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biology gcse > ecology (paper 2) > Flashcards

ecology (paper 2) Flashcards

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1
Q

what is a population

A

all the organisms of one species living in a habitat

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2
Q

what is a community

A

the populations of different species living in a habitat

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3
Q

what are abiotic factors

A

non living factors of the environment e.g. temperature

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4
Q

what are biotic factors

A

living factors of the environment e.g. food

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5
Q

what is an ecosystem

A

the interaction of a community living organisms with the non living parts of the environment

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6
Q

what do plants need in order to survive and reproduce

A

light and space, as well as water and mineral ions from the soil

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7
Q

what do animals need in order to survive and reproduce

A

space (territory) . food, water and mates

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8
Q

what is interdependence

A

where in a community each species depends on other species for thing such as food, shelter, pollination and seed dispersal

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9
Q

examples of abiotic factors

A

light intensity

temperature

soil pH and mineral content

moisture level

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10
Q

what is an example of abiotic factors which may reduce a plant population

A

a decrease in light intensity, temperature or level of carbon dioxide could decrease the rate of photosynthesis in a plant species

this could affect plant growth and cause a decrease in population size

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10
Q

give examples of biotic factors that might affect organisms in an ecosystem

A

new predators arriving

new pathogens

availability of food

competition - one species may outcompete another so that numbers are too low to breed

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10
Q

what are examples of structural adaptations

A

arctic animals like the arctic fox have white fur so they are camouflaged against the snow - this helps them avoid predators and sneak up on prey

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

animals that live in hot places have a thin layer of fat and have a high surface area t volume ratio to help them lose heat e.g. a camel

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11
Q

what are examples of behavioral adaptations

A

many species e.g. swallows migrate to warmer climates during the winter to avoid the problems of living in cold conditions

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11
Q

what adaptations do micro - organisms have

A

some can live in high temperatures and others can live in places with a high salt concentration or at high pressures

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11
Q

what does a food chain always start with

A

a plant e.g. a green plant or alga which makes glucose by photosynthesis.

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11
Q

what are examples of functional adaptations

A

desert animals conserve water y producing very little sweat and small amounts of concentrated urine

brown bears hibernate over winter - they lower their metabolism which conserves energy so they don’t have to hunt when there is not much food around

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12
Q

how does a food chain work

A

producers are eaten by primary consumers, which in turn may be eaten by secondary consumers and then tertiary consumers

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13
Q

what is the method for using quadrats to study the distribution of small organisms

A
  1. place a 1m^2 quadrat on the ground at a random point within the first sample area - e.g. divide the area into a grid and use a random number generator to pick co-ordinates
  2. count all the organisms within the quadrat
  3. repeat steps one and two as many times as you can
  4. workout the mean number of organisms per quadrat within the first sample area
  5. repeat steps 1-4 in the second sample area - you can now compare the two means
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14
Q

method for using transects to study the distribution of organisms

A
  1. mark out a line in the area you want to study using a tape measure
  2. then collect data along the line
  3. you can do this by just counting all the organisms you are interested in that touch the line
  4. or you can collect the data by using quadrats , these can be placed next to each other along the line or at intervals
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15
Q

what are the steps of the water cycle

A
  1. energy from the sun makes water evaporate from the land and sea, turning it into water vapor, water also evaporates from plants as transpiration
  2. the warm water vapor is carried upwards, when it gets higher up it cools and condenses to form clouds
  3. water falls from the clouds as precipitation onto land, where it provides fresh water for plants and animals
  4. then it drains into the sea before the whole process starts again
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16
Q

explain the process of the carbon cycle

A
  1. carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere by green plants and algae during photosynthesis - the carbon is used to make glucose which can be turned into carbohydrates, fats and proteins that make up the bodies of plants and animals
  2. when the plants and algae respire some carbon is returned to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide
  3. when the plants and algae are eaten by animals some carbon becomes parts of the fats and proteins in their bodies - this carbon then moves through the food chain
  4. when the animals respire some carbon is returned to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide
  5. when living organisms die micro organisms feed on their bodies which releases carbon dioxide when they respire
  6. animals also produce waste that is broken down by detritus feeders and microorganisms
  7. the combustion of wood and fossil fuels also releases carbon dioxide back into the air
  8. so the carbon and energy is constantly being recycled - from the air, through food chains and eventually out back into the air again
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17
Q

what is compost

A

decomposed organic matter that is used as a natural fertiliser for crops and garden plants

18
Q

how does temperature affect the rate of decay

A

warmer temperatures make things decompose quicker because they increase the rate that the enzymes involved in decomposition work at

if its too hot however the the decomposition slows down or stops all together as the enzymes are denatured and the organisms die

really cold temperatures slow the rate of decomposition too

19
Q

how does water availability affect the rate of decay

A

decay takes place faster in warmer environments because the organisms involved in decay need water to carry out biological processes

20
Q

how does oxygen availability affect the rate of decay

A

many organisms need oxygen to respire , which they need to do to survive

the microorganisms involved in anaerobic decay don’t need oxygen though

21
Q

how does the number of decay organisms affect the rate of decay

A

the more microorganisms and detritus feeders there are , the faster decomposition happens

22
Q

what does anaerobic decay produce

A

methane gas

23
Q

how does a batch generator work

A

batch generators make biogas in small batches, they are manually loaded up with the waste , which is left to digest and the by - products are cleared away at the end of each session

24
Q

how does a continuous generator work

A

continuous generators make biogas all the time. waste is continuously fed in and the biogas is produced at a steady rate

continuous generators are more suited to large scale biogas projects

25
Q

what do all biogas generators need to have

A

1 - an inlet for waste material to be put in

2 - an outlet for the digested material to be removed through

3 - an outlet so that the biogas can be pumped to where it is needed

26
Q

method for how temperature affects the rate of decay practical

A

1 - measure out 5cm3 of lipase solution and add it to a labelled test tube

2 - measure out 5cm3 of milk and add it to a different test tube

3 - add 5 drops of phenolphthalein indicator to the tube containing milk

4 - measure out 7cm3 of sodium carbonate solution and add it to the test tube containing milk and phenolphthalein , this makes the solution turn pink as it is alkaline

5 - put both test tubes into a water bath set to 30 degrees and leave them to reach the temp of the water bath

6 - once the tubes have reached 30 degrees use a calibrated dropping pipette to put 1cm3 of lipase solution into the milk tube and start a stop watch straight away

7 - stir the contents of the tube with a glass rod and the enzyme will start to decompose the milk

8 - as soon as the solution looses its pink colour stop the stop watch and record how long it took in a table

9 - repeat the experiment at a range of different temperatures , carry out the experiment atleast three times at each temperature and calculate a mean

10 - you can use the results to calculate a mean time of decay

27
Q

what is the equation to calculate rate of decay

A

time

28
Q

how can water be polluted

A

sewage and toxic chemicals from industry can pollute lakes, rivers and oceans, affecting the plants and animals that rely on them for survival

the chemicals used on land e.g. pesticides can be washed into water

29
Q

how can land be polluted

A

we use toxic chemicals for farming e.g. pesticides

we bury nuclear waste underground and we dump a lot of household waste in landfill sites

30
Q

how can air be polluted

A

smoke and acidic gases released into the atmosphere can pollute the air e.g. sulphur dioxide can cause acid rain

31
Q

ho can global warming cause changes in species distribution

A

as temperature increases the amount of rainfall decreases

some species may become more widely distributed e.g. species that need warmer temperatures may spread further as the condition they thrive in exist over a smaller area

32
Q

what are bogs and what is peat

A

bogs are areas of land that are acidic and waterlogged

the partly rotted plants that have not fully decayed gradually build up to form peat

33
Q

how do peat bogs contribute to global warming

A

when peat is drained it comes inro more contact with air and some microorganisms start to decompose it

when these microorganisms respire they use oxygen and release carbon dioxide, contributing to global warming

carbon dioxide is also released when peat is burned as a fuel

34
Q

what are reasons for deforestation

A

to clear land for farming e.g. cattle or rice crops to provide more food

to grow crops from which biofuels based on ethanol can be produced

35
Q

what are the three main problems with deforestation

A

less carbon dioxide taken in

more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere

less biodiversity

36
Q

what are the four main ways of protecting ecosystems and biodiversity

A

1 . breeding programmes

2 . habitat protection

3 . preventing global warming

4 . reducing waste

37
Q

what are the four conflicting pressures about how biodiversity is maintained

A

1 . the costs of programmes

2 . the effect on the local economy

3 . protecting food security

4 . the development of society

38
Q

what are the four trophic levels

A

1 . contains producers - plant

2 . contains primary consumers - arctic hare

3 . contains secondary consumers - arctic fox

4 . contains tertiary consumers - arctic wolf

39
Q

how do decomposers break down uneaten remains and waste

A

bacteria and fungi secrete enzymes that break the dead stuff down into small soluble food molecules these then diffuse into the micro - organisms

40
Q

how do you read a pyramid of biomass

A

the big bar along the bottom shows the trophic level one and it always represents the producer - the plant or algae

as you go up the pyramid the trophic levels increase

41
Q

why is biomass lost between each trophic level

A

organisms don’t always eat every single part of the organism they are consuming - so not all the biomass can be passed along to the next stage of the food chain

organisms do not absorb all of the stuff in the food they ingest - released as faeces

some of the biomass is taken and converted into other substances that are lost as waste e.g. carbon dioxide and water

42
Q

how do you calculate the efficiency of biomass transfer

A

biomass transferred to the next level
—————————————————– X100
biomass available at the previous level

43
Q

what is food security

A

having enough food to feed a population

44
Q

what are factors that threaten food security

A

population increase

farming can be affected by new pests and pathogens

high input costs of farming can make it too expensive for people in some countries to start or maintain food production

in some places there are conflicts that affect the availability of food and water

45
Q

what are fishing quotas

A

there are limits on the number and size of fish that can be caught in certain areas

this prevents certain species from being overfished

46
Q

how can net size reduce over fishing

A

there are different limits of mesh size of the fish net , depending on what is being fished

this is to reduce the number of unwanted and discarded fish

using a bigger mesh size will let the unwanted species escape

it also means that younger fish will slip through the net , allowing them to reach breeding age

47
Q

how can food production be made more efficient

A

livestock like calves and chickens can be factory farmed, this involves raising them in small pens

fish can also be factory farmed in cages where their movement is restricted

some animals are also fed high protein food to further increase their growth

48
Q

what is the method for bacteria being genetically engineered to make human insulin

A

a plasmid is removed from a bacterium

the insulin gene is cut out of a human chromosome using a restriction enzyme , the cut leaves one of the DNA strands with unpaired bases - these are called a sticky end

the plasmid is cut open using the same restriction enzyme - leaving the same sticky ends

the plasmid and the human insulin gene are mixed together

lipase is added, this joins the sticky ends together to produce recombinant DNA

the recombinant DNA is inserted into a bacterium

the modified bacterium is grown in a vat under controlled conditions ,, you end up with millions of bacteria that produce insulin, the insulin can be harvested and purified to treat people with diabetes

49
Q

what is mycoprotein

A

food from fungi

used to make a high protein meat substitutes e.g. quorn

biology gcse (7 decks)

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