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biology > ecosystems - biomass - carbon/ nitrogen stores > Flashcards

ecosystems - biomass - carbon/ nitrogen stores Flashcards

1
Q

ecosystem

A

living and non-living parts of an environment and the interactionx that occur between them
eg african savannah, tropical rainforest, garden pond, farm

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2
Q

biotic

A

living organisms

eg fish, flower, plant

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3
Q

abiotic

A

non-living

eg rock, water, table, soil

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4
Q

population

A

total no. one species in an ecosystem

eg pop of humans - 7.8bill, pop of fish - 3.5 trill

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5
Q

community

A

all plants/ animals living in a single ecosystem

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6
Q

individual

A

a single organism

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7
Q

biodiversity

A

range of diff. species in an ecosystem

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8
Q

habitat

A

place where an organism lives in an ecosystem

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9
Q

interdependence

A

where organisms depend on each other for survival

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10
Q

effect of temp on rabbit populations

A

temp increase > snow melts > white rabbits no longer camoflagued > easier for predator to spot > white rabbits more likely to be eaten > if snow disappears white rabbits could become extinct > brown rabbits less competition > pop. could explode

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11
Q

CO2 (plants)

A

0.04% in air
rate of photosynthesis increases if CO2 increases
used for photosynthesis to make food which is used for energy/growth

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12
Q

temp (plants)

A

temp increases = faster metabolic reactions - enzymes work faster and catalyse reactions more

ectotherms - rely on sun/temp to warm them and temp increases metabolic reactions

endotherms - less affected by change in temp

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13
Q

moisture levels (plants + humans)

A

10-20% of water loss is life threatening to huamns
plants lacking water - wilts - cells become plasmolysed - plant cant keep upright
plants filled with water - turgid - stays upright

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14
Q

soil pH (plants)

A

impact of soil pH changes - affects biological activity + availability of minerals
acidic soil - ferns
alkali soil - cucumber
ph of soild in high rainfall areas - acidic (alkaline compounds drain away)
as soil pH increases - elements increase - Ca, Mg, N, S, K

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15
Q

light intensity decrease - effect on ecosystem

A

plants use photosynthesis to make food which needs light
they wont be able to grow if LI is low + will die
less plants means less food for herbivores and therefore less food for carnivores so organisms cant grow or make energy so die

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16
Q

food chain

A 
diagram that shows what an organism eats
arrow direction (transfer of energy)
TROPHIC LEVELS - each step in a food change
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17
Q

how glucose stores energy

A

in chemical bonds

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18
Q

apex predators

A

carnivore with no predators

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19
Q

food web

A

series of interlinked food chains

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20
Q

producer

A

make their own food (using sunlight) - first level of all food chains
algae, plants

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21
Q

primary consumer

A

organisms that eat producers ( herbivores)

deer, turtles

22
Q

secondary consumer

A

eat primary consumers

23
Q

pyramid of numbers

A

shiws the pop. at each trophi level
bar width = no. organisms
do not take into acount size of orgnisms

24
Q

pyramid of biomass

A

amount of biomass at each trophic level
both NUMBER and SIZE of organisms present
bar = relative mass of living material

25
biomass calc
average mass of organisms x no. organisms = total biomass of one trophic level
26
challenges of measuring total biomass
- organisms need to be collected + killed to measure biomass - difficult to catch + weight organisms - biomass varies ( tree increases in summer , tree decreases in winter) - some organisms feed on more than one tropic level
27
why is dry mass used
water content can vary between individual but dry mass cant
28
why is biomass lost in a food chain
- used to make energy (respiration) - lost to environment as CO2+ H2O - lost in keeping warm (respiration) - organism is left uneaten - biomass is indigestible + passes out organism as faeces loss of biomass means pyramids are limited to max 4/5 tropic levels
29
biomass transfer efficiency
= energy used to grow tissues/ energy eaten x 100
30
predator / prey relationship
follow cyclical pattern predators dependant on prey cycle of predator is out of phase ( lags behind) cycle of prey
31
mutualism
both organisms benefit from relationship
32
parasitism
parasites live at the expense of the host organism - harm the host
33
why do organisms compete
- for resources they both need | - to get sufficient resources
34
plants compete for
- light - water - space - minerals - pollinators
35
animals compete for
- mates - teritory - shelter - food/water
36
inter specific
between diff. species
37
intra specific
within species
38
intra specific is more significant
- have same niche - compete for EXACT same resources | - can avoid other species competition cant avoid same species
39
decay
break down organic matter to release nutrients
40
saphrophytes
feed on dead matter and break it down | - releases enzymes which digest organic matter - bacteria/fungi absorb products of enzyme digestion
41
detrivores
speed up decay (increase surface area) | worms , woodlice, maggots
42
factors that speed decomposition
- water - lack of water prevents decay - oxygen - lack of oxygen prevents decay - temp - high temp stops decay - low temp slows decay
43
water cycle
evaporation condensation precipitation - when clouds are full water falls to ground runoff/ percolation / transpiration - loss of water from plants
44
roles of water
- maintains habitat - maintains internal fluids/ transport system - needed for chemical reaction - reactant in photosynthesis
45
nutrients cycled
carbon, water, nitrogen, oxygen
46
nitrogen cycle
N2 (g) > (nitrogen fixation) > ammonium > (nitrification)> nitrite> (nitrification)> nitrate >(denitrification >N2 (g)) > absorb/assimilate > N2 in plants/animals > decay > ammonia
47
nitrogen fixation
process of turning nitrogen in air into ammonium ions - nitrogen fixing bacteria in soil/root nodules of legumes - energy from lightning splits N2gas allowing it to react with oxygen and form nitrates - haber process- artificial nitrogen fixation process anaerobic conditions
48
decomposition
decomposers break down protein and urea and turn them into ammonia
49
nitrification
process of turning ammonium ions into nitrates nitrification is performed by nitrifying bacteria aerobic conditions
50
denitrification
turning nitrates into nitrogen gas anaerobic conditions by denitrifying bacteria ( IN WATER LOGGES SOIL)
51
carbon cycle
see diagrams of both carbon and nitrogen the amount of C on earth is fixed process by which carbon is cycled through the atmosphere earth plamts and animals
52
carbon stores
shells of marine organisms on sea ed these compress to form limestone acid rain (= carbonic acid from CO2 reacting with rain) weathers limestone and releases carbon CO2 can be absorbed by oceans (carbon sinks) volcanic eruptions and forest fires release CO2

biology (20 decks)

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