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Sam - Biology > Ecology (& HL Ecology) > Flashcards

Ecology (& HL Ecology) Flashcards

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AP® Biology flashcards Biology 101 flashcards
1
Q

Definition of ecology?

A

the study of organisms and their environment.

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2
Q

Definition of biosphere?

A

the part of the earth where life can exist.

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3
Q

Definition of ecosystem?

A

organisms and their environment.

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4
Q

Definition of habitat?

A

place where an organism lives.

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5
Q

Definition of population?

A

all the organisms of the same species living in an area.

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6
Q

Definition of community?

A

all the organisms in an area/habitat/ecosystem.

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7
Q

Definition of niche?

A

refers to the role an organism plays in a community.

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8
Q

What are some examples of biosphere?

A

deep in the ocean, rock, air, soil.

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9
Q

What are examples of an ecosystem?

A

grassland, woodland, bogland, deserts, lakes.

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10
Q

What are examples of a habitat?

A

grassland, seashore.

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11
Q

What is an example of a population in their area/habitat?

A

rabbits in a field.

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12
Q

What does abiotic factors mean?

A

non-living factors.

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13
Q

What does biotic factors mean?

A

living factors.

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14
Q

Definition of climatic factors?

A

the weather over a long period of time.

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15
Q

Definition of edaphic factors?

A

relate to the soil.

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16
Q

Definition of aquatic factors?

A

relate to water.

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17
Q

What are factors of sandy soil/large soil particles?

A
  • good drainage
  • good air content
  • low mineral content
  • low water content
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18
Q

What are factors of clay soil/small soil particles?

A
  • impermeable to water
  • impermeable to air
  • poor drainage
  • high mineral content
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19
Q

What is the primary source of energy flow?

A

the sun.

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20
Q

What percentage of energy is passed on to another organism?

A

10%

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21
Q

Definition of producers?

A

organisms that make their own food by photosynthesis.

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22
Q

Definition of consumers?

A

cannot make their own food.

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23
Q

Definition of primary consumers?

A

feed on producers.

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24
Q

Definition of herbivores?

A

feed on plants only.

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25
Q

Definition of decomposers?

A

feed on dead organic matter.

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26
Q

Definition of secondary consumers?

A

feed on primary consumers.

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27
Q

Definition of carnivores?

A

feed on meat only.

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28
Q

Definition of tertiary consumers?

A

feed on secondary consumers.

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29
Q

Definition of omnivores?

A

feed on both plants and animals.

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30
Q

Name an example of an omnivore?

A

human/bear/badger

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31
Q

Definition of a food chain?

A

a sequence of organisms in which one is eaten by the next organism of the food chain.

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32
Q

Definition of a trophic level?

A

is a feeding stage in the food train.

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33
Q

Definition of trophic?

A

feeding or nutrition.

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34
Q

Who do producers always occupy?

A

1st trophic level.

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35
Q

Who do primary consumers occupy?

A

2nd trophic level.

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36
Q

Why is the food chain limited?

A

as low amount of energy passed on/lost.

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37
Q

What is a food web and what’s is its function?

A

consists of two or more food chains that are interlinked. it shows many interrelationships that exist in an ecosystem.

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38
Q

What does a pyramid of numbers represent?

A

the organism number at each trophic level in a food chain.

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39
Q

As you move up the food chain, the number of organisms at each trophic level?

A

decreases.

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40
Q

As you move up the food chain, the size of the individual?

A

increases.

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41
Q

What is a normal pyramid?

A

the numbers of organisms decline going up the pyramid due to energy loss between trophic levels.

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42
Q

What’s an inverted pyramid?

A

numbers of organisms don’t always get smaller going up the pyramid which gives rise to an inverted pyramid.

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43
Q

Definition of biomass?

A

total weight of the organisms.

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44
Q

Give three limitations of pyramid of numbers?

A
  • they can’t always be drawn to scale due to the numbers of organisms being so large.
  • they do not always account for the size of the organisms.
  • size of some populations can’t be estimated.
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45
Q

Name the four factors that control population size?

A
  1. competition
  2. predation
  3. parasitism
  4. symbiosis
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46
Q

What is meant by competition?

A

when organisms struggle for a scarce resource.

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47
Q

Give an example for plants and animals in competition?

A

plants compete for food/space/water/light.
animals compete for food/shelter/mates/space.

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48
Q

What does intra-specific competition mean? Give an example.

A

takes place between members of the same species.
Eg: two blackbirds fighting for territory.

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49
Q

Name the two types of competition?

A

contest competition and scramble competition.

50
Q

What does contest competition mean?
Give an eg.

A

struggle for a resource with one winner
Eg: fighting for territory, food, mate.

51
Q

What does scramble competition mean?
Give an eg.

A

Struggle for a resource and all get some.
Eg: plant competing for light and space.

52
Q

Give two benefits of competition?

A

ensures evolution and species are maintained.

53
Q

Discuss an adaptation of organisms to survive competition

A

a butterfly and caterpillar are the same species but avoid competition as they have different mouth parts. butterflies feed on nectar while caterpillars feed on leaves.

54
Q

What is meant by predation?

A

the hunting, killing and eating of another organism.

55
Q

Definition of a predator? Give eg

A

an organism that hunts, kills and eats another organism. eg: fox

56
Q

Definition of prey?

A

an organism that is eaten by a predator. eg: rabbit.

57
Q

What are some predator adaptations?

A

excellent eyesight, night vision, good sense of smell, fast.

58
Q

What are some prey adaptations? Give an eg and discuss.

A

good senses, camouflage. eg: rabbit has long ears to hear, strong hind legs and fast.

59
Q

What are some plant adaptations? Give an eg.

A

nettles have a sting to protect themselves from predators, flowers are bright colours to attract insects for pollination, wild garlic has a strong odour.

60
Q

Give four factors that affect human populations?

A
  • war increases the death rate.
  • famine increases the death rate.
  • contraception reduces the birth rate.
  • disease increases the death rate.
61
Q

What is meant by parasitism?

A

Relationship in which an organism lives on/in a second species feeding on it and causing harm

62
Q

What’s a parasite?

A

a living organism that lives with and feeds off another organism causing harm.

63
Q

What’s a host? Give an eg.

A

a living organism that is fed on and harmed by another organism that lives with it. eg: fleas on a dog.

64
Q

Name the three types of parasites?

A

endoparasites, exoparasites, obligate parasites.

65
Q

What’s an endoparasite? Give an eg.

A

live on the inside of the host’s body causing harm. eg: tapeworm in the human small intestines.

66
Q

What’s an exoparasite? Give an eg.

A

live on the outside of the host’s body. eg: fleas on a dog.

67
Q

What’s an obligate parasite?

A

require a host to reproduce.

68
Q

What is the role of parasites?

A

they control populations of the organism that they feed on.

69
Q

What’s mutualism?

A

is another form of symbiosis where both organisms benefit.

70
Q

Environmental factors affecting organisms?

A

abiotic factors
biotic factors
climatic factors
edaphic factors

71
Q

Suns energy is stored by plants in the?

A

Chemical bonds

72
Q

Most of energy is lost in the form of?

A

Heat

73
Q

Roughly what % of heat is passed on to other organisms?

A

10%

74
Q

Feeding represents a flow of?

A

Energy

75
Q

Definition of detritus feeders?

A

Feed on small parts of dead and decomposing animals like mussels.

76
Q

Primary consumers include? Name 3

A

Herbivores
Decomposers
Detritus feeders

77
Q

Secondary consumers include? Name 3

A

Carnivores, scavengers, omnivores

78
Q

Give example of a food chain.

A

Dandelion - butterfly - thrush - hawk
Grass - rabbit - fox

79
Q

Whats nutrient recycling?

A

way in which elements are exchanged between living and non-living components of an ecosystem.

80
Q

Whats the function of the nitrogen cycle?

A

take nitrogen from air and make it available for use by living things.

81
Q

Whats nitrogen fixation?

A

nitrogen to usable form.

82
Q

what’s nitrification?

A

conversion of ammonia and ammonium compounds to nitrite and then to nitrate.

83
Q

Whats denitrification?

A

conversion of nitrates to nitrogen gas.

84
Q

Where can nitrogen-fixing bacteria be found?

A

free in the soil.

85
Q

Nitrogen fixation is a ___ process?

A

anaerobic

86
Q

Nitrogen fixation is carried out by?

A

volcanic action, lightning, industrial processes and some bacteria.

87
Q

Bacteria being chemosynthetic means?

A

make own food using energy from chemical reactions.

88
Q

Name 4 bacteria types and functions in nitrogen cycle.

A

nitrogen-fixing bacteria, converts atmospheric nitrogen to nitrates.

bacteria of decomposers, convert nitrogen waste to ammonia.

nitrifying bacteria, convert ammonia to nitrates.

denitrifying bacteria, convert nitrates to nitrogen gas.

89
Q

Three ways humans affect ecosystems?

A

pollution, conservation and waste management.

90
Q

Definition of pollution?

A

any harmful addition to the environment.

91
Q

Name and explain 3 types of pollution.

A

domestic: household wastes.
agricultural: includes use of sprays to control pests/weeds, overuse of fertilisers.
industrial: smoke that causes acid rain and wastes affecting streams, rivers, lakes.

92
Q

What are pollutants?

A

harmful additions to the environment.

93
Q

CFC stands for? Whats it used in?

A

chlorofluorocarbons, styrofoam

94
Q

Whats conservation?

A

protection/management of organisms/environment

95
Q

2 benefits of conservation?

A

prevents organisms from becoming extinct.
maintains biodiversity.

96
Q

Conservation for fisheries?

A

large mesh size nets
restocking
return young fish

97
Q

4 problems with waste disposal?

A
  • decaying waste produces metheyne, a greenhouse gas contributing to climate change.
  • toxic chemicals released can easily be washed out and enter drinking water supplies.
  • nutrients released from waste can affect water supplies, lead to death of plants and animals.
  • incinerators burn waste at high temperatures, fear of poisonous gases being released during process.
98
Q

Give three R’s for control of waste production.

A

reduce
reuse
recycle

99
Q

What does recycle mean?

A

return elements to the environment is it can be reused.

100
Q

Whats a population?

A

comprises oof all the members of a species living in an area.

101
Q

Name 4 factors that control populations.

A

competition,
predation,
parasitism,
symbiosis

102
Q

Whats inter-specific competition?

A

occurs between members of different species. Eg: blackbirds and thrushes for insects.

103
Q

Consequence of competition?

A

the number of organisms is reduced.

104
Q

What do plants, and animals compete for?

A

plants = space, light, water, minerals/

animals = food, water, shelter, territory and reproductive rights.

105
Q

What does ‘fittest’ mean?

A

best suited to its environment

106
Q

Scramble competition tends to?

A

reduce numbers in a population.

107
Q

Name ways organisms avoid competition.

A

feeding habits, camouflaged, protective coats, alterations to mouth parts.

108
Q

Example of a predator and prey?

A

Hawks and mice

109
Q

Whats a predator?

A

organism that hunts, kills and eats another organism

110
Q

What is prey?

A

the organism that is eaten by the predator.

111
Q

ectoparasites are also called?

A

ectoparasites

112
Q

Definition of symbiosis?

A

relationship between species involving benefit.

113
Q

Another form of symbiosis is?

A

mutualism

114
Q

Whats mutualism?

A

both organisms benefit from the association

115
Q

Predator-prey relationships allow?

A

allow population control

116
Q

Explain how predator-prey relationship increases and decreases.

A

increase due to food (prey) availability
decreases due to lack of food (prey)

117
Q

Explain how the number and time on predator-prey relationship changes.

A

lower number due to loss of energy or reference to size (predators usually bigger)

delay in increase in time due to time taken to breed

118
Q

Name 4 factors affecting human population numbers.

A

war, famine, contraception, disease

119
Q

How does war affect human population?

A

high death rate, decrease in population.

120
Q

How does famine affect human population?

A

high death rate, decrease in population.

121
Q

How does contraception affect human population?

A

low birth rate, decrease in population.

122
Q

How does disease affect human population?

A

high death rate, decrease in population.

Sam - Biology (20 decks)

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