Ecosystems and Biodiversity

Question 1

What is an habitat?

Answer 1

The place where an organism lives

Question 2

What is a population?

Answer 2

All the organisms of one species in a habitat

Question 3

What is a community?

Answer 3

All the different species in a habitat

Question 4

What is a ecosytem?

Answer 4

All the organisms living in a particular area and all the non-living conditions

Question 5

What is the definition for biodiversity?

Answer 5

Variety of different species of organisms on earth, or within an ecosystem

Question 6

What are the abiotic factors that affect communities?

Answer 6

Environmental conditions - temperature, light intensity, moisture, soil acidity
Toxic chemicals - Chemical pesticides or fertilisers can build up in food chains through bioaccumulation

Question 7

What are the biotic factors that affect communities?

Answer 7

Food availability
Number of predators
Competition

Question 8

How do you use a quadrat?

Answer 8

1) Place a quadrat on the ground at a random point using a random number generator
2) Count all the organisms you’re interested in within the quadrat
3) Repeat steps 1 and 2 three times
4) Work out the mean number of organisms per quadrat

Question 9

What does a pyramid of numbers show?

Answer 9

How many organisms there are at that stage of the food chain

Question 10

What does a pyramid of biomass show?

Answer 10

Shows the mass of living material

Question 11

How is energy lost when it is transferred?

Answer 11

1) The whole animal isn’t eaten
2) Most of the energy consumed gets used for respiration
3) Finally most of it is transferred to the surroundings by heat