Key Area 3.1 - Ecosystems

Question 1

Define the term ecosystem

Answer 1

A natural biological unit made up of both living and non living parts

Question 2

Identify abiotic parts of an ecosystem

Answer 2

• Sunlight and water
• Air and wind
• Rocks and soil

Question 3

Identify biotic parts of an ecosystem

Answer 3

• Plants and algae
• Animals
• Micro-organisms such as bacteria and fungi

Question 4

Identify the components that make up an ecosystem

Answer 4

Habitats
Populations
Communities

Question 5

Describe the term population

Answer 5

All the members of one species that exist in an ecosystem

Question 6

Identify the interactions of species with other species in the community

Answer 6

Competition and predation

Question 7

Define the term producer

Answer 7

An organism that can make its own food by photosynthesis

Includes plant and algae

Question 8

Define the term consumer

Answer 8

An organism that feeds on other organisms for energy

Question 9

Define the term herbivore

Answer 9

An animal that feeds only on producers (plants and algae)

Question 10

Define the term carnivore

Answer 10

An animal that feeds only on other animals

Question 11

Define the term omnivore

Answer 11

An animal which feeds on both plants and other animals

Question 12

Define the term predator

Answer 12

An animal that hunts other animals for food

Question 13

Define the term prey

Answer 13

A type of animal that is hunted for food

Question 14

Define the term food chain

Answer 14

A diagram that shows the feeding relationships of organisms living together in an ecosystem

Question 15

At each level in a food chain 90% of energy is lost as:

Answer 15

Heat
Movement
Faeces

10% of the energy is used for growth

Question 16

Give an example of a food chain

Answer 16

Antarctic food chain

Phytoplankton - shrimp - squid - weddell seal - killer whale

Question 17

Describe what happens in a food chain

Answer 17

They start with producers (green plants) that change light energy to chemical energy (food) through photosynthesis

When an organisms eats another organism, energy is transferred

This transfer of energy can be represented as a food chain.

Question 18

What do the arrows in a food chain indicate.

Answer 18

The direction of energy flow

Question 19

Define the term species

Answer 19

A group of organisms that can interbreed to produce fertile offspring

Question 20

Define the term biodiversity

Answer 20

The range of different species in an ecosystem

Question 21

Identify human impacts on biodiversity

Answer 21

Air pollution
Water pollution
Deforestation
Overfishing

Question 22

Define the term habitat

Answer 22

An area of an ecosystem where an organism lives

Eg. Riverbank, pond water, soil

Question 23

Define the term community

Answer 23

All the different populations of organisms that live in a habitat

Includes: plants, animals and micro-organisms (such as bacteria and fungi)

Question 24

Define the term food web

Answer 24

Food chains are linked together as food webs to show how energy flows from one organism to another

Question 25

Describe what happens in a food web

Answer 25

Always start with producers

Herbivores feed on producers and are known as a primary consumer

Animals that feed on primary consumers are known as a secondary consumer

Animals found at the top of food chains are known as tertiary consumers or top predators

Question 26

Define the term niche

Answer 26

The role that an organism plays in an ecosystem

Question 27

What does the niche of an organism include?

Answer 27

The use it makes of the resources in an ecosystem (light, temperature and nutrient availability)

Also includes interactions with other organisms in the community through competition, parasitm and predation

Question 28

Define why competition occurs

Answer 28

When resources are in short supply and organisms struggle for the same resources

Question 29

Define the term interspecific competition

Answer 29

Competition which occurs between members of different species

Question 30

Define the term intraspecific competition

Answer 30

Competition which occurs between members of the same species

This is more intense than interspecific competition