Ecology Flashcards
Define ecology.
The study of how organisms interact with each other and with their non-living surroundings.
Define environment.
The factors that affect an organism’s chances of survival over it’s lifetime
Define ecosystem.
The place where the organisms and the physical surroundings form an environment that are different from other environments nearby.
What are the components of an ecosystem?
Abiotic and biotic factors.
Define a natural ecosystem.
An ecosystem that can exist on its own without outside help from humans.
Define an artificial ecosystem.
An ecosystem that is created by humans that need to be constantly managed.
Define abiotic factors and provide examples.
Non-living physical factors. E.g. water, temperature, fire, light, soil type, oxygen levels, etc.
Define biotic factors and provide examples.
Living factors. E.g. predators, parasites, infectious bacteria and viruses, wastes, etc.
Why is water important?
Water is a solvent for all materials in cells, and they allow chemical reactions to occur by acting as a transport.
How do animals lose water?
Aquatic animals lose water through diffusion and land animals lose it through evaporation.
How do land animals reduce water loss?
They become nocturnal, the cool temperatures reduce evaporation.
Water provides buoyancy. How does this affect animals?
Marine animals require less support than land mammals do, but transport through water is slow so marine animals have adapted their bodies to be streamlined in order to minimise water resistance.
How is temperature important?
Temperature affects the speed of chemical reactions in the cells. As temperature increases, the rate of reactions do too.
Define ectothermic.
Ectothermics are a type of organism that must obtain heat from their environment because they can’t generate heat internally through body chemistry.
How do ectothermics regulate their body temperature?
By lying on warms rocks in the sunlight to warm up or hiding in burrows to cool down.
Define endothermic.
Endothermics are organisms that have the ability to generate heat internally and control heat loss.
How are bushfires started?
Through lightning, arson, accidentally lighting a fire, and controlled purposeful fires.
Why are bushfires (purposefully) started?
To control and improve the growth of plants.
How do plants benefit from bushfires?
While some plants die, other plants are helped. Some plants flower better after fires, some plants drop their seeds, and some plants will germinate in response to the chemicals released from the smoke.
Why is light important?
Light is necessary for photosynthesis.
Define photosynthesis.
The process by which plants manufacture their food through the use of many materials.
What is the word equation for photosynthesis?
carbon dioxide + water —–sunlight—–> glucose + oxygen
What does light affect?
- Most plants will grow better with more light.
- As daylight gets longer form winter to spring, plants are influenced to flower.
- animal behaviour (rock lobsters avoid bright moonlight, etc.)
Why is soil type important?
Soil provides plants with water and minerals.
How do different soils differ?
Mineral content, water-holding ability, and acidity.
Which nutrients are needed by plants?
Nitrate and phosphate.
How does loam soil and sandy soil differ?
- loam soil contains more nutrients than sandy soil because the clay particles in loam have more plant nutrients than sang grains.
- fertilisers stick to the clay particles in loam whereas in sandy soil, it is easily washed off.
- loam holds onto water more strongly than sandy, meaning plants find it harder to extract the water it needs from loam.
Why is oxygen important?
Organisms require oxygen to carry out respiration.
What is the availability of oxygen to animals?
Land animals have enough oxygen in the air whereas aquatic animals have to depend on the amount of oxygen dissolved into the water.
What factors affect how much oxygen is dissolved in water?
- Temperature; there is more oxygen dissolved in cold water than warm water.
- Movement; water with more movement has more dissolved oxygen.
- Depth; the deeper the water, the less dissolved oxygen.
What disadvantages do animals living on the ocean floor have?
Animals who live at such deep depths are slow because of the limited energy provided by respiration due to the lack of oxygen.
Define relationships.
The different interactions between living organisms.
Define interdependence.
The relationship between organisms where each affects the other’s survival.
Define community.
All the living things in an ecosystem.
Define competition and provide an example.
Organisms that try and obtain the same limited resource. E.g. baby birds compete with each other for food to attract their mother’s attention.
Define predation and provide an example.
Where one organism (predator) kills and eats another (prey). E.g. preying mantis praying on a cricket.
Define mutualism and provide an example.
Where two organisms live closely together and both benefit. E.g. cleaner shrimp that eat parasites on the skin of fish.
