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bio 2 > ecosystems > Flashcards

ecosystems Flashcards

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Biology 101 flashcards
1
Q

define ecosystem

A

all living organisms and non-living components in a specific habitat, and the interrelationships between them.

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2
Q

define habitat

A

the place where an organism lives.

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3
Q

Population

A

the number of individuals of the same species living in the same place and time

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4
Q

define community

A

all the organisms of all the different species living in a habitat

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5
Q

define niche

A

the role of an organism in the ecosystem

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6
Q

biotic factors

A

the effects of living organisms, e.g. food supply, predation, disease, competition.

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7
Q

abiotic factors

A

the effects of non-living components, e.g. temperature, pH of soil, soil type, light intensity, oxygen concentrations, carbon dioxide concentrations.

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8
Q

Autotroph

A

an organism that uses light energy to synthesise its own complex organic molecules.

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9
Q

Heterotroph

A

an organism that consumes complex organic molecules to gain nutrients, obtaining energy.

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10
Q

how is energy lost between trophic levels

A
  1. plant can’t use all light for photosynthesis as some sun light is wrong wavelength, some is reflected and some passes straight thru the leaves
  2. some sunlight can’t be used as it hits part of the plant that can’t photosynthesise like the bark
  3. some food is indigestible so act as waste (faeces)
  4. respiratory loss- some energy is lost to environment as organically use energy from respiration for movement or body heat which gets lost to the surroundings
  5. some energy becomes biomass of that trophic level as energy gets stored for growth
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11
Q

human activities which increase transfer of energy

A

herbicides kill weed that compete with agricultural crops

fungicides kill fungal infections which damage agricultural crops

insecticides kill insect pests that eat and damage crops

natural predators introduced to eat pest species

fertilisers provide crops with minerals to help them grow

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12
Q

define decomposers

A

an organism that break down dead or undigested organic material

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13
Q

what is energy stored as

A

biomass

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14
Q

what is net productivity

A

the amount of energy that is available for the next trophic level

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15
Q

how is carbon dioxide removed from the air

A

plants use carbon dioxide for photosynthesis

carbon dioxide is dissolved in oceans

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16
Q

how is carbon dioxide released back into the air

A

when organisms respire
when fossil fuels are burnt
by volcanoes

17
Q

what happens when consumers die

A

the carbon compounds in the dead organism is digested by decomposers

18
Q

how is carbon passed on to primary consumer

A

when they eat the plants

19
Q

what is nitrogen fixation

A

when nitrogen gas in the atmosphere is turned into ammonia by bacteria such as Rhizobium and Azotobacter

20
Q

what is ammonification

A

when nitrogen compounds from dead organism are turned into ammonia by decomposers which goes on to form ammonium

21
Q

what is nitrificarion

A

when ammonia ions in soil are changed into nitrogen compounds that are then used by plants

first nitrifying bacteria called Nitrosomonas change ammonium ions to nitrites

then other nitrifying bacteria called nitro bacteria convert nitrites into nitrates

22
Q

what is denitrification

A

when nitrates in the soul is converted into nitrogen gas by denitrifying bacteria under anaerobic conditions

23
Q

what are the other ways nitrogen’s gets into the ecosystem

A

by lightning or artificial fertilisers

24
Q

what is succession

A

the process by which an ecosystem changes over time

25
Q

what are 2 types of succession

A

primary and secondary

26
Q

what is primary succession

A

happens on land that’s been newly formed or exposed
so there is no soil or organic mater to begin with

27
Q

what is secondary succession

A

this happens on land that has been cleared of plants but the soil remains

28
Q

first stage of primary succession

A

a new species colonises a new land surface.
the first species to colonise is known as the pioneer species
when they die they decompose and change the abiotic conditions
decomposers break down the humus- dead organic matter
this forms basic soil making conditions less hostile

29
Q

second stage of primary succession

A

more and more plants build up and die over time and decompose making the soil deeper and richer in materials meaning larger plants can live there

each stage different plants are better adapted than others so they can outcompete the other plants- dominant species

30
Q

what happens to species diversity during succession

A

as succession goes on the ecosystem becomes more complex and new species move in alongside existing one
therefore species diversity increases

31
Q

final stage of succession

A

climax community
the ecosystem is supporting the largest and most complex community of plants and animals and it won’t change much more

32
Q

what can prevent succession

A

human activities

33
Q

what is plagioclimax

A

The community that becomes established when deflected succession occurs. Chalk grassland is an example of a plagioclimax.

34
Q

what is deflected succession

A

A succession that does not progress to the natural climax community; factors that cause this are grazing, mowing and fires.

35
Q

what is abundance

A

the number of individuals of one species in a part area

36
Q

what are 3 types of transects

A

line
belt
interrupted

37
Q

what is a line transect

A

a tape measure placed along the transfer and the species that touch the tape measure are recorded

38
Q

what is belt transect

A

data is collected along the transect using the frame quadrants placed next to each other

39
Q

what is interrupted transect

A

taking measurements at intervals along its length

bio 2 (16 decks)

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