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

Each habitat has its own community of organisms. Community is 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, seashore

Question 7

Biome

Answer 7

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

Question 8

Biosphere

Answer 8

All of Earths ecosystems together 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

Food chain

Answer 13

Shows how one organism eats another and so on, food chains must start with green plants because they’re the only things that can make food

Question 14

Feeding level

Answer 14

The position of an organism in the food chain

Question 15

Amount of energy

Answer 15

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

Question 16

Food web

Answer 16

Is two or more interconnected food chains

Question 17

Competition

Answer 17

Occurs when two or more organisms seek a resource that is limited, plants compete for light, water, minerals and space while animals compete for food, shelter, territory and mates

Question 18

Adaptations

Answer 18

Features that give an organism a better chance of surviving in their habitat

Question 19

Dandelion Adaptation

Answer 19

Has a long root which means it reaches below the short roof of grass to get water and are able to compete for space because they are able to spread their seeds in the wind

Question 20

Hedgehog adaptation

Answer 20

Have an excellent sense of smell to make them good at finding food, have spikes to fight off predators and have a colour which makes them camouflaged so predators can’t find them easily

Question 21

Abiotic factors

Answer 21

Are non-living e.g weather, temperature, light and rainfall

Question 22

Biotic factors

Answer 22

Are living e.g competition, predation and symbiosis

Question 23

Predation

Answer 23

Controls number of organisms in an ecosystem E.g lions eat zebras

Question 24

Symbiosis

Answer 24

Relationship between organisms of different species where at least one benefits e.g cleaner fish eat parasites out of the mouths of eels

Question 25

Balance of Nature

Answer 25

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

Question 26

Conservation

Answer 26

Is the protection, preservation and careful use of our natural resources

Question 27

Natural resources

Answer 27

Land, rivers, seas, plants and animals

Question 28

Pollution

Answer 28

Is adding unwanted wastes to environment causing damage to it

Question 29

Air Pollution

Answer 29

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

Question 30

Fossil fuels

Answer 30

are burned they produce gases called carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide, these dissolve in rainwater to form carbonic acid and sulfuric acid

Question 31

Soil Pollution

Answer 31

Caused by pesticides, artificial fertilisers and acid rain

Question 32

Water pollution

Answer 32

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 fish

Question 33

Incineration

Answer 33

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

Question 34

Landfill

Answer 34

Burying the waste in ground- damages soil, rivers and ground water, attracts rodents, disease causing, bad smell, difficulties as no one wants to live near landfill sites

Question 35

3 R’s

Answer 35

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle

Question 36

Reduce

Answer 36

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

Question 37

Recycling

Answer 37

Paper glass, some metals and plastics can be processed and reused this reduces damage to the environment

Question 38

Conservation

Answer 38

Is the protection, preservation and careful use of our natural resources

Question 39

Natural resources

Answer 39

Land, rivers, seas, plants and animals

Question 40

Pollution

Answer 40

Is adding unwanted wastes to environment causing damage to it

Question 41

Air Pollution

Answer 41

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

Question 42

Fossil fuels

Answer 42

are burned they produce gases called carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide, these dissolve in rainwater to form carbonic acid and sulfuric acid