Ecology - Organisms And Their Environment

Question 1

what is population

Answer 1

all the organisms of one species living in a habitat

Question 2

what is community

Answer 2

the populations of different species living in a habitat

Question 3

what is an ecosystem

Answer 3

the interaction of a community of living and non living parts of their environment

Question 4

what do plants compete for

Answer 4

light
space
water
mineral ions

Question 5

what do animals compete for

Answer 5

territory
food
water
mates

Question 6

what is independence

Answer 6

species depend on each other for food shelter pollination and seed dispersal in a community

Question 7

what are stable communities

Answer 7

all species and environmental factors are in balance so population sizes stay roughly constant

Question 8

what are some examples of a biotic things

Answer 8

moisture levels
light intensity
temperature
co2 levels 
wind intensity and direction
oxygen levels
soil ph and mineral content

Question 9

give biotic examples that can effect ecosystems

Answer 9

new predators
new pathogens
food availability
competition

Question 10

what are adaptations

Answer 10

features or characteristics that allow organisms to survive in their natural environment

Question 11

what are structural adaptations

give an examle

Answer 11

features of a body structure like shape or colour

e.g. animals that live in cold places have a thick layer of blubber and a low surface area to volume ratio

Question 12

what are behavioural adaptations

give examples

Answer 12

ways organisms behave e.g. migrating to warmer countries

Question 13

what are functional adaptations

give examples

Answer 13

things that happen inside an organisms body like reproduction and metabolism
e.g. desert animals don’t produce much sweat and they have small amounts of concentrated urine

Question 14

what are extremophiles

Answer 14

organisms that are adapted to live in seriously extreme conditions.

Question 15

what are food chains

Answer 15

shows what eat what in an ecosystem

Question 16

what is biomass and how does a plant make it

Answer 16

glucose from photosynthesis is used to make biological molecules
biomass is the mass of living material

Question 17

what are predator prey cycles

Answer 17

if prey population increases then so will predator population . when the predator population increases the prey population decreases

Question 18

why are predator prey cycles always out of phase with each other

Answer 18

it takes a while for one population to respond to a change in the other population

Question 19

what is the distribution of an organism

Answer 19

where an organism is found within a habitat. eg a stream

Question 20

what are 2 ways you can study the distribution of an organism

Answer 20

measure how common it is in 2 or more sample areas using quadrats
see how distribution changes across an area by placing quadrats along a transect

Question 21

how can a change in the availability of water effect the distribution of organims

Answer 21

animals may migrate as rainfall patterns change

Question 22

what are 2 factors that effect species distribution

Answer 22

temperature

composition of atmospheric gasses e.g some species cant grow in polluted areas

Question 23

what happens in the water cycle

Answer 23

water evaporates from land and sea and plants (transpiration) and turns to water vapour
vapour carries upwards cus its warm
cools and condenses to form clouds
water falls from clouds as precipitation

Question 24

why do materials decay

Answer 24

because they are broken down by microorganisms

Question 25

what conditions are needed for decay

Answer 25

warm, moist, aerobic

Question 26

why is decay important

Answer 26

puts stuff plants need to grow back into the soil

Question 27

what is the first stage of the carbon cycle

Answer 27

co2 removed by plants and algae and is used to make glucose witch can be turned into carbs, proteins and fat

Question 28

what is the second stage of the carbon cycle

Answer 28

some becomes fats and proteins in animals when thr plants are eaten. it then moves through the food chain. when the plants and animals die detritus feeders and microorganisms feed on the remains as well as animal waste.

Question 29

what is the last stage of the carbon cycle

Answer 29

carbon returned to atmosphere in co2 when plants and animals respire and through combustion

Question 30

why does temperature increase decomposition

Answer 30

increase the rate that enzymes work. if its too hot enzymes are destroyed

Question 31

why is water needed for decay

Answer 31

to carry out biological processes

Question 32

what is compost

Answer 32

decomposed organic matter that is used as a natural fertilizer

Question 33

what is biogas mainly made of

Answer 33

methane

Question 34

how is biogas made

Answer 34

decay of plant material and animal waste anaerobically

Question 35

what is biogas made in

Answer 35

simple fermenter called a digester or generator. needs to be kept at a constant temp to keep microorganisms respiring away

Question 36

how is biogas stored

Answer 36

not as a liquid as it needs to higher pressure so has to be used straight away

Question 37

what is biogas used for

Answer 37

heating cooking lighting

power a turbine to generate electricity

Question 38

what are batch generators

Answer 38

make biogas in small batches. manually loaded up with waste which is left to digest and by products are cleared away at the end of each session . dont have to be filled up often but dont produce biogas at a steady rate

Question 39

what are continues generators

Answer 39

make biogas all the time, waste continually fed in and biogas produced at a steady rate. more suited to large scale biogas projects