Ecology 2.0 Flashcards
What is ecology?
The study of living things and their interactions with each other and their abiotic environment
What is the environment?
All the conditions that an organism lives in, which affects the growth & development of the organism.
What is an ecosystem?
A community of living organisms interacting with another & their abiotic environment within a particular area.
What is a population?
A group of the same species interacting with each other.
What is a community?
Many populations interacting with each other.
What are examples of ecosystems?
• Woodland
• Marine
• Grassland
What is woodland?
Interaction of insects, trees & grass & dependent on particular weather conditions.
What is marine?
Interactions of coral, water PH, temperature & many different species of fish.
What is grassland?
Interaction of rabbit, grass, fox & atmospheric temperature.
(!! - Experiment)
What is a habitat?
The place in which an organism lives & is adapted to.
What is the biosphere?
The region of earth that contains living organisms.
Eg: Land & ocean🌊
What is a niche?
The functional role of an organism in its habitat.
What happens if you remove an organism’s niche?
Will impact the population…usually negatively!!!
What are the 4 environmental conditions?
• Living things
• Non living things
• Climate
• Soil
What are abiotic factors?
The nonliving features of an ecosystem that affect what lives there.
What are examples of abiotic factors?
• Temperature
• Light intensity
• Soil PH
• Air speed
What are biotic factors?
The living features of an ecosystem that affects what lives there.
What are examples of biotic factors?
• Plants for food & shelter
• Predators
• Prey
• Decomposers
• Competitors
• Pollinators.
What are climate factors?
Elements of weather over time that influence what lives in a particular area.
What are examples of climate factors?
• Temperature
• Rainfall
• Humidity
• Rain
• Light intensity
• Day length
What are edaphic factors?
Physical, chemical and biological characteristics of soil that affect what lives in a community.
What are examples of edaphic factors?
• Soil PH
• Soil type
• Soil texture & structure
What are aquatic factors?
Factors that affect what lives in a water-based community.
What are examples of aquatic factors?
• Light penetration
• Currents
• Wave action
What is the main source of energy in the ecosystem?
The sun.
What is energy flow?
The pathway of energy transfer from one organism to the next due to feeding.
What is feeding in an ecosystem?
Allows energy to flow from one organism to another in an ecosystem.
What is a food chain?
A diagram that begins with a plant & shows how energy/food is passed through a series of organisms in an ecosystem.
What is a grazing food chain?
A food chain in which the 1st organism in the food chain is living.
What is a detritus food chain?
A food chain where the first organism is dead organic matter or animal waste.
What is a primary producer?
Organisms capable of making their own food.
What is a primary consumer?
The organism that feeds off the primary producer.
What is a secondary consumer?
The organism that feeds off the primary consumer.
What is a tertiary (top) consumer?
The organism that feeds off the secondary consumer.
What is a trophic level?
Refers to the position of an organism on the food chain.
Why are food chains relatively short?
As you go through each trophic level, only 10% of the energy of that organism is passed to the next level.
What is a pyramid of numbers?
A diagram which represents the number of organisms at each trophic level in a food chain.
What are the limitations of the pyramid of numbers?
• May be inverted
• Not possible to accurately represent large numbers correctly.
What is a food web?
A diagram showing all the interconnected feeding connections in the habitat/ecosystem.
How is energy lost in a food chain?
Heat.
What is a population?
A group of the same species interacting with another.
Why do organisms tend to form groups?
Their habitat provides food & shelter, individuals are safer in a group, and the availability of a mate.
What factors impact population in an ecological habitat/ecosystem?
Competition, predation, parasitism, and symbiosis.
What is competition?
An active, physical struggle between two or more organisms for a resource that is in short supply.
What is intra-specific competition?
When organisms of the same species fight for a resource that is in short supply.
What is inter-specific competition?
When organisms from different species fight for a resource that is in short supply.
What resources do plants compete for?
Light, water, minerals, and space.
What resources do animals compete for?
Food, water, territory, and mates.
What is contest competition?
An active, physical struggle between 2 organisms for a resource in short supply, in which one of the organisms wins the resource outright.
Example: 2 dogs fight over a bone & 1 dog gets it.
What is scramble competition?
An active, physical struggle between 2 organisms for a resource in short supply where the resource is shared among contestants in the end.
Example: Two trees grow side by side & share the light & nutrients - Both survive.
What is adaptation?
Changes in an organism that develop as a result of the need to survive competition in a habitat.
What are the 3 types of adaptations?
Structural, behavioral, and competitive.
How do animals adapt to their environment?
Changing their feeding habits, camouflage, producing protective coats, moving away from overadapted areas, and reproductive strategies.
How do plants adapt to their environment?
They produce large numbers of seeds, some seeds remain dormant, seeds germinate quickly even in poor soil, and plants thrive even in poor soil conditions.
What is predation?
When one organism catches, kills, and eats another organism.
What is a predator?
An animal that hunts, captures, and kills another animal for food.
What is prey?
An animal that is hunted, captured, and killed by another animal.
How does predation affect population?
It stabilizes the community, eliminates weak prey, and controls the number of herbivores to prevent overgrazing.
What is a predator-prey relationship?
A dynamic where the population of one species (prey) influences the population of another (predator) and vice versa.
What are reasons for lows in a predator-prey relationship?
Availability of food.
What explains the fluctuations in predator-prey populations?
As prey increases, this allows for more predators. As prey declines, predators decline.
What is the benefit of the predator-prey relationship?
It helps control population.
What are examples of predator adaptations?
Hawk - great eyesight, Fox - great sense of smell, Cheetah - can run up to 60 km/h to catch prey, Ladybird - very strong mouth parts to eat prey.
What are examples of prey adaptations in plants?
Thorns, spikes, or stings to stop animals from eating them, and some plants have a bad taste when eaten.
What are examples of prey adaptations in animals?
Mouse - bones very flexible to allow them into small spaces, Rabbits - large ears to hear predators, Frog - green in color to camouflage.
What is a parasite?
An organism that lives in or on another organism, causing the host harm.
What is an endoparasite?
A parasite that lives inside its host.
What is an ectoparasite?
A parasite that lives outside (but on) its host.
What do parasites do?
They control population.
What are examples of parasites?
Aphids (to plants), Mosquito (to humans), Flea (to dogs), Liver Fluke (to cows).
What is symbiosis?
When two different species live in close association & interact in a way that is of benefit to one or both organisms.
What is mutualism?
Where both organisms benefit.
What is parasitism?
Where two organisms of different species live close to one another and one organism obtains its food from the other organism, causing harm.
What are 4 factors that affect human population?
War, famine, disease, and contraception.
How does war affect human population?
It reduces population due to lives lost from battles and can increase birth rates after war due to families reuniting.
How does famine affect human population?
Lack of food leads to malnutrition and death due to disease and starvation.
How does disease affect human population?
Vaccines, sanitization, and antibiotics reduce the amount of disease, which decreases deaths.
How does contraception affect human population?
Increased availability has reduced birth rates since the 1960s, especially in developed countries.
What is nutrient recycling?
The way in which elements are continuously being broken down & exchanged between the living & non living components of an organism.
Why is nutrient recycling important?
Nutrients are finite resources.
What is the carbon dioxide cycle?
The way in which carbon is naturally taken & returned to the earth’s environment.
What processes are involved in the carbon cycle?
Photosynthesis, Respiration, Decomposition, Combustion.
How should carbon be referred to in an exam?
Carbon dioxide.
How is carbon dioxide removed from the environment?
Carbon is removed by photosynthesis in plants, converting CO2 to plant carbohydrates. Under certain conditions, some plants may form fossil fuels like coal, oil, and peat.
What adds carbon dioxide to the environment?
Respiration, decay, and combustion.
Why is the carbon cycle important?
To return carbon dioxide so it can be reused by organisms and prevent it from running out.
What is the function of nitrogen?
Essential for the building of DNA, RNA & Protein.
What is nitrogen fixation?
The changing of inert nitrogen into its functional forms such as ammonia, nitrites or nitrates.
What are nitrifying bacteria?
Bacteria which change ammonia into nitrates.
Where is nitrogen fixing bacteria found?
In the root nodules of plants such as clovers and peas.
What do volcanoes emit?
Ammonia, which is changed to nitrites using nitrifying bacteria.
What is nitrification?
The changing of ammonia into nitrates.
What is denitrifying?
Converts excess nitrites/nitrates into atmospheric nitrogen gas.
What is the nitrogen cycle?
The way in which nitrogen is naturally taken & returned to the earth’s environment.
What bacteria are involved in the nitrogen cycle?
Bacteria of decay, nitrogen fixing bacteria, nitrifying bacteria, denitrifying bacteria.
What is the role of fungi in the nitrogen cycle?
Act as decomposers releasing ammonia into the soil.
What is the role of plants in the nitrogen cycle?
Plants absorb nitrates from the soil to help form proteins.
What is common to both the carbon and nitrogen cycle?
Bacteria involved, excretion, death and decay, nutrition.
What are the events of the nitrogen cycle?
Nitrogen gas is converted into nitrate through nitrogen fixation, taken in by plants, consumed by animals, decayed by bacteria, and converted back to nitrogen gas by denitrifying bacteria.
What is the benefit of nitrogen in air being converted to nitrates?
Plants can absorb nitrates.
What molecule are nitrates formed from?
Ammonia.
What are two roles of animals in the nitrogen cycle?
Consumption of plants to form animal proteins and death & decay.
Why doesn’t the nitrogen concentration in air change?
Due to denitrification.
What is the role of modern fertilizers in the nitrogen cycle?
To supply nitrates.
What is the effect of nitrates on plant growth?
To supply nitrogen, which is needed to make proteins to assist growth.
What are the effects of nitrogen fertilizers on plants?
Increased plant growth and increased nitrogen absorbed by plants.
What is pollution?
Any harmful addition to the environment as a result of human activity.
What are pollutants?
Agents of human origin that harm the environment & result in pollution.
Is CO2 a pollutant?
CO2 from respiration is NOT a pollutant as it’s a natural process. However, CO2 from burning fossil fuels is a pollutant.
What is the pH scale value for acid rain?
4.5 OR LESS.
How is acid rain formed?
Factories burn fossil fuels to generate power, releasing acidic oxides (SO2) into the air which dissolve in rainwater to form sulfuric acid.
What are the impacts of acid rain?
Erodes limestone buildings, reduces pH of soil & water, and causes breathing difficulties.
What is a trans-boundary problem?
A problem that is formed in one country but transported or blown huge distances to another.
Give an example of a trans-boundary problem.
Norway ‘imported’ its acid rain pollutants from the English Midlands & the Ruhr Valley in Germany.
How can acid rain be reduced?
Use renewable energy, turn off all lights, use public transport, and drive electric cars.
What is conservation?
Protection & wise management of natural resources & the environment.
What are the benefits of conservation?
Prevents organisms from becoming extinct, maintains a wide range of living things, and helps maintain a balance in nature.
What is conservation in fisheries related to?
The use of larger meshed holes in nets allows young fish to escape & reproduce.
What is waste management?
The collection, transportation, processing, recycling or disposal of waste materials produced by human activity.
What are the issues with waste management in fisheries?
Accumulated fish waste can cause unpleasant odours, rat infestations, and low O2 levels in harbour water.
How can fish waste be reduced?
By converting it to animal feed, fish oil supplements, or fertilizer.
What is fish offal used for?
It is converted to fish meal and sold as animal feed for chickens & pigs.
What are fish oil supplements made from?
Oil extracted from fish waste, exported for further refining.
What is composting fish waste used for?
It is a soil enhancer that is odour-free & easily stored.
What are problems with waste disposal?
Availability of landfill, harmful substances leaking into groundwater, and methane gas production.
What are possible solutions to improve waste disposal?
Use microorganisms for degradation, reduce paper use, and enforce taxes on plastic bags.
What role do microorganisms play in waste management?
They decompose organic waste and return nutrients to the environment.
What is incineration?
Large amounts of waste dealt with at once, by using heat to burn it.
What are the advantages of incineration?
Quick waste disposal and reduced landfill.
What are the disadvantages of incineration?
Emits harmful fumes.
What is flora?
Plants in a habitat.
Examples of flora?
Grass, Daisys, Nettles.
What is fauna?
Animals in a habitat.
Examples of fauna?
Fox, Rabbit, Hedgehog, Earthworm, Ladybird.
What is an omnivore?
An organism that eats both plants and animals.
What is a herbivore?
An organism that eats only plants.
What is a carnivore?
An organism that only eats animals.
What is a key?
Can be used to try identify any unknown thing.
What is a qualitative study?
Conducted to see the presence of an organism.
What is a pooter?
Collects small insects.
Place the long straw over the insect & suck in through the covered straw to prevent the insect going in your mouth & insect arrives in jar.
What is a pitfall trap?
Collects small insects.
Dig a hole & place container in. Cover it with a rock but prop up the rock so insects can fall in. Leave for 2-3 days & record what falls in.
What is a cryptozoic trap?
Collects small insects.
Look under stones/logs for insects, e.g., beetles under log.
What is a mammal trap?
Used for capturing bigger animals in a habitat.
Place bait inside to attract animals in; they are trapped inside but not harmed. Used for capture, recapture method.
What is a beating tray?
Collects small insects.
Gently use a stick to shake bush/tree. Allows small insects to fall into beating tray; you can then use a pooter.
What is a sweep net?
Catches insects.
Sweep net through long grass & collect organisms.
What is a soil sieve?
Collects small animals.
Fill with soil, then tap side to sieve soil out. Bugs don’t get through.
What is a quantitative study?
Study carried out to see the abundance of an organism in a habitat.
What is the capture recapture method of quantitative studies?
Use mammal trap to capture mice.
Mark the mice caught by shaving little fur under mouse. Count number of mice caught & marked. Release back into habitat. After one week, return to the habitat and use mammal trap again. Record number of mice caught and marked since previous visit. Use formula to estimate number of animals in habitat: Caught 1st X caught 2nd / Marked 2nd.
What is percentage frequency?
Chances of finding a particular organism in a habitat.
How to conduct a quantitative study of flora using quadrat?
Throw pencil over shoulder, place quadrat over pencil, record flora in quadrat, repeat 9 times in various parts of habitat.
Record the % frequency using formula: Number of times plant present / Number of quadrats carried out X 100.
Why repeat the test 9 times?
To increase accuracy.
What is a safety feature when carrying out this test?
Throw pencil over shoulder & not quadrat as it could hurt someone.
What is a possible error when carrying out the experiment?
If key is not used properly it could lead to misidentifying organisms.
What is percentage cover?
The area of ground occupied by aerial parts of plants.
How to conduct a quantitative study of flora for percentage cover?
Throw pencil over shoulder, place middle of quadrat over pencil, count number of quadrat squares flora is present in.
Record the % cover of each plant: Number of squares plant is in / Total number of quadrat squares X 100.
What are 3 abiotic factors in a habitat?
Air speed, Soil pH, Temperature.
Why is ecological surveying important?
It detects changes.
