Ecology And The Environment Flashcards
Name the first 4 trophic levels
Producer
Primary consumer
Secondary consumer
Tertiary consumer
What do the arrows in a food chain represent
The transfer of energy
What is a producer
An organism that creates its own food or energy
Population définition
All the organisms of the same species in a habitat
Community definition
All the different species in a habitat
Habitat definition
The place where an organism lives
Ecosystem definition
A community of organisms interacting with their physical environment
Biodiversity definition
A range of plants and animals
What is biomass
The total mass of biological material at each level of a food chain
What is a pyramid of number
Shows the number of organisms in each trophic level in a food chain
What is a pyramid of biomass
Shows the total amount of biomass of the organism in each trophic level
What ways is biomass lost at each level.
Used in respiration
Some food isn’t eaten
Lost as heat to surroundings
Lost in urine and faeces
Biotic factors affecting the distribution of organisms
Predation
Disease
Availability of food
Availability of mates
Abiotic factors affecting the distribution of organisms
Rainfall
O2 content
Temperature
Soil condition
Pollution
Hours of sunlight
Why is nitrogen so important to living organisms
Amino acids - proteins
DNA
How are nitrates absorbed by plants
Uptake by roots by active transport using root hair cells
Green house gases
CO2
Méthane
Nitrous oxides
Water vapor
CFCs
Consequences of global warming
Melting of ice caps
Rise in sea levels
Flooding
Extreme weather
Habitat loss - extinction
How is deforestation leading to an increase in CO2 levels in the atmosphere
Less CO2 uptake and less O2 released
CO2 is produced from decomposition and burning of dead trees
Link between increase in greenhouse effect and global warming
Increase in GHGs
More heat radiation being trapped
Increasing global temperature
Nitrogen fixation
Converting atmospheric nitrogen into nitrogenous compounds
Nitrification
Converting ammonia ions into nitrites then nitrates
Uptake
Plant take up nitrate ions by active transport and use them to make proteins
Consumption
Animals eat the plants which transfers the nitrogenous compounds
Decomposition
Proteins in dead plant and animals are broken down and converted back to ammonium ions
Denitrification
Nitrates are converted back to nitrogen gas, using up the oxygen
