ecosystems

Question 1

What is an ecosystem?

Answer 1

a natural system made up of plants, animals and the environment

Question 2

What does the term ‘biotic’ mean?

Answer 2

Living features of an ecosystem such as plants and fish.

Question 3

What does the term ‘abiotic’ mean?

Answer 3

Non-living environmental factors such as climate, temperature and light.

Question 4

What would be an example of a local/small-scale ecosystem?

Answer 4

Pond, hedgerow or woodland

Question 5

What would be an example of a global scale ecosystem?

Answer 5

Tropical rainforest and deciduous woodland. These are called biomes.

Question 6

What is the definition of a producer?

Answer 6

Something that converts energy from the environment into sugars

Question 7

What is an example of a producer?

Answer 7

Plants; which convert energy from the Sun by photosynthesis.

Question 8

What is the definition of a consumer?

Answer 8

Something that gets energy from the sugars produced by producers

Question 9

What is an example of a consumer?

Answer 9

Cow, snail pond or any other animals that eats plants.

Question 10

What is the definition of a decomposer?

Answer 10

An organism that breaks down plant and animal material and return the nutrients to the soil.

Question 11

What is an example of a decomposer?

Answer 11

bacteria and fungi

Question 12

What is the definition of a food chain?

Answer 12

Shows the direct links between producers and consumers in the form of a simple line.

Question 13

What is a food web?

Answer 13

Shows all the connections between producers and consumers in a complex way.

Question 14

explain and describe the nutrient cycle

Answer 14

The nutrient cycle shows how nutrients move through an ecosystem

when dead material decomposes, nutrients are released into the soil.

the nutrients are then taken up from the soil by plants. the plants may be eaten by consumers.

when the plants or consumers die the nutrients are returned to the soil.

this transfer of nutrients is called nutrient cycling.

Question 15

what are the different ways ecosystems are changed

Answer 15

Extreme weather - e.g. droughts
Trimming hedgerows
Draining ponds
Deforestation
Fertilizers used in farming

Question 16

What is eutrophication and what causes it?

Answer 16

The use of fertilizers on farms leads to eutrophication.

Nutrients from fertilizers end up in water systems
Plants grow quickly because of the nutrients
Algae grows quickly, using up oxygen in water
Plants and animals in water then die due to lack of oxygen
Decomposing animals use further oxygen
Eventually no life possible

Question 17

describe deserts

Answer 17

found 15 and 35 degrees north and south of the equator where there is little rainfall

Deserts are dry and have a very low amount of precipitation. an area has to recieve less than 250 ml of water per year to be classed as a desert. they also have extreme temperatures. for example, during the day the desert gets very hot and during the evening the temperatures drop. this means they have extremes of temperature

shrubs and cacti are sparsely distributed in the sandy soil

Question 18

describe tundra

Answer 18

found at high latitudes above 60 degrees north in northern Europe Canada and Alaska.

winters are very cold summers are very brief. tundra is where we expect to see a lot of barren lands they get very low precipitation.

vegetation includes mosses, grasses, and low shrubs there is a layer of permanently frozen ground

Question 19

describe polars

Answer 19

polars are found at the north and south pole

they have a cold dry atmosphere throughout the year as they do not receive much precipitation good examples of this would be Antarctica and the Greenlands

Question 20

what is a deciduous and coniferous forest?

Answer 20

they are found mainly in the mid-latitudes where there are four distinct seasons. summers are warm and winters are generally mild. there is rainfall all year round. deciduous trees lose their leaves in the winter to cope with colder weathers

Question 21

describe tropical rainforest

Answer 21

lots of precipitation occurs in the tropical rainforests. every day they will experience rain. the temperature is high and there is lots of humidity keeping it warmer at night. huge vegetation cover as there is a lot of rain for them to use. where you get plants you get animals. tropical rainforests are found close to deserts.

Question 22

describe tropical grassland and temperature grassland

Answer 22

tropical grassland- they typically have a rainy season. hot and cooler times throughout the year.

temperate grassland. these are parts of the world where temps are high and low at different times of the year. they are used very drily as they are located far inland so they are far away from seas this means that when the air travels from the sees to the temperate grasslands they lose their water making the air dry

Question 23

describe the mediterian

Answer 23

italy, spain cyprus, turkey, this places have an ecosystem where there is a warm summer and a cool but mild winter. this means the winters are not to brutal. this makes it pleasant all year round. not too much rainful but there is precipitation.

Question 24

Give an example of how one change can impact an ecosystem

Answer 24

Higher temperatures and less rain = less plants grow = less food for consumers = consumer numbers fall

Vegetation removed = less habitats for animals = alters animal/vegetation balance in ecosystem

Deforestation = destroys birds habitats and alters the nutrient cycle