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Biology February Mock > Ecology And Energy Transfers 5.1-5.4 and 5.10-5.11 > Flashcards

Ecology And Energy Transfers 5.1-5.4 and 5.10-5.11 Flashcards

1
Q

Define ecosystem:

A

All the organisms living in a particular area and all the abiotic factors

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2
Q

Define habitat

A

The place where an organism lives

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3
Q

Define population:

A

All the organisms of ONE SPECIES in a habitat

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4
Q

Define population size (same as abundance):

A

The number of individuals of one species in a particular area

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5
Q

Define community:

A

ALL of the organisms of DIFFERENT SPECIES that live in the SAME HABITAT and INTERACT with each other

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6
Q

Define abiotic factors:

A

Non-living feautures

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7
Q

Define biotic factors:

A

Living feautures

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8
Q

Define distribution:

A

WHERE a species is within a particular area

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9
Q

What causes population size to vary?

A

Abiotic and biotic factors

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10
Q

How do abiotic factors affect population size? (Ideal and non-ideal)

A

Ideal:
When temp of surroundings is optimum for metabolic reaction.s less energy used trying to maintain body temp so more energy used for growth and reproduction so population size will increase

Non-ideal:
Temp is lower or higher than optimum body temp they require lots of energy to maintain right body temp so less energy available for growth and reproduction so pop size will decrease

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11
Q

What 3 ways do biotic factors affect population size?

A

Interspecific competition = competition between different species
Intraspecific competition = competition within a species
Predation

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12
Q

Pop size: How do biotic factors affect interspecific competition?

A

Organsims of different species compete for the same resources so availability is reduced. Populations then limited by lower amount of food so less energy for growth and reproduction so pop size decreases for those species.

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13
Q

Pop size: How do biotic factors affect intraspecific competition?

A

Pop of a species increases when resources are plentiful so more organisms competing for same amount of space and food - become limiting so pop begins to decline - smaller pop mesns less comp for food and soave so more growth and reproduction = a cycle

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14
Q

What is the carrying capacity?

A

The maximum stable population size of a species that an ecosystem can support

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15
Q

Pop size: How do biotic factors affect predation?

A

Population sizesof predators and prey are interlinked
As prey pop increases = more food for predators so predator pop grows = more prey eaten so prey pop falls = less food for predators = pop decreases etc.

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16
Q

What causes distribution to vary?

A

Abiotic and biotic factors

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17
Q

How do abiotic factors cause distribution to vary? (Examples)

A
  • Some plants only grow on south-facing slopes due to solar input
    Some plants dont feow near to shoreline as soil is too saline
  • Large trees cant grow in polar regions because temp is too low
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18
Q

How do biotic factors cause distribution to vary? (Examples)

A

Interspecific competitiom affects ditribution
If two species are competimg but one is better adapted, less well adapted species will be outcompeted and wont be able to co-exist

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19
Q

Define niche

A

The role a species plays within a habitat which includes biotic interactions (what it eats etc) and abiotic interactions (oxygen breathed in)

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20
Q

What does it mean ‘every species has a unique niche’

A

A niche can only be occupied by one species

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21
Q

How does a species niche affect pop size?

A

Two species occupying similar niche will compete so fewer individuals for both species

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22
Q

How does a species niche affect distribution?

A

Organisms can only exist in habitats where all the conditions that make up their role exisy

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23
Q

How can the abundance of a species be measured?

A

Simly counting number of species OR percentage cover can be used to meausure immobile organisms

24
Q

What are the benefits of sampling a population as opposed to counting every individual organism in a habitat?

A

Sampling is far less time-consuming

25
Q

How would you sample an area?

A
  • Choose an area to sample
  • Count the number of indiviudals of each species
  • Repeat process to get a good indication of whole habitat
  • Use results to estimaye total no. of individuals or total number of different species in habitat being studied
26
Q

What are the two types of samplinG?

A

Random and non-random

27
Q

What type of sampling should be used to aboid bias results?

A

Random sampling

28
Q

When would you use non-random sampling?

A

When a habitat has lotsof variety in the abiotic and/or distribution of species - ensures all different areas or species are sampled

29
Q

What is systematic sampling

A

A type of non-random sampling
Samples are taken at fixed intervals along a line in a habitat where abiotic factors gradually change from one end of sample area to another = environmentak gradient

30
Q

Describe how frame quadrats can be used to investigate immobile populations?

A
  • Frame quadrat = square frame divided into a grid of 100 squares
  • Random sampling can be achieved by using a coordinator generator
  • Percentage cover of plant species can be measured - square counted if more than half-covered
  • Useful for small areas and very quick
31
Q

Describe how point quadrats can be used to investigate immobile populations?

A
  • Horizontal bar on twi legs with a series of holes at set intervals along length
  • Placed on ground at random points
  • Pins are dropped through holes and every plant that the pin touches is recorded - number of individual species is recorded in each quadrat
  • Useful in areas with dense vegetation clos to ground
32
Q

Descibe how transects are used to investigate distribution of plant populations x3 types:

A

Line transects = tape meausre placed alomh trashect and species that touch tape measurer are recorded

Belt transects = data collected alomg transect using frame quadrats placed next to each other

Interruoted transects = measurements taken at intervals eg. Point quadrats every 2 metres along transect

33
Q

Measuring abiotic factors: climate

A

Temperature measured using a thermometer
Rainfall using a rain gauge = volume of rainwater collected
Humidity using a electronic hygrometer

34
Q

Measuring abiotic factors: oxygen availability

A

Only needed in aquatic habitatid

Using an oxygen sensor

35
Q

Measuring abiotic factors: solar input

A

Light sensor

36
Q

Measuring abiotic factors: edaphic conditions (soil)

A

pH - indicator liquid mixed with soil and water + matched against a chart of electronic pH monitor
Moisture content - mass of soil measured before and after being dried out in an oven until constant mass reached - difference is a mass as a percentage of the original mass

37
Q

Measuring abiotic factors: topography

A

Relief - height recordings using a GPS device at different points
Slope angle - clinometer is a peiec of string with weight on it held next to a protractor which is in direction of slope
Aspect - compass

38
Q

What is succession?

A

The process by which an ecosystem changes over time

39
Q

Define primary succession:

A

Occurs on land thats newly formed or exposed - no soil to begin with just bare rock

40
Q

Define secondary succession:

A

Occurs on land thats been cleared of all plants but soil remains

41
Q

Descibe the stages of succession:

A

PRIMARY SUCCESION

  • pioneer species colonise new land surface, abiotic conditions are harsh so species must be extremely well adapted
  • pioneer species alter abiotic conditions as decomposed by microorganisms when die so basic soil is formed from organic material
  • less hostile conditions as more water retained in basic soil = more species with different adaptations move in

SECONDARY SUCCESSION

  • pioneer species are larger plants eg. Shrubs
  • ecosystem becomes more complex and biodiversity increases

CLIMAX COMMUNITY
- ecosystem supports largest and most complex community of plants and its in a steady state so wont change much more

42
Q

Example of primary succession - bare rock to woodland

A
  • Pioneer species colonise rock eg. Lichens
  • Lichens die and decomposed forming a thin soil
  • Larger species requiring more water move in as soil deepens eg. Small flowering plants = more decomposition
  • Trees start to grow, outcompeting other species to become the dominant species
  • Large trees become dominant species and climax community is formed
43
Q

Whatis the climatic climax?

A

The climax community for a particular climate

44
Q

What is plagioclimax?

A

When succession is stopped artifically, stopping the climax community from developing

45
Q

What is the main route energy enters an ecosystem?

A

Photosynthesis

46
Q

How do producers store sunlight?

A

As biomass

47
Q

What is a trophic level?

A

A position in the food chain eg. producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer, tertiary consumer

48
Q

How much of available energy to an ecosystem is lost in total?

A

90%

49
Q

Why is some energy (60%) never taken in by organisms in first place?

A
  • Plants cant use all light energy as some is wrong wavelength, some is reflected and some passes straight through leaves
  • Hits part of the tree that cant photosynthesise
  • Parts of food eg bones arent eaten by organisms
  • Some parts are indigestible so passed as waste
50
Q

What is gross productivity?

A

Energy absorbed by organisms = 40%

51
Q

What is respiratory loss?

A

Energy lost to environment when organisms use energy produced from respiration for movement or body heat

52
Q

What is net productivity? State equation

A

The amount of energy available to next trophic level

NPP = GPP - RL

53
Q

Equation for percentage efficiency of energy transfer!

A

(Net productivity / energy received) x100

54
Q

When is it call NPP and GPP + state equation for NPP

A

When referring only to producers

NPP = GPP - plant respiration

55
Q

How can energy transfer between trophic levels be measured?

A

Calculate the difference between amount of energy in each level (net productivity of each level)
Do this by measuring the dry mass of organisms (energy stored as biomass so indicated how much energy an organism contains)

56
Q

How to calculate amount of energy in a trophic level using dry mass:

A
  1. Calculate amount of biomass in a sample of organisms eg. 1m2 of wheat by drying in an oven until constant mass reached
  2. Multiply results from sample by size of total population to give total amount of energy at that trophic level
  3. Difference in energy between trophic levels is amount of energy transferred
    Nb. For accurate estimate all indivudal organisms at each trophic level would need to be measured

Biology February Mock (9 decks)

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