Ecology Flashcards
What is the definition of an ecosystem
The interaction of a community of living organisms with the non-living parts of their environment.
What do plants compete with other plants for?
Light
Space
Water and mineral ions from the soil
What do animal compete with each other for?
Food
Mates
Territory
List two ways a plant may depend on another species for its survival.
Pollination
Seed dispersal
What is interdependence?
If one species is removed it can affect the whole community.
What is meant by a stable community?
One where all the species and environmental factors are in balance so that population sizes remain fairly constant.
What is the definition of an abiotic factor?
A non-living factor
List three abiotic factors which may affect an aquatic organism
Oxygen levels
Temperature
Carbon dioxide levels
Light intensity
List three abiotic factors which can affect a plant.
Light intensity
Temperature
Carbon dioxide levels
Oxygen levels
What is the definition of a biotic factor?
A living factor which may affect a community
List four biotic factors which can affect a community.
Food availability
A new predator
A new pathogen
One species outcompeting another so that numbers are no longer sufficient to breed
There are three types of adaptation that an organism may show to aid its survival. What are the three types?
Behavioural
Structural
Functional
What is an extremophile?
An organism which lives in an extreme environment
Give three examples of what might make an environment be described as extreme.
High temperature
Pressure
Salt concentration
Name a particular extremophile you have studied.
Bacteria living in deep-sea vents
What is biomass?
Amount of living material in an organism
What does a food chain show?
Feeding relationships within a community
What do all food chains begin with?
A producer
Name two different types of organism which would be found at the start of a food chain.
Green plant
Alga
What is meant by the terms mode and median?
Mode = number which occurs most often in a set of data. Median = middle value in a set of data
What might eat a secondary consumer?
A tertiary consumer
Define the term predator
An animal which kills and eats another animal.
Define the term prey.
An animal which is hunted and killed for food by a predator
What piece of equipment is usually used to sample the abundance of an organism in an area?
Quadrat
Why is it essential that materials are recycled in the living world?
To provide the building blocks for future organisms.
What is precipitation in the water cycle?
Rain
List three main processes in the carbon cycle.
Photosynthesis
Respiration
Combustion
Decay
Name three factors which must be present for rapid decay of waste biological material to occur.
Warmth
Oxygen
Water
Microorganisms (Decomposers)
