Interdependance of organisms Flashcards
Describe a habitat?
It is a place where organisms live
Identify the 5 parts of the food chain
Many organisms in a habitat are interdependent, explain this term.
It means that they need each other to survive.
A change in one organism can affect the others
Explain what a food web shows
Like interlinked food chains they show what is eaten by what, all of the organisms are interdependent
Explain how toxins can affect every part of a food chain
. Toxins can be passed along a food chain
They harm the organisms in the chain
The organisms higher up the chain are likely to be the worst affected as the toxins build up as they pass along the chain
Describe the term adaptation
The features which organisms have to make them better suited for their environment
These have developed over millions of years
Describe the environment where an arctic hare lives?
In the Artic tundra a very cold rocky, icy environment
Explain the adaptations an arctic hare has developed to live in the Arctic Tundra
Thick fur to keep body heat in
Short ears and a round body to give a small surface area for heat loss
A coat the same colour as their surroundings to camouflage them from predators.
Describe the environment where many cacti live?
A desert which is very hot and dry
Explain the adaptations a cactus has developed to live in the desert.
They have spines instead of leaves to reduce water loss
A thick stem to store water
A shallow widespread root system to collect any water that falls quickly.
Explain how an arctic hare has adapted to seasonal changes in it’s environment like weather and climate
They have a white coat in winter to camouflage themselves in the snow it changes to browny grey in the summer to camouflage themselves against the ground
Explain how a cactus has adapted to seasonal changes in it’s environment like weather and climate
They only flower in the rainy season and they drop off when it is dry.
Describe how you would measure the amount of light in an environment.
Use a light intensity meter
Describe how you would measure the temperature of an environment
Use a thermometer
Explain the term population in a habitat
Population means the number of a type of plant or animal in which live in a certain area
Explain how a population can be affected by competition
The resources an organism needs to survive can be limited in their environment.
Organisms that are best at competing for the resources thrive and reproduce so their population grows.
The others do not.
Identify some resources which organisms compete for in a habitat
Light
Food
Water
Space
Mates
Explain the term predation
When an organism (the predator) kills and eats another organism (the prey)
Explain the ways predation can affect the populations of both the predator and the prey
- If the population of predators increases then the population of the prey can decrease as they will be eaten.
- If the population of the prey increases then the population of the predator may also increase as there is more food for them to eat.
What is a quadrat?
It is a square frame of a known size - usually 1sq metre
What is a quadrat used for?
To estimate the size of a population
Explain how to use a quadrat to estimate the size of a population.
- Place the quadrat in a random position on the ground
- Count of all the organisms in the quadrat and record the results
- Repeat 1 and 2 as many times as possible
- Calculate the mean of your results
- Multiply the mean by the number of square meters in the habitat
YOU COULD GET A CALCULATION QUESTION ON THIS probably daisies in a field!
Explain why development should be sustainable
If humans use too many resources they can damage the environment.by using up the resources or causing pollution Making sure that the resources are managed so that the environment is not damaged is called sustainable
Give some examples of humans damaging a habitat
- Chopping down rain forest for farming
- Building towns and cities on land
- Taking water from rivers
- Putting chemical pollution into waterways or on land
- Hunting animals for food or sport
Explain how changing or destroying a habitat can affect population size
The organism could find it difficult to survive or reproduce due to a lack of resources
This means that their population will fall dramatically
This can affect other species in the same food web
Explain the term conservation
It is looking after and trying to protect species and habitats
Identify some conservation schemes
- Captive breeding programmes
- Fishing quotas
- Protected areas
Explain how a captive breeding programme can help conservation
Species which are low in numbers can be bred in captivity
This will help increase their numbers
They can then be released back into the wild
Explain how fishing quotas can help conservation
Fish stocks are decreasing because of too much fishing
This means that the food chains are affected some species are declining rapidly
Quotas limit the number and size of the fish that fisherman can catch
This allows fish stocks to recover
Explain how protected areas can help conservation
Protected areas are places like nature reserves and national parks
They protect the environment by limiting building, farming and other industry
