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Biology LC > Ecology > Flashcards

Ecology Flashcards

1
Q

What is ecology?

A

Is the study of the interactions between living things (organisms) and between organisms and their environment.

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2
Q

What does biosphere mean?

A

Is that part of the planet containing living organisms.

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3
Q

What is an ecosystem?

A

Is a group of clearly distinguished organisms that interact with their environment as a unit.

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4
Q

What is a habitat?

A

Is the place where a plant or animal lives

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5
Q

Define population.

A

Is all members of the same species living in an area.

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6
Q

Define community.

A

Is all different populations in an area.

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7
Q

What are abiotic factors?

A

Are non-living factors.

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8
Q

What are biotic factors?

A

Are living factors.

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9
Q

What do climatic factors refer to?

A

Refer to weather over a long period of time.

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10
Q

What are edaphic factors?

A

Relate to soil.

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11
Q

What are producers?

A

Are organisms that carry out photosynthesis.

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12
Q

What are flora?

A

Is all the plants in an ecosystem.

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13
Q

What are consumers?

A

Are organisms that take in food from another organisms.

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14
Q

What are fauna?

A

Is all the animals in an ecosystem.

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15
Q

What are decomposers?

A

Are organisms that feed on dead organic matter.

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16
Q

What are detritus feeders?

A

Are organisms that feed on small pieces of dead organic matter.

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17
Q

What is a grazing food chain?

A

Is a sequence of organisms in which each one is eaten by the next member in the chain.

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18
Q

What is a trophic level?

A

Is a feeding stage in a food chain.

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19
Q

What is a food web?

A

Consists of two or more interlinked food chains.

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20
Q

What is the pyramid of numbers?

A

Represents the number of organisms at each trophic level in a food chain.

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21
Q

What does niche mean?

A

Is the functional role that an organism plays in the community.

22
Q

What is nutrient recycling?

A

Is the way in which elements such as carbon/nitrogen are exchanged between the living and non-living components of an ecosystem.

23
Q

What is nitrogen fixation?

A

Is the conversion of nitrogen gas into ammonia (NH3), ammonium (NH4+) or nitrate (NO3-)

24
Q

What is nitrification?

A

Is the conversion of ammonia and ammonium (NH4+) compounds to nitrite and then to nitrate.

25
Q

What is denitrification?

A

Is the conversion of nitrates to nitrogen gas.

26
Q

What is pollution?

A

Is any harmful addition to the environment.

27
Q

What are pollutants?

A

Are harmful additions to the environments.

28
Q

What is conservation?

A

Is the wise management of the existing natural resources in an ecosystem, in order to maintain a wide range of habitats and prevent the death and extinction of organisms.

29
Q

What environmental factors affect aquatic habitats?

A
  • Light
  • Currents
  • Wave action
  • Salt content
  • Oxygen content
30
Q

What is the ultimate source of energy?

31
Q

Give an example of a food chain.

A

Leaf-Caterpillar-Thrush-Falcon

32
Q

What is trophic level 1?

33
Q

What is trophic level 2?

A

Primary consumer

34
Q

What is trophic level 3?

A

Secondary consumer

35
Q

What is trophic level 4?

A

Tertiary consumer

36
Q

What carries out nitrogen fixation?

A
  • Volcanic action
  • Lightning
  • Some industrial processes
  • By some bacteria
37
Q

Where are nitrogen fixing bacteria?

A
  • Found free in soil or in nodules in legumes.

- Anaerobic

38
Q

What is a food web?

A

Two or mor interconnected food chains

39
Q

What is competition?

A

Is the struggle for a resource which is limited

40
Q

Name a group of organisms within the nitrogen cycle which return nitrogen to the air

A

Denitrifying bacteria

41
Q

Apart from protein, name one other molecule present in all living organisms that contains nitrogen

A

DNA or RNA

42
Q

Name the compound excreted by animals which results in the return of nitrogen to the environment

A

Urea/Urine

43
Q

What is a community?

A

All of the organisms living in an ecosystem/ habitat

44
Q

Define a qualitative survey

A

To establish the presence/absence of a species

45
Q

How do nitrogen fixing bacteria benefit with a symbiotic relationship with the legume?

A

They are provided with carbohydrates and favourable conditions (shelter)

46
Q

Explain the difference between structural and behavioural adaptations.

A
  • Structural= change in physical structure of an organism

- Behavioural= Change in the way the organism acts

47
Q

Name two examples of structural adaptations from the animal kingdom.

A

Squirrel- tail aids in balance when climbing
Ladybird- bright colour deters predators
Lion- long and sharp canine teeth to kill prey

48
Q

Give a reason for why an organism has to adapt.

A
  • Change in vegetation
  • New predator appears
  • Change in food source
49
Q

Give one example of an abiotic factor from both a terrestrial and an aquatic environment.

A

Terrestrial- Light intensity, slope, mineral content

Aquatic- temperature, salinity, pH

50
Q

State one example of an environmental factor of human origin that can affect a habitat.

A
  • Pollutants
  • Deforestation
  • Burning
  • Invasive species

Biology LC (28 decks)

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