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IGCSE Biology > Ecology and the Environemnt > Flashcards

Ecology and the Environemnt Flashcards

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1
Q

What is population?

A

The number of organisms of one species in a habitat.

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2
Q

What is a community

A

All the different species in a habitat

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3
Q

What is a habitat

A

The space or area in which an organism lives.

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4
Q

What is an ecosystem

A

An area where non- living and living things interact together.

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5
Q

How can you estimate the population size of an organism in different areas?

A
  • Randomly throw a quadrat on the ground.
  • Count all the organisms within the quadrat.
  • Repeat 5 times and find the mean.
  • Multiply this number with the size in m^2 of the investigated area.
  • Repeat for other areas.
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6
Q

How can quadrats be used to sample the distribution of organisms in their habitats?

A

Mark out a line along the area you want to investigate.

Using quadrats, collect data along the line.

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7
Q

What are producers

A

Organisms that make their own food

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8
Q

What are primary consumers

A

Organisms that usually eat plant material (herbivores)

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9
Q

What are secondary consumers

A

Organisms that usually eat animal material (usually carnivores)

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10
Q

What are territory consumers

A

Carnivores, but at the top most level in the food chain

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11
Q

What are decomposers

A

Mainly fungi and bacteria. They break down dead animal and plant material and use the nutrients from it by respiration.

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12
Q

What is a food chain

A

A simplistic representation of a situation in an ecosystem.

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13
Q

What is a food web?

A

A complex representation of a situation in an ecosystem that takes into account the different feeding preferences of animals.

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14
Q

What are pyramids of numbers

A

A pyramid drawn to scale to show the population of each organism.

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15
Q

What are pyramids of biomass

A

A pyramid drawn to give a more accurate indication of how much energy is passed on at each tropic level.

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16
Q

What is biomass?

A

The dry mass of living material in each organism.

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17
Q

What are pyramids of energy transfer?

A

A pyramid that represents estimates for energy values with producers in the lower layer up to the consumer in the top layer.

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18
Q

What happens when one thing consumes another in terms of energy?

A

The substances within it (e.g. Fat) get transferred to the consumer.

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19
Q

Pyramids have wide bases and eventually decrease in width as energy has been lost. Why is this?

A
  • material is not eaten by the consumer?
  • material is not digested by the consumer, and is therefore passed out as waste.
  • energy is used by the consumer for movement
  • energy is used for metabolic processes (e.g. Respiration)
  • energy is used in generating heat
  • energy is lost in urine.
20
Q

What is evaporation and how does it contribute to the water cycle?

A

This happens to water on wet surfaces and bodies of water and turns it into water vapour which goes in to condense to clouds.

21
Q

What is transpiration and how does it contribute to the water cycle?

A

The loss of water from plants as it evaporates from the surface of vegetation. It forms water vapour which then condenses to form clouds.

22
Q

What is condensation and how does it contribute to the water cycle?

A

Water vapour in the atmosphere condenses to from clouds, fog, frost etc.

23
Q

What is precipitation and how does it contribute to the water cycle?

A

Water vapour is held in the formation of clouds, fog and frost. Some falls into the ground and forms rivers and streams or is taken up by plants.

24
Q

What is combustion and what is its relation to the carbon cycle?

A

The burning of materials derived from plants, which releases co2 into the atmosphere. This is then used by plants to photosynthesise.

25
Q

What is photosynthesis and what is its relation to the carbon cycle?

A

A metabolic reaction in green plants that uses light energy to make energy. It takes in co2.

26
Q

What is respiration and what is its relation to the carbon cycle?

A

A metabolic reaction that releases energy and carbon dioxide gas. The energy released is used for growth and repair.

27
Q

What is decomposition and what is its relation to the carbon cycle?

A

A process where bacteria and fungi break down large molecules into smaller molecules when organisms dies. They respire and produce co2.

28
Q

What do nitrogen fixing bacteria do in the nitrogen cycle?

A

They convert nitrogen in the air into nitrates so that plants can use them to make amino acids and proteins.

29
Q

What do decomposers do in the nitrogen cycle ?

A

Break down dead animal and plant matter, releasing nitrogen as ammonia.

30
Q

What do nitrifying bacteria do in the. Nitrogen cycle?

A

Convert ammonia into to nitrites, nitrites into nitrates and or ammonium ions.

31
Q

What do denitrifying bacteria do in the nitrogen cycle?

A

Reconvert nitrates back into nitrogen gas = decreasing valuable resources in the soil.

32
Q

What are the biological consequences of sulphur dioxide?

A
  • So2 in combustion of fossil fuels= dissolves in water= acid rain- low pH: fish pop has decreased and sticky mucus on gills= less gas exchange.
  • acidified lakes= loss of algae in water= alters balance of species.
  • many trees and plants have died/ had poor growth due to acidic soil.
  • acid rain= crumbles buildings
33
Q

What are the biological consequences of carbon monoxide?

A
  • car exhausts and cigarette smoke= co= poisonous gas that reduces the blood’s oxygen carrying capacity.
  • prevents formation of haemoglobin= less o2 transported= cell death
34
Q

Give examples of green house gases? (5)

A 
Water vapour 
Carbon dioxide 
CFC's 
Nitrous oxides
Methane
35
Q

How is co2 formed and what is its effect?

A

Burning of fossil fuels= factories and power stations

Deforestation= less uptake of CO2 and therefore upsets balance between photosynthesis and respiration

36
Q

How is methane formed and what is its effect?

A

Cattle and other ruminants= digestion= methane
Rice paddy fields= produced by bacteria in anaerobic conditions
Decay of waste material= methane released

37
Q

How are CFCs formed and what is its effect?

A

CFC (11)- aerosol sprays= made by humans from fridges and aerosol cans
CFC (12)- cooling agent.

38
Q

How are nitrous oxides formed and what is its effect?

A

Fossil fuels/ motor exhausts= catalytic converters have been fit

Nitrogen fertilisers= nitrates in soil are converted to NOx and N2by denitrifying bacteria

39
Q

What is the greenhouse effect?

A
  • Electromagnetic radiation is emitted from the sun into the earth’s atmosphere
  • earth absorbs electromagnetic radiation with short wavelengths and so it warms up.
  • Heat is radiated from Earth as longer wavelength radiation
  • sine if this is absorbed by greenhouse gases=warmer
  • more greenhouse gases= warmer earth*
40
Q

What are the effects of global warming?

A
  • rise in temp= ice caps melting, flooding and sea level rise.
    -loss of habitat
    -disruption to food chain as organisms die
    -migration of animals
  • desertification
  • severe climate changes
41
Q

What are the biological consequences of water pollution by sewage?

A

If sewage enters a lake= increase in nutrients especially as microorganism will break the sewage down to even more nutrients.
= increased nutrients stimulate rapid growth and multiplication of algae.

42
Q

What is sewage?

A

The domestic waste material from human communities. It contains human urine and faeces and phosphates and nitrates.

43
Q

What happens when there is an increase in algae?

A

There are more life cycles= more deaths.
More deaths=more decomposition=more nutrients for microbe respiration.
More respiration= more oxygen required= higher BOD.
Higher BOD= less oxygen available so aquatic animals suffocate and die.

  • or more algae= more shade so plants die.
44
Q

What is eutrophication?

A

The enrichments of the water which can happen due to leached minerals from fertilisers or from sewage.

45
Q

What are the effects of deforestation?

A

-Leaching: less trees= less water is held back to water runs off, taking mineral ions with it.
-Soil erosion: top soil is removed or washed away so soil is directly exposed to wind and rain. -*less trees= loss of soil structure and fertility.
Disturbance of water cycle= much more unabsorbed water= flooding and landslides.
-imbalance of o2 and co2: less co2 absorbed for photosynthesis and more is released from burning the trees= enhances greenhouse effect
Less o2 is produced= respiration problems.

46
Q

What is a greenhouse gas?

A

Gases that trap heat and contribute to global warming.

IGCSE Biology (11 decks)

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