ecology and the environment Flashcards
define population
all the organisms of one species in a habitat
define habitat
the place where an organism lives
define community
all the different species in a habitat
ecosystem
all the organisms living in a particular area and all the non living conditions
what is biodiversity
the variety of different species of organisms on earth, or within an ecosystem
3 examples of biotic factors
1) availability of food
2) number of predators
3) competition
5 examples of abiotic factors
1) temperature
2) light intensity
3) moisture level
4) pH level
5) toxic chemicals
what is a producer
makes its own food using energy from the sun
what is a primary, secondary or tertiary consumer
primary consumers eat producers
secondary consumers eat primary consumers
tertiary consumers eat secondary consumers
what is a decomposer
they break down dead material and waste
why is only about 10% of energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next
most energy is lost in these ways:
1) some parts of the food aren’t eaten/ absorbed, or they are indigestible
2) most of the energy taken in is used for respiration and staying alive
3) most of the energy is transferred to surroundings by heat loss
how do you measure the number of plants in a large field
use a quadrat random number generator to find where to put it count how many in the quadrat repeat multiply to scale of field
causes of sulfur dioxide pollution
volcanic eruptions and fossil fuels
biological consequences of sulfur dioxide / nitrogen oxides pollution
dissolve in clouds to form acid rain
- leaching of ions into lakes kills fish
- root hairs less effective at absorbing minerals so tree growth slowed
- acidification of lakes (death of bacteria, fish, algae, change to ecosystem)
ways to reduce CO2 production
- planting of trees
- less burning of fossil fuels
- fewer cars / public transport
- legislation
- renewable energy
