ecology gcse

Question 1

what are the 3 types of adaptions called?
+ give example for each (animals)

Answer 1

Behavioural - elephants spray water on themselves to keep cool

physiological - a stunk spraying toxins when feeling frightened.

structural - foxes have sharp teeth to catch and eat preys

Question 2

polar bear structural adaptions
(5)

Answer 2

• has small ears and tail to minimise heat loss (reduces surface area)
• white fur for camouflage
• Thick fur for warmth
• black skin to absorb as much heat as possible
• they have a thick layer of blubber beneath their skin which helps insulate them and maintain their body heat

Question 3

polar bear physiological adaptions

Answer 3

• they have slow metabolism allowing them to conserve energy during the winter when short of supply

Question 4

polar bear Behavioural adaptions
(4)

Answer 4

• hibernation
• they are strong swimmer
• They dig dens (habitat)
• they find mates for breeding

Question 5

give example for each of the 3 types of adaptions for plants

Answer 5

structural - Waxy leaves help reduce water loss in dry environments.
or
colourful and bright to attract birds (for fruit seed dispersal) and bees (pollen)

Behavioural - Leaves closing at night to conserve water.

physiological - photosynthesis

Question 6

cacti physiological adaptions

Answer 6

Thick, waxy skin reduces water loss.
Spines protect and reduce evaporation.
Shallow roots absorb surface water quickly.
Stem stores water.
Stomata open at night to minimize water loss (CAM photosynthesis).

Question 7

cacti structural adaptions

Answer 7

• No leaves to reduce water loss (smaller surface area)
• spikes to stop animals from feeding on it
• widespread root system to collect water and nutrients more easily

Question 8

cacti behavioural adaptions

Answer 8

Stomata open at night to minimize water loss.

Question 9

ecosystem definition

Answer 9

a community of living organisms (plants, animals, microorganisms) interacting with each other and their physical environment (air, water, soil) in a specific area. It includes both biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) factors.

Question 10

stable community definition

Answer 10

when the size of the populations of all species remain relatively constant over time

Question 11

community definition

Answer 11

All the populations of different species that live in a particular place

Question 12

interspecific definition

Answer 12

Competiton between species that are completly different

Question 13

population definition

Answer 13

A group of organisms of the same spieces living in the same area at the same time

Question 14

intraspecific definition

Answer 14

when members of the same species compete for limited resources

Question 15

interdependence definition

Answer 15

the way in which organisms rely on each other to survive

Question 16

Abiotic factor definition
+ 3 examples out of 6 at least

Answer 16

Non living factors that impact the ecosystem
- wind
- PH
- light intensity
- nutrients availability
- CO2 levels
- oxygen levels

Question 17

biotic factor definition
+ 2 examples

Answer 17

living factors that impact the ecosystem
- competitions
- pathogens

Question 18

interdependence definition

Answer 18

different organisations that depend on each other to survive

Question 19

why does food chains only reach up to tertiary consumers?

Answer 19

Because the energy has been lost as it decreases every stage

Question 20

how does CO2 enter and return back to the atmosphere?

Answer 20

enter - plants and algae take in CO2 from the atmosphere through photosynthesis
(where carbon dioxide is combined with water to make the sugar glucose)

return - by aerobic respiration
(every living organism carries out respiration - respiration and breathing are not the same thing so don’t say it is in the exam)

Question 21

What is a transect?

Answer 21

A line through a change across a particular area or habitat which organisms are sampled

Question 22

When ecologists want to learn about the organisms in an environment they often use sampling.

Explain what sampling means and why it is often used.

Answer 22

sampling is a method used by scientists to determine the abundance or distribution of an organisms. this methods are used to save time as it would be very time consuming or near impossible to count all the organisms

Question 23

The name given to the mass of living material in an organism or population is… what?

Answer 23

“biomass”

The mass of living material that makes up an organism is called the biomass. The term ‘bio’ means living.

biomass halves every time it goes up the food chain

Question 24

biodiversity

Answer 24

the variety of different species on Earth.

Question 25

True or false? Pesticides have a negative effect on biodiversity if they are washed into streams but fertilisers have a positive effect.

Answer 25

false
Both have a negative effect

• since if they run off the land and enter waterways such as lakes and rivers.