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Biology > Ecosystems and material cycles > Flashcards

Ecosystems and material cycles Flashcards

1
Q

What are the 5 steps of eutrophication?

A
  1. Fertilisers enter the water, adding excess nitrates
  2. The excess nitrates cause algae to grow quickly, blocking out light
  3. Plants can’t photosynthesise, die and decompose
  4. With more food available, microorganisms that feed on decomposing plants increase and use up all oxygen
  5. Organisms can’t respire and die
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2
Q

What does individual mean in terms of an ecosystem?

A

A single organism

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3
Q

What does population mean in terms of an ecosystem?

A

All the organisms of one species in a habitat

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4
Q

What does community mean in terms of an ecosystem?

A

All the organisms of different species living in a habitat

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5
Q

What does abiotic mean?

A

A non living factor

Eg. Temperature, light intensity

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6
Q

What does biotic mean?

A

A living factor

Eg. Competition, predation

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7
Q

What does interdependent mean?

A

Describes how individual species are dependent on each other for resources

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8
Q

What is biodiversity?

A

The variety of living organisms in an ecosystem

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9
Q

What is an ecosystem?

A

A community of organisms along with all the non living conditions

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10
Q

What are the 3 steps of using a quadrat?

A

Put it on the grass

Count/identify species

Multiply the numbers

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11
Q

How do you multiply using a quadrat?

A

Work out the mean per metres squared, then multiply the mean by the total area of the habitat

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12
Q

What are the 3 steps to using a belt transect?

A
  1. Mark a line in desired area
  2. Collect data using multiple quadrats lined up
  3. Repeat several times and find mean
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13
Q

What is the advantage of using a belt transect?

A

A clear gradual change can show how abundance changes with it and the effect of the factor on the different plant species

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14
Q

What is the disadvantage of using the belt transect?

A

Species which don’t fall on the line or in the belt may be missed and therefore the sample is not representative

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15
Q

What are the positive human impacts on biodiversity?

A

Reforestation

Conservation schemes

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16
Q

What are the negative human impacts on biodiversity?

A

Eutrophication

Fish farming

17
Q

How can humans reduce biodiversity?

A

No indigenous species

18
Q

What are the benefits of reducing biodiversity?(4)

A
  • protects human food supply
  • minimal damage to food chains
  • future medicines
  • ecotourism
19
Q

What are the 7 steps of the water cycle?

A 
Condensation
Precipitation
Evaporation
Transpiration
Surface run off
Percolation
Groundwater run off
20
Q

What is condensation in the water cycle?

A

When watervapour creates a cloud

21
Q

What is precipitation in the water cycle?

A

Rain

22
Q

What is evaporation in the water cycle?

A

Water turns into a gas

23
Q

What is transpiration in the water cycle?

A

Watervapour removed through plants

24
Q

What is surface run off in the water cycle?

A

Water runs off ground

25
Q

What is percolation in the water cycle?

A

Water moves into ground

26
Q

What is groundwater run off in the water cycle?

A

Water goes underground

27
Q

What are the 7 steps of the carbon cycle?

A 
Photosynthesis 
Food chains
Animal respiration 
Plant respiration 
Combustion
Death
Respiration of composers
28
Q

How do plants take in nitrates? (4)

A
  • active transport
  • through root hair cells
  • low to high (soil to root hair cell)
  • using energy for respiration
29
Q

What can lightning do in the nitrogen cycle?

A

Make oxygen react with nitrogen to make nitrates

30
Q

What do fertilisers do to the nitrogen cycle?

A

Increase crop yield

31
Q

What does nitrogen fixing bacteria do?

A

Converts nitrogen gas into nitrates

32
Q

Where does nitrogen fixing bacteria live?

A

Soil/root nodules/legumes

33
Q

Why is the nitrogen cycle mutualistic?

A

Bacteria gets glucose

Plant gets nitrates

34
Q

What do food chains do in the nitrogen cycle?

A

Proteins/amino acids from organisms used by consumers to make more proteins

35
Q

What do decomposer bacteria do in the nitrogen cycle?

A

Turn ammonia into nitrates

36
Q

What does nitrifying bacteria do in the nitrogen cycle?

A

Break down protein from dead plants into ammonia

37
Q

What does denitrifying bacteria do in the nitrogen cycle?

A

Turn nitrates from soil into nitrogen gas in the air

38
Q

What is crop rotation?

A

Different nitrogen fixing crops are grown each year in a cycle putting nitrates into the soil for the crop to use the following year

39
Q

How do fertilisers increase the amount of nitrates in the soil?

A

They recycle nutrients and return them to the soil through decomposition

Biology (10 decks)

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