Ecology - Biology Paper 2 Flashcards
What is a habitat?
The place where an organism lives
What is a population?
All the organisms of one species living in a habitat
What is a community?
The populations of different species that live in a habitat
What are abiotic factors?
Non living factors of the environment , e.g temperature
What are biotic factors?
Living factors of the environment, e.g food
Why do farmers use weedkillers?
To ensure that there’s less competition with their crops for light and nutrients
Why is their frequent aggression between lions and hyenas?
Because they share the same habitat in Africa. They compete with each other for food, water and territory
How do male peacocks compete with one another?
They display their eye-catching tail feathers during mating season
What is interdependence?
when all organisms in an ecosystem depend upon each other.
What are stable communities?
A stable community is one in which the size of the populations of all species remain relatively constant over time.
What is interspecific competition ?
The competition which occurs between organisms of different species for a common resource.
What is intraspecific competition ?
The competition between organisms within the same species.
What are some examples of stable communities?
Tropical rainforests and oak woodlands
What are examples of abiotic factors?
- Moisture level
- Light intensity
- Temperature
- Carbon dioxide level(plants)
- Wind intensity and direction
- Oxygen level(aquatic life)
- Soil pH and mineral content
What are examples of biotic factors?
- New predators arriving
- Competition
- New pathogens
- Availability of food
What is an adaptation?
A feature or characteristic which helps an organism to survive.
What are structural adaptations?
the physical features which allow them to compete
What are behavioural adaptations?
behaviours which give them an advantage.
What are functional adaptations?
Things that go on inside an organisms body that can be related to reproduction and metabolism
What are extremophiles?
organisms that lives in an extreme environment. An extreme environment is one in which most organisms would find it difficult or impossible to survive.
What is an ecosystem?
the interaction of two or more populations of organisms in their environment.
What do food chains show?
What’s eaten by what in an ecosystem
What do food chains always start with?
A producer
What does a producer do?
Make their own food using energy from the sun
What are green plants and algae examples of?
Producers
What is a plant’s biomass?
The mass of living material or energy stored in a plant
Who eats producers in a food chain?
Primary consumers
Who eats primary consumers in a food chain?
Secondary consumers
Who eats secondary consumers in a food chain?
Tertiary consumers
What is a food web?
A network of food chains, which shows how they all link together.
What is a decomposer?
An organism which eats dead organisms, fallen leaves, animal droppings, etc, and breaks them down into simpler materials.
What are bacteria and fungi examples of?
Decomposers
What are predators?
Animals that hunt and kill other animals for food
What is prey?
Animals that predators kill for food
What causes numbers of prey or predators to increase or decrease?
Biotic and abiotic factors
What do predator-prey cycles highlight?
The interdependence of different species in a community
What is the distribution of an organism?
Where an organism is found
How can you study the distribution of an organism?
Using quadrats or transects
What is a quadrat?
A square frame enclosing a known area e.g, 1 m squared
What are the 2 types of sampling?
Random and systematic
What changes in the environment affect the change in species?
Availability of water, temperature, the composition of atmospheric gases
What is the water cycle?
The process in which water is constantly recycled on earth
What are the steps of the water cycle?
Evaporation, Condensation, Transport, Precipitation, Surface runoff, Infiltration, Transpiration
What is the carbon cycle?
The constant recycling of carbon
What is Stage one of the carbon cycle?
Carbon enters the atmosphere as carbon dioxide from respiration and combustion.
What is Stage two of the carbon cycle?
Carbon dioxide is absorbed by producers to make carbohydrates in photosynthesis.
What is Stage three of the carbon cycle?
Animals feed on plants, passing the carbon compounds along the food chain. Most carbon they consume is exhaled as carbon dioxide during respiration. The animals and plants eventually die.
What is Stage four of the carbon cycle?
Dead organisms are eaten by decomposers and carbon in their bodies is returned to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. In some conditions decomposition is blocked. The plant and animal material may then be available as fossil fuel in the future for combustion.
What is percolation?
The movement of water through the soil itself
What is decay?
The breakdown of dead organisms
What is compost?
Decomposed organic matter that is used as a natural fertiliser for crops and garden plants.
What factors affect the rate of decay?
Temperature. oxygen availability, water availability, number of decay organisms
What are carbon sinks?
Where lots of carbon compounds are stored together e.g fossil fuels
What is biogas?
A biofuel made up of methane that can be burned as a fuel .
What organisms are used to produce biogas?
..
Why does biogas have to be used straight away?
because it can’t be stored as a liquid
What are the 2 types of biogas generators?
Batch generators and continuous generators
What 3 things does a biogas generator need to have?
- an inlet for waste material to be put in
- an outlet for the digested material to be removed through
- an outlet so that the biogas can be piped to where it is needed
