Ecosystems

Question 1

ecosystem

Answer 1

a community of biotic and abiotic components living with each other

Question 2

producer

Answer 2

plants that begin food chain by making energy from CO2 and H2O

Question 3

herbivore

Answer 3

also known as primary consumer- they eat plant matter

Question 4

secondary consumer

Answer 4

a creature that eats herbivores

Question 5

food chain

Answer 5

the connections between different organisms that rely upon one another as a source of food

Question 6

food web

Answer 6

a complex hierarchy of plants and animals relying on each other for food

Question 7

decomposer

Answer 7

• organism that breaks down dead tissue (e.g. bacteria or fungus)
• this effectively recycles their nutrients back to the environment in the form of humus

Question 8

nutrient cycling

Answer 8

• a set of processes whereby organisms extract nutrients (e.g. nitrogen, potassium)
• necessary for growth from soil or water, before passing them on through the food chain - and ultimately back to the soil and water when they die

Question 9

identify a small scale ecosystem and its components

Answer 9

• a freshwater pond
• biotic - tadpoles, water fleas, frogs, goldfish, heron
• abiotic - sunlight, water, oxygen, soil, temperature

Question 10

what is the difference between a food chain and a food web?

Answer 10

• a food chain follows one path of energy and materials between species
• a food web is more complex and is a system of connected food chains

Question 11

what factors can change the balance of an ecosystem?

Answer 11

natural factors:
-drought
-flooding
-fire & disease
human factors:
-fish stocking
-changing pH of water
-altering the drainage of the land

Question 12

explain the impact of changing one component of the ecosystem

Answer 12

• population numbers of producers and consumers may increase or decrease
• some ecosystems with fewer producers or primary consumers may collapse

Question 13

biome

Answer 13

large scale ecosystems defined by abiotic and biotic factors

Question 14

global distribution of the tropical rainforest biome

Answer 14

• found in tropical climates where warm air rises, and it is hot and wet all year round
• occurs between the tropics of cancer and capricorn

Question 15

global distribution of the hot desert biome

Answer 15

found roughly 30 degrees north and south of the equator at sub-tropical belts where air sinks, preventing cloud formation

Question 16

global distribution of the polar biome

Answer 16

• found where cold air sinks, mainly at the poles

- antarctica and greenland are the main polar regions

Question 17

global distribution of the hot desert biome

Answer 17

found roughly 30 degrees north and south of the equator at sub-tropical belts where air sinks, preventing cloud formation

Question 18

global distribution of the grassland biome

Answer 18

found roughly 40 degrees north of the equator - where conditions are dry for at least half the year, due to the movement of the hadley cell

Question 19

global distribution of the temperature forest biome

Answer 19

• found mainly in the northern hemisphere north of the tropic of cancer and south of the arctic circle
• much of western europe (including the UK) and eastern china is covered by temperate forests