Grade 9 Biology Flashcards
Ecology
1
Q
Define Biology
A
The study of living things
2
Q
Define Ecology
A
The study of ecosystems
3
Q
What are living things
A
Biologists consider to be alive if it is made up of one or more cells
4
Q
Define atoms
A
The smallest whole unit of matter, atoms are the building blocks that all matter is composed of
5
Q
Examples of Atoms
A
Carbon atom, Hydrogen atom, Oxygen atom
6
Q
Define molecules
A
Groups of atoms joined by chemical bonds
7
Q
Examples of molecules
A
H2O, DNA, Carbohydrates (CH2O), C6H12O6
8
Q
Define Cells
A
The smallest functional unit of life. Composed of many different molecules
9
Q
Examples of cells
A
Sperm cell, muscle cell, bone cell, skin cell, neural cell, blood cell
10
Q
Define Tissues
A
Groups of cells of the same type working together to carry out a specific function
11
Q
Examples of tissue
A
Muscle, bone, blood, nervous tissue, skin
12
Q
Define Organs
A
Groups of tissues working together to carry out a specific function
13
Q
Organ System
A
Groups of organs working together to carry out a specific function
14
Q
Examples organ systems
A
Digestive system, circulatory system, respiratory, central nervous system
15
Q
Define Individual organisms
A
Groups of organ systems working together to form an individual living thing
16
Q
Define Population
A
Groups of organisms of the same species living in the same area
17
Q
Examples of populations
A
A herd of zebras, a family, a school of perch
18
Q
Define Community
A
Several populations (more than one species) living in the same area
19
Q
Examples of communities
A
A forest, a garden, ocean, animal sanctuary, the neighbourhood of Forest Hill
20
Q
Define Ecosystem
A
Communities and the abiotic and biotic interactions within them (Abiotic meaning non-living and biotic meaning living)
21
Q
Examples of abiotic factors
A
Sunlight, nutrients, soil, water, climate
22
Q
Examples of biotic interactions
A
competition, mating, predator-prey interactions
23
Q
Define Sustainable Ecosystem
A
Ecosystems that can continue thriving at the same rate
24
Q
Biosphere
A
The living zone. The biosphere contains all ecosystems, where living things exist, the biosphere: the lithosphere, the atmosphere, and hydrosphere
25
Predator-prey interactions
This interaction describes the relationship where on organism hunts and feeds on (predator) another organism (prey)
26
Symbiosis
This interaction describes the relationship between organisms living in the same location where at least one benefits
- Mutualism (+/+)
- Parasitism (+/-)
- Commensalism (+/o)
27
Competition
This interaction describes how organisms of the same species or of different species will "fight" over resources (food/prey, habitat, water, mates)
28
What is the reason for many interactions
Several interactions result because organisms need to obtain nutrient molecules from food.
29
Define autotrophs
"self-feeder" - can produce their own food molecules
30
Define heterotrophs
"another-feeder" - relies on other biotic organisms for food molecules
31
Examples of autotrophs
- algae, seaweed - kelp, phytoplankton (microscopic algae), elodea
- birch tree, rose bush, grass, sunflower, pine tree
32
Consumers can be further classified into:
Primary consumers, secondary consumers, tertiary consumers, quaternary consumers, and decomposers
33
Define Primary consumer
organisms that consume first (feed on producers)
34
Define herbivore
When an organism only feeds on producers they are known as a herbivore
35
Define Secondary consumer
Consume second (feed on primary consumers)
36
Define carnivore
When an organism only feeds on other consumers they are known as a carnivore
37
Define Tertiary consumer
Consume third (feed on secondary consumers)
38
Define Quaternary consumers
Consumes fourth (feeds on tertiary consumers)
39
Define omnivore
When an organism consumes both producers and consumers it is known as an omnivore
40
Define decomposers
These organism rely on other organisms for food but play a special role in the ecosystem: decomposers help recycle nutrient molecules and atoms from an organism's body back into the environment
41
Define detritivores
Decomposers that only feed on dead and decaying organisms are called detritivores
42
Are all decomposers detritivores
Not all decomposers are detritivores, detritivores feed off of dead or decaying matter exclusively, some decomposers like scavengers can feed off of living matter
43
Carrion
Carrion is a term that describes a dead organism
44
Examples of decomposers
- catfish, some bacteria
| - fungus (mushroom), worms
45
If carbon dioxide disappeared from the biosphere...
...primarily producers would be directly affected, they would not be able to synthesise their own food molecules in photosynthesis. All other organisms would be indirectly impacted (food source unavailable)
46
Define a food chain
A food chain shows eating relationships between organisms in an ecosystem. Food chains begin with a producer, however, food chains can end in
47
How a food chain is drawn
- eaten --> eating
| - a food chain can be shown with pictures or with words
48
Top carnivore
Organisms that end a food chain, no predators to feed on them
49
Food webs
Food webs also show eating relationships between organisms in an ecosystem, but are different from food chains because they show several of the interactions or feeding relationships (not just one linear relationship but shows several interacting food chains)
50
Photosynthesis
A process performed by some autotrophs that turn energy from the sun into chemical potential energy, photosynthesis is performed by plants in the chloroplast
51
Chemical formula for photosynthesis
CO2 + H2o + sunlight --> glucose (C6H12O6)
52
Chemical formula for cellular respiration
glucose (C6H12O6) + Oxygen --> CO2 + H2O + useable energy
53
Define cellular respiration
A process performed by both autotrophs and heterotrophs that creates useable energy for cells from chemical potential energy, cellular respiration occurs in the mitochondria
54
Energy from the sun is captured in the process of photosynthesis. It is stored as...
...chemical energy in the chemical bonds of organic molecules (most often sugars)
55
Define organic molecules
high energy molecules with carbon to carbon bonds
56
The "10% rule"
Only a very small amount of energy from one trophic level is available for use at the next higher level (5-25%), some ecologists loosely estimate that only about 10% of the energy at on trophic level is available to the next higher level.
57
Why do organisms only gain 10% of the energy from the organism that they ate
When an organism feeds on another organism it can only gain a bit of the energy it had because the organism that was eaten uses most of the energy it had for itself
58
Organisms use energy to...
... grow, think, reproduce, breath, lots of energy is los to the environment as heat (this happens every single time energy is transferred into another form)
59
The reason 10% rule can vary is because...
- depends on which organisms are involved
- during the process of digestion, some of the energy is inevitably lost or absorbed
- Some parts of the food are not digestible (can't get the energy stored in bones)
60
Define biodiversity
The variety of living things (species) in an ecosystems
| -the number of individuals also reflects biodiversity. The more individuals the greater the biodiversity
61
Why does the number of individuals act to increase biodiversity?
there will be greater genetic diversity due to DNA
62
How is biodiversity used to measure how healthy an ecosystem is and to predict if it is sustainable
- more feeding relationships may result in less overall effects of changes in the ecosystem
- one organism can fill the niche of another organism
63
Why is biodiversity important?
- more biodiversity = more resistance to change (more sustainable)
- more niches filled means more ecosystem roles (ecosystem services, nutrient cycling, feeding relationships)
- maintenance of ecosystem services
- potential for new discoveries (e.g. medicines)
- Economic benefits (exploitation of resources and ecotourism)
- natural beauty/fascination/personal connection for certain cultures, religions, or individuals
64
What is a niche
A niche describes every aspect of how an organism relates to the area it inhabits
-an organism's niche describes its role or position in its ecosystem
65
Why are ecological niches important
-the ecological niche of an organism will show how it interacts with other organism
66
What are ecosystem services
Ecosystem services are the natural processes that take place in nature, ecosystems perform a number of seemingly free services which sustain humanity and all other life on earth
67
How to calculate biomass
mass of organism - water weight
68
What do all three pyramids have in common
They are all estimates of energy
69
Examples of ecosystem services
- Transfer of energy
- Water purification
- cycling of nutrients (like oxygen)
- pollination
70
What is a biodiversity hotspot
A biodiversity hotspot is a region with a particularly high species density
71
What are threats to biodiversity
- habitat loss
- over exploitation
- pollution
- invasive species
- climate change
72
Habitat loss
```
Human driven changes in land suitability
-climate change
-pollution
Human Driven changes in land use
-expansion of farmland
-growing cities
-habitat fragmentation
Natural
-Forest fires, floods, etc.
```
73
Over exploitation
over exploitation is the unsustainable use of a source until it is depleted (e.g. over fishing, deforestation, over hunting)
74
Pollution
- human activity has waste products and contaminants throughout the biosphere
- some organisms cannot withstand these contaminants as they are toxic to them
- air, land and water have been affected nearly everywhere
75
Invasive species
-invasive species are plants and animals that establish in new habitats
76
Climate change
- refers to the changes in the earth's climate
| - climate change is often associated with global warming which is the increase in the earth's average temp.
77
Define nutrient
Any chemical required by living things to survive
78
A nutrient sink
Any process or activity that decreases the total amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
79
A nutrient source
Any process or activity that increases the total amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
80
Natural sources of carbon in the atmosphere
- cellular respiration
- combustion of organic matter
- volcanic activity
81
Word equation for combustion
Organic matter (fuel) + oxygen -->CO2 + water
82
Human created sources of carbon in the atmosphere
- burning of fossil fuels
| - slash and burn agriculture
83
Natural sinks
- photosynthesis
- the biosphere contains carbon at any given time
- biosphere: carbon of the main components of the tissues of living things, they get this carbon from the food they eat
- lithosphere: carbon is stored in soil, rocks and fossil fuels. Carbon that is trapped in permafrosts releases large amounts when thawed
- carbon dioxide dissolves in water (CO2 + H2O --> H2CO3 [carbonic acid])
84
Human created sinks
- carbon capture sequestration (the process of capturing atmospheric carbon and store it back underground)
85
Nitrogen - abundant but limited
- nitrogen is found in abundance in the form N2
- The atmosphere is approx. 78%
- It is a primary limiting nutrient because it is a very stable gas which means it cannot be broken down easily therefore is not used directly by plants
- the main form of useable nitrogen for plants is No3-, which is located in the lithosphere
86
Nitrogen fixation
the processof converting nitrogen gas into ammonium (N2 --> NH4+)
87
legumes
the most common family with a symbiotic relationship with nitrogen fixing bacteria (the plant provides ideal growing conditions and sugar for the bacteria so the bacteria fix nitrogen directly into the plant)
88
Decomposition
Breaking down organic matter (Organic matter --> NH4+)
| -animal waste is often rich in nitrogen which is released as it is broken down
89
Nitrification
The process of converting ammonium to nitrate (NO3-)
| -nitriffying bacteria can convert ammonium and other nitrogen based compounds in the soil into useable nitrates
90
Denitrification
- How nitrogen gets into the atmosphere
- the process of converting nitrate to nitrogen gas (NO3-
- -> N2)
91
Nitrogen gets into the bodies of animals by
All nitrogen animals comes from eating plants and/or other animals
-nitrogen is found in the body and tissues of plants and animals
92
What humans used to rely on to enhance nitrogen levels for their crops
-until the early 1900s farmers relied exclusively on healthy soil, decomposition, nitrogen fixing plants and laying of manure
93
The haber process
- a scientist named Fritz Haber created an energy intensive process of manufacturing ammonia NH3 directly from nitrogen and hydrogen gas
- Known as the Haber Process (N2 + H2 --> NH3)
- this process is still used for the mass production of fertilizers
94
Define greenhouse gases
Greenhouse gases are atmospheric gases that prevent heat from leaving the atmosphere
- this causes the temperature of the atmosphere to increase
- this natural insultating capacity of greenhous gases is known as the greenhouse effect
- Different processes can increase or decrease the amount of greenhouse gases
95
Reforestation to decrease carbon
Protecting forests: plants are natural sinks so if their population increases the aount of Co2 decreases
96
Recycling to reduce carbon
By recycling we reduce the demand for producing the product, thus reducing the need for the factors that into it that produce carbon dioxide
97
International agreements & protocols to reduce carbon
allows for countries worldwide to all make changes and reforce regulation to reduce carbon output
98
Other ways to reduce carbon
individual efforts, public transit, vegetarianism, 'reducing, reusing, recycling', carbon-capture sequestration
99
Acid precipitation
PRecipitation that is unnaturally acidic due to gases in the atmosphere
Formed through two equations:
-NOx + H2O --> HNO3 (nitric acid)
-SO2 + H2O --> H2SO4 (sulphuric acid)
NOx and SO2 come from the combustion of fossil fuels
100
Acidification of soil
- comes from acid precipitation and artificial fertilizer
- some organisms cannot withstand acidic conditions and may not survive/have to move
- acidic soil can dissolve calcium in the soil making it run-off and cannot be used by plants
- acidic soil increases the availability of some harmful nutrients like aluminium
101
Eutrophication
A process in which nutrients levels in aquatic ecosystems increase, leading to an increase in producers
- eutrophication = dead lake
- Nitrogen and phosphorus are most responsible for eutrophication (Phosphorus: from fertilisers and detergents, Nitrogen: from fertilizer)
102
Producer
can produce their own food molecules
103
Consumer
relies on other biotic organisms for food molecules
104
Atmosphere
The gaseous layer of the biosphere
105
Lithosphere
the earth's crust
106
The hydrosphere
the water layer of the biosphere
107
NH4+ =
ammonium
108
NO3- =
nitrate
109
N2 =
nitrogen
