to greenhouse effect and global warming
  • water cycle and microclimate maintained
  • less methane produced by cattle ranches of rice growing as land would be used for
75
Q

How are fishing quotas maintaining fish stocks?

A
  • limit the numbers and sizes of fish that can be caught in certain areas
  • preventing particular species being overfished
  • maintains fish stocks at sustainable level to allow breeding to occur
  • prevents decline and extinction of species
76
Q

What are the advantages of genetically modified crops?

A
  • increase crop yield as resistant to pests or herbicides and can grow quicker
  • can be engineered to have improved nutritional value
77
Q

What are the disadvantages of genetically modified crops?

A
  • won’t survive on poor soils
  • can’t solve food shortage in all areas
  • causes a loss in biodiversity as fewer weed species survive as a food and shelter source for animals

AQA GCSE Biology (9 decks)

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