Ecosystems

Question 1

What are abiotic factors?

Answer 1

Physical and chemical (non-living) components that affect the environment.

Question 2

What are examples of abiotic factors?

Answer 2

Availability of water, temperature, humidity etc

Question 3

What are biotic factors?

Answer 3

All the living organisms, their numbers, distribution and interactions

Question 4

What is predation?

Answer 4

Where one organism kills and eats another. E.g. A lion eating a zebra

Question 5

What is allelopathy?

Answer 5

When a plant releases a chemical that stops the growth of other plants around it. E.g. Pine needles, gum trees

Question 6

What is parasitism?

Answer 6

When one organism lives on or in another organism and causes harm to the host. E.g. Tick living on a dog

Question 7

What is commensalism?

Answer 7

When one organism lives on or in another and has no effect on it. E.g. Clown fish and anemone

Question 8

What is mutualism?

Answer 8

When one organism interacts with another and it benefits both organisms. E.g. Crocodiles and Plover bird

Question 9

What is competition?

Answer 9

Where 2 organisms rely on the same resources. E.g food or habitat

Question 10

What forms of nitrogen are there?

Answer 10

Atmospheric Nitrogen
Nitrate
Ammonium
Other Nitrogenous Compounds
Urea

Question 11

What do organisms use nitrogen for?

Answer 11

The production of amino acids and proteins

Question 12

What are the three types of bacteria in the nitrogen cycle?

Answer 12

Nitrogen-fixing bacteria
Nitrifying bacteria
Denitrifying bacteria

Question 13

What happens in the nitrogen cycle?

Answer 13

Nitrogen is converted into ammonium by nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Ammonium is used by some plants. Ammonium is converted into Nitrate by nitrifying bacteria which are absorbed by plants. Through the food chain, other organisms get nitrate. When the organism dies it gets broken down back into ammonium

Question 14

What are the different trophic levels?

Answer 14

Producer
Primary Consumer
Secondary Consumer
Tertiary Consumer. Etc

Question 15

What happens when you change the biotic factors?

Answer 15

Taking out an organism in a food chain alters the population which leads to more competition

Question 16

What happens when you change abiotic factors?

Answer 16

It can affect the biotic factors and cause competition

Question 17

What happens if there is competition?

Answer 17

There will be a decreasing number of the thing they are competing for and so, there will be a decrease in population.

Question 18

What are 3 things indigenous people did for the environment?

Answer 18

Used fire for regeneration
Built channels to farm eels
Only took what they needed

Question 19

Why are introduced species bad?

Answer 19

Native species have not evolved to be in the same ecosystem as introduced species and so they are often responsible for the extinction or endangerment of native species

Question 20

What are the arguments for climate change?

Answer 20

Recordings of temperature show that there have been rising temperatures and rising sea levels

Question 21

What are the arguments against climate change?

Answer 21

Past predictions of climate change have been proved wrong

Question 22

What is an ecosystem?

Answer 22

The result of the interactions between abiotic and biotic factors in an environment