Ecology

Question 1

Ecology

Answer 1

The study of plants, animals and their environment, and the relationship between them

Question 2

Environment

Answer 2

Everything that surrounds an animal or plant(for example air, water, rocks and soil)

Question 3

Habitat

Answer 3

The place where a plant or animal lives

Question 4

Community

Answer 4

All the different populations that live in the habitat. E.g. hedgehogs, snails,foxes and primroses belong to the woodland habitat

Question 5

Interdependence

Answer 5

How organisms depend on each other for their survival. E.g. buttercups depend on bees (for food), bees need buttercups (for pollination)

Question 6

Ecosystem

Answer 6

All the plants and animals in an area interacting with each other and their environment. E.g. desert, tropical rainforest, grasslands and seashore.

Question 7

Biome

Answer 7

An ecosystem that extends over a very large area. E.g. rainforest

Question 8

Biosphere

Answer 8

All of the earths ecosystems together to form one large ecosystem

Question 9

Producer

Answer 9

Plants that make their own food e.g. grass, dandelion, nettles

Question 10

Consumer

Answer 10

Animals that get their food by eating plants or other animals

Question 11

Herbivore

Answer 11

An animal that eats plants only e.g. rabbit, sheep, slug, snail

Question 12

Carnivore

Answer 12

An animal that eats other animals only e.g. fox, hawk, ladybird

Question 13

Omnivore

Answer 13

An animal that eats both plants and animals e.g. badger, thrush, blackbird, humans.

Question 14

Decomposer

Answer 14

Organisms that feed on dead plants and animals e.g. earthworms, bacteria, fungi. (Decomposes are very important as they break down dead things and release lots of minerals into the soil.

Question 15

Food chains

Answer 15

They must start with green plants because they are the only things that can make food.

Question 16

Feeding level

Answer 16

The position of an organism in the food chain.

Question 17

Energy

Answer 17

The mount of energy gets less and less as you go along the food chain

Question 18

food web

Answer 18

Two or more interconnected food chains.

Question 19

Competition

Answer 19

It occurs when two or more organisms seek a resource that is limited. Plants compete for light, water, minerals and space. Animals compete for food, shelter, territory and mates.

Question 20

Adaptations

Answer 20

They are features that give an organism a better chance of surviving in their habitat.

Question 21

Dandelion adaptation

Answer 21

The dandelion has a long root which means it reaches below the short root of grass to get water, dandelions are able to compete for space because they are able to spread their seeds in the wind.

Question 22

Hedgehog adaptation

Answer 22

Hedgehogs have an excellent sense of smell to make them good at finding food. They have spikes to fight off predators and they also have a colour that makes the, camouflaged so predators can’t find them easily.

Question 23

Abiotic factors

Answer 23

They are non-living. E.g. weather (temperature, light intensity, rainfall, wind), soil and type of landscape.

Question 24

Biotic factors

Answer 24

They are living. E.g. competition, predation, symbiosis

Question 25

Predation

Answer 25

It controls the number of organisms in an ecosystem. E.g. ladybirds eat aphids, lions eat zebra.

Question 26

Symbiosis

Answer 26

It is a relationship between organisms of different species where at least on benefits. E.g. cleaner fish eat parasites out of the mouths of eels.

Question 27

Balance of nature

Answer 27

Over time, the number and types of species in an ecosystem reach a steady state known as the balance of nature

Question 28

Predator

Answer 28

An animal that hunts, kills and eats other animals(prey)

Question 29

Feeding relationship

Answer 29

The way energy and nutrients are passed from one organism to another.

Question 30

Biomass

Answer 30

The quantity of matter in an organism.

Question 31

Qualitative survey

Answer 31

A list of the different species in a habitat.

Question 32

Quadrat

Answer 32

A square frame made of metal, plastic or wood that is used during quantitative surveys of habitats.

Question 33

Identification key

Answer 33

Used to identify an unknown animal or plant during a habitat study.

Question 34

Quantitive survey

Answer 34

Numerical data about the species in a habitat.

Question 35

Frequency

Answer 35

The percentage chance of a particular species being present in a randomly chosen quadrat.

Question 36

Percentage cover

Answer 36

The proportion of ground covered by plants or animals. Percentage cover may be calculated during a quantitative survey of a habitat.

Question 37

Distribution

Answer 37

The area(s) in a habitat where a species is located.

Question 38

Line transect

Answer 38

A way of investigating the distribution of a plant species across a habitat. A rope is laid out across the habitat and marked with a knot at every metre. Each knot is checked to see if the species under survey has touched the line transect and the result is recorded.

Question 39

Abundance

Answer 39

The number of individuals in a population of a species in a habitat.

Question 40

Conservation

Answer 40

The protection, preservation and careful use of our natural resources

Question 41

Pollution

Answer 41

Adding unwanted waste to the environment causing damage to it. If poisonous waste builds up it can kill a plant or animal, if one organism is damaged the balance of nature can be damaged.

Question 42

Air pollution

Answer 42

Caused by smoke, dust and harmful gases- most of these come from cars, buses, factories and power stations.

Question 43

Fossil fuels

Answer 43

When they are burned they produce gases called carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxide, these dissolve in rainwater to form carbonic acid and sulphuric acid. This acid rain damages plants and buildings

Question 44

Soil pollution

Answer 44

Caused by pesticides, artificial fertilisers and acid rain

Question 45

Water pollution

Answer 45

Rivers, lakes and seas are polluted by fertilisers, sewage, oil and detergents. Fertilisers seep into rivers and cause too much plant growth, bacteria populations boom as they feed on dead plants and no oxygen is left for the fish

Question 46

Incineration

Answer 46

Burning waste, this can release dangerous gases into the atmosphere, difficulties with location nobody wants to live near an incinerator

Question 47

Landfill

Answer 47

Burying waste in the ground, damages soil, rivers and ground water, attracts rodents, disease causing, bad smell, difficulties as nobody wants to live near landfill sites

Question 48

3 R’s

Answer 48

Reduce, reuse and recycle to make sure that we do not damage our environment and that future generations will have a nice place to live

Question 49

Reduce

Answer 49

Eg. Use your own shopping bag, do not pick the items with extra packaging (use less extra packaging)

Question 50

Recycling

Answer 50

Paper, glass, some metals and plastic an be processed and reused, this reduces damage to the environment