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Year 9 Biology > Ecology > Flashcards

Ecology Flashcards

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1
Q

What is the definition for ecology?

A

The study of the inter-relationships between organisms and their environment

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2
Q

What is the definition for an ecosystem?

A

The interaction of all the organisms in a specific area and the environment around them. It includes all the biotic and abiotic factors that are present

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3
Q

What is the definition for an environment?

A

This is determined by all the biotic and abiotic factors affecting the organisms

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4
Q

What is the definition for a community?

A

All the organisms of different species that live in an ecosystem

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5
Q

What is the definition for a population?

A

All the individual of a particular species living in a particular habitat

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6
Q

What is the definition for a species

A

A group of organisms with similar characteristics which can breed together to produce fertile offspring

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7
Q

What is the definition for a habitat

A

A place within an ecosystem with specific physical characteristics where a particular species is commonly found.

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8
Q

What is the definition for abiotic factors

A

Any non-living factors that affect organisms living in a particular ecosystem e.g rainfall, light intensity, temperature

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9
Q

What is the definition for biotic factors

A

An living factors that affect organisms living in a particular ecosystem e.g predators, disease, competition

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10
Q

What is the definition for biodiversity

A

The variety of different species found in the community of an ecosystem

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11
Q

Explain the set up of an ecosystem briefly

A
  • a group of organisms of one species forms a population
  • populations of different species form a community
  • these communities live in a habitat
  • a group of habitats make up and ecosystem
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12
Q

What are the different abiotic factors?

A
  • temperature
  • light
  • pH
  • Water and humidity
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13
Q

How does temperature (abiotic factor) affect and ecosystem?

A
  • each species has an optimum temperature at which it can survive
  • the further away from the optimum, the smaller the population that can be supported
  • as temperature falls below optimum, enzyme activity slows down so metabolic waste is reduced
  • above optimum, enzymes are denatured so chemical reactions decrease and the population grows more slowly
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14
Q

How does light (abiotic factor) affect an ecosystem?

A
  • light is a necessity of life, it is the ultimate source of energy
  • as light intensity increases, so does the rate of photosynthesis
  • the greater the rate of photosynthesis, the faster plants grow and the more spores/ seeds they produce
  • animals feed on these plants, so their population increases
  • where light is limited, e.g in a cave or forest floor, population sizes are small or the species may be absent altogether
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15
Q

How does pH (abiotic factor) affect an ecosystem?

A
  • affects the action of enzymes which have an optimum pH at which they work best
  • appropriate pH= larger population of organisms
  • very different pH = smaller/non existent population
  • affects water, so affects populations in (e.g) ponds
  • acid rain lands on soil so affects plants
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16
Q

How does water and humidity (abiotic factor) affect an ecosystem?

A
  • where water is scarce, populations consist of those species which are well adapted to living in dry conditions
  • humidity affects transpiration rates in plants and the evaporation of water from the bodies of animals
  • in dry conditions, the populations of species adapted to tolerate such conditions is larger that those with no such adaptations
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17
Q

What are the different biotic factors?

A
  • competition
  • predation
  • disease
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18
Q

How does competition (biotic factor) affect an ecosystem?

A
  • individuals compete for scarce resources
  • they may be competing with other individuals of the same species, e.g for mates
  • or they may be competing with individuals of another species e.g for food, territory, water, light or shelter.
  • the species that are best adapted to their environment will be better at competing and so will be more likely to win and their population size will increase.
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19
Q

How does predation (biotic factor) affect an ecosystem?

A
  • population size is affected by predation
  • the introduction of a new predator to an ecosystem, for example a new fox in the area, will have a direct effect on the size of the population of the prey species, for example the rabbit population size would decrease.
  • similarly, if the prey species decreased, e.g because of disease, the predator species population size would decrease as predators struggle to find food and die of saturation.
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20
Q

How does disease (biotic factor) affect an ecosystem?

A
  • pathogens living in an ecosystem may cause disease in some species
  • this will directly affect the particular species and the size of its population will decrease, but it may also indirectly affect any species that rely on the affected species of food.
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21
Q

Describe biodiversity thoroughly

A
  • this is a measure of the variety of different species living in the community of an ecosystem
  • the larger the number of different species, the greater the biodiversity of that ecosystem
  • biodiversity is very important
  • humans are only one species among millions and biodiversity benefits both humans and other species alike.
  • biodiversity is affected by both biotic and abiotic factors
  • maintaining biodiversity is an important part of using the environment in a sustainable way
  • indiscriminate use of the environment, for example deforestation to grow crops such as soya, results in a large number of species becoming extinct and reduces biodiversity
  • only now are we beginning to realise the potential medicines and crops that can be obtained from a wide range of different organisms. Only by maintaining biodiversity can we ensure these benefits will be available for future generations.
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22
Q

What are the two main kinds of data that we can gather for the number of organisms in an area?

A

Qualitative and quantitative

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23
Q

What is an example of qualitative data?

A

“There are lots of daisies in the field”

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24
Q

What is an example of quantitative data?

A

“There are 5087 daisies in the field”

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25
Q

What is the difference of quantitative and qualitative data?

A
  • quantitative data gives a specific measure for your subject, but qualitative data only gives a rough idea.
  • quantitative data is usually more useful
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26
Q

What is sampling?

A
  • sampling involves studying small sections of the habitat in detail. The data collected is then scaled out to represent the entire habitat
  • in this way an estimate of the population size (the abundance) for the whole habitat can be calculated
  • as long as the sample is representative of the habitat, any conclusions drawn from the findings will be valid
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27
Q

What two factors can affect sampling results?

A
  1. Sampling bias- the selection process may be biased. The investigators may be making unrepresentative choices either deliberately or unwillingly.
  2. Chance- even if sampling bias is avoided the individuals chosen, by pure chance, may not be representative
28
Q

How can we reduce the effects of sampling bias and chance?

A
  • To reduce sampling bias: randomly throw the quadrat or generate a random number using a random number generator to generate coordinates to place the quadrat
  • to reduce chance: check many areas to see if there are any unrepresentative areas to avoid.
29
Q

What are the two main sampling methods?

A
  • Random sampling using Quadrats
  • systematic sampling along a transect
30
Q

How do you do random sampling using a quadrat?

A
  • The simplest way to sample an area is to use a quadrat
  • a quadrat is a square frame of known size that can be laid on the ground to outline your sample area
  • they are used to investigate the distribution of still things and very slow moving organisms e.g. snails
  • by sampling as many hours as possible at the location and always using the same sized quadrat we can make sure the findings are accurate of the whole population and therefore any results will be valid
  • by counting the number of organisms within each quadrat a mean number of organisms per quadrat can be found. this can be used to calculate an estimate for the whole area under investigation
31
Q

What does the ACFOR scale stand for?

A

A-abundant
C-common
F-frequent
O-occasional
R-rare

32
Q

What is the ACFOR scale?

A

The ACFOR scale is something to show how common or rare a species is in a particular habitat.

33
Q

What are the problems with the ACFOR scale?

A
  • incredibly subjective
  • difficult to compare because it is so subjective
34
Q

How do you do systematic sampling along a transect?

A

The most commonly used transect is a belt transect
-this is where a rope is stretched between two points and organisms are sampled at regular intervals along the line using a quadrat -transects are used when you need to measure change in distribution over a range of habitats e.g. going deeper and deeper into a forest to measure the abundance of bluebells as you go deeper in

35
Q

What is the definition of a food chain?

A

A diagram which shows the flow of energy from one organism to another as they eat one another

36
Q

In what direction do the arrows connecting one organism to another go?

A
  • The arrows go from the prey organism to the predator organism pointing at the predator organism
  • it is showing the flow of energy from the prey to the predator
37
Q

What are the different consumer levels?

A
  • producer
  • primary consumer
  • secondary consumer
  • tertiary consumer
  • decomposers
38
Q

What does food chains/webs always begin with?

A

A producer

39
Q

What is the definition for a pyramid of numbers?

A

A diagram that represents the number of each organism at each trophic level of the food chain

40
Q

What is a trophic level?

A
  • It is another word for energy level
  • each level on a pyramid of numbers is called a trophic level
41
Q

What is the problem with a pyramid of numbers?

A
  • pyramids of numbers do not always look like pyramids
  • this can be confusing as it looks like there is less energy at the producer level than at the consumer levels
42
Q

What is the definition of a pyramid of biomass?

A

A pyramid to represent the mass of each organism at each trophic level

43
Q

What is biomass

A

The mass of living material

44
Q

Why is it important to obtain the value of the dry mass of an organism when constructing a pyramid of biomass?

A

How wet or dry the weather is going to affect the mass of the organism so their dry mass is taken to ensure that the measurements of biomass are accurate and consistent

45
Q

What is the problem with the pyramid of biomass?

A
  • A pyramid of biomass only shows the mass at a particular time in an area
  • if some trophic levels have a shorter lifespan than others they will be under represented in the pyramid which may cause an inverted shape
  • For example, algae has a short lifespan compared with herbivorous plankton or carnivorous plankton therefore, when scientists look at how many algae there are before and after a certain time, there won’t be much of a difference because the algae will have reproduced, making it look like none were eaten by the herbivorous plankton
46
Q

What is the definition of a pyramid of energy?

A

A diagram which represents the amount of chemical energy in the organisms at each trophic level over a certain time period.

47
Q

Why are pyramid of energy good?

A

They always produce a typical pyramid shape as the amount of energy at each trophic level is always less than the one before

48
Q

What is the definition of a producer?

A

The plant in the food chain- they produce food by photosynthesis

49
Q

What is the definition of a primary consumer

A

Animals that eat the producer
for example, rabbits, caterpillars, cows and sheep

50
Q

What is the definition for a secondary consumer

A

Usually eat animal material- they are carnivores
for example, cats, dogs and lions

51
Q

What is the definition of a herbivore

A

Something which eats plants only

52
Q

What is the definition for a carnivore

A

Something which eats only meat

53
Q

What is the definition for an omnivore

A

Something which eats both plants and meat

54
Q

What is the definition for a trophic level

A
  • Another word for energy level
  • it is the position occupied by a group of organisms in a food chain
55
Q

What is the definition for predators

A
  • Kill for food
  • they are either secondary or tertiary consumers
56
Q

What is the definition for prey

A

The animals that predators feed on

57
Q

What is the definition for scavengers

A
  • Feed on dead animals
  • for example crows, vultures and hyenas
58
Q

What is the definition for decomposers

A

Feed on dead and decaying organisms and on the undigested parts of plant and animal matter in faeces

59
Q

What percentage of light energy that falls onto a leaf is converted into chemical energy

A

1 to 2%

60
Q

What are the ways in which light energy is lost from a leaf?

A
  1. lost as heat to environment through photosynthesis reactions
  2. passes straight through leaf
  3. lost as heat through respiration
  4. reflected back into environment
61
Q

Explain why there are usually a few organisms as you go higher up a food chain

A

-because energy is lost at each stage (trophic level )so one rabbit will eat multiple lettuces and so on.

62
Q

How is energy lost from one animal to another when it is eaten?

A
  • excess protein is broken down and passed out as urea in excretion
  • released in respiration to allow movement
  • passed out as undigested food- energy has not been used and is excreted
  • not all of the organism is eaten
63
Q

Why do warm blooded animals need to eat more than cold-blooded animals to get the same increase in biomass?

A
  • Warm blooded animals use large amounts of energy to keep warm/cool
  • they must eat more than cold-blooded animals to get the same increase in biomass
64
Q

An animal that is very active will not gain as much biomass from a certain amount of food as an inactive animal. why?

A

-some of the biomass is used for respiration in cells to allow release of energy for movement:
Muscles use this energy to contract and get hot, releasing heat energy.
The more an animal moves about the more energy gets used up from its food so the less it can convert into biomass

65
Q

How is energy lost through waste?

A
  • not all biomass can be used
  • herbivores can’t digest all the plant and so they have to eat large amounts and often, which produces large amounts of faeces
  • carnivores eat meat, this is easier to digest so they eat less often and produce less waste but they cannot eat all of the animals e.g. hooves claws etc.
  • if an excess of protein is eaten it cannot be used by the body so it forms urea which is passed out as excess urine.

Year 9 Biology (5 decks)

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