Ecology key words

Question 1

Abiotic factors

Answer 1

Non-living factors which affect a community

Question 2

Abundance

Answer 2

An indication of how common or rare a particular type of organism is in a given environment

Question 3

Adaptations

Answer 3

Special features which make an organism particularly well suited to the environment where it lives

Question 4

Algae

Answer 4

Simple aquatic organisms which make their own food by photosynthesis

Question 5

Apex predator

Answer 5

A carnivore at the top of the food chain with no predators

Question 6

Aphids

Answer 6

Insects that penetrate the plant phloem and feed on the dissolved nutrients. They act as plant pathogens and are also vectors that carry pathogens to healthy plant tissues

Question 7

Asexual reproduction

Answer 7

Reproduction involving only one individual. The offspring is identical to the parent. There is no fusion of gametes or mixing of genetic information

Question 8

Biotic factors

Answer 8

Living factors which affect communities

Question 9

Biodiversity

Answer 9

A measure of the variety of all the different species of organisms in a given environment

Question 10

Biomass

Answer 10

The amount of biological material in an organism

Question 11

Carbon cycle

Answer 11

The cycling of carbon through the living and non-living world

Question 12

Carnivore

Answer 12

An animal which feeds on meat

Question 13

Causal mechanism

Answer 13

Something that explains how one factor influences another

Question 14

Cellulose

Answer 14

The complex carbohydrate that makes up plant and algal cell walls and gives them strength

Question 15

Community

Answer 15

A group of interdependent living organisms in an ecosystem

Question 16

Competition

Answer 16

The process by which living organisms compete with each other for limited resources

Question 17

Correlation

Answer 17

An apparent link or relationship between two factors

Question 18

Decomposers

Answer 18

Microorganisms that break down waste products and dead bodies

Question 19

Deforestation

Answer 19

Large scale clearing of trees and forests

Question 20

Distribution

Answer 20

Where particular types of organisms are found within an environment

Question 21

Ecosystem

Answer 21

The interaction of a community of living organisms and the non-living parts of their environment

Question 22

Extremophile

Answer 22

An organism that can survive and reproduce in extreme conditions such as high temperature, pressure or salt concentration

Question 23

Food chain

Answer 23

A simple diagram which shows the feeding relationship within a community. All food chains start with a producer

Question 24

Food security

Answer 24

Having enough food to feed a population

Question 25

Global warming

Answer 25

A gradual increase of the overall temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere. Increasing levels of carbon dioxide and methane are contributing to this

Question 26

Fusarium

Answer 26

Fungus used for producing mycoprotein, a protein rich food suitable for vegetarians

Question 27

Gravitropism

Answer 27

The response of a plant to gravity

Question 28

Habitat

Answer 28

The natural environment of a plant or animal

Question 29

Herbivore

Answer 29

An animal that feeds on plants

Question 30

Incident energy

Answer 30

Light from the sun arriving from the sun of the earth

Question 31

Interdependence

Answer 31

The network of relationships between different organisms within a community, for example each species depends on other species for food, shelter, pollination, seed dispersion etc

Question 32

Limiting factors

Answer 32

Factors which restrict/limit the rate of a reaction, for example light intensity in photosynthesis

Question 33

Peat bogs

Answer 33

An area of very wet land without trees where many types of moss grow. Decomposition is very slow and so peat has formed from partially decayed plants

Question 34

Phototropism

Answer 34

The response of a plant to light, controlled by auxin

Question 35

Primary consumer

Answer 35

Animals that eat producers

Question 36

Producers

Answer 36

Organisms such as plants and algae that can make food using photosynthesis or chemosynthesis. Producers are eaten by primary consumers

Question 37

Pollution

Answer 37

A substance which has harmful or poisonous effects. It can occur from water, in air and on land and from toxic chemicals. Pollution kills plants and animals which can reduce biodiversity

Question 38

Quadrat

Answer 38

A piece of equipment used to measure the abundance and distribution of organisms in the field

Question 39

Quantitative sampling

Answer 39

Recording the number of the organisms rather than just the type

Question 40

Secondary consumer

Answer 40

Animals that eat the primary consumer

Question 41

Species

Answer 41

The smallest group of clearly identified organisms in Linnaeus’s classification system, often describes as a group of organisms that can breed together and produce fertile offspring

Question 42

Transects

Answer 42

A measured line or area along which ecological measurements are made

Question 43

Trophic level

Answer 43

Feeding levels in an ecosystem

Question 44

Tropism

Answer 44

The responses of plant roots and shoots to environmental stimuli such as light and gravity