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Biology > Life On Earth (Unit 3) > Flashcards

Life On Earth (Unit 3) Flashcards

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AP® Biology flashcards Biology 101 flashcards
1
Q

What name is given to the total variation that exists amongst living things on Earth?

A

Biodiversity

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2
Q

What name is given to factors that affect a species and are a result of the activities of living things?

A

Biotic Factors

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3
Q

Give some examples of Biotic factors that can affect a species.

A

Availability of food, disease, predators

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4
Q

What name is given to factors that affect a species that are non-living?

A

Abiotic Factors

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5
Q

Name some Abiotic factors that can affect a species.

A

pH, temperature, rainfall, light intensity

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6
Q

Name the biological unit that is made up of living and non-living parts?

A

Ecosystem

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7
Q

What name is given to the place where an organism lives?

A

Habitat

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8
Q

Name three human influences over the environment that reduces biodiversity.

A

Air pollution, deforestation, desertification

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9
Q

When animals graze, what grazing pressure should be applied by the animals to promote biodiversity?

A

Medium pressure

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10
Q

Name two gases that contribute to acid rain.

A

Sulphur Dioxide, Nitrogen Oxide

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11
Q

When electricity-generating power stations that use water as a coolant put the warm water back into the river, what happens to the amount of dissolved oxygen?

A

Decreases the amount of oxygen

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12
Q

Write the overall word equation for photosynthesis.

A

Carbon Dioxide + Water + Chlorophyll + Light = Glucose + Oxygen

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13
Q

Name the type of cells in the leaf apart from guard cells that carry out photosynthesis because they contain chloroplasts.

A

Spongy Mesophyll Cells, Palisade Mesophyll Cells

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14
Q

Name the pigment found in chloroplasts needed for photosynthesis.

A

Chlorophyll

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15
Q

What two substances are classed as the raw materials in photosynthesis?

A

Carbon Dioxide, Water

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16
Q

What do the two raw materials in photosynthesis have to be in the presence of in order to combine?

A

Light, Chlorophyll

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17
Q

What are the two products of photosynthesis?

A

Glucose, Oxygen

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18
Q

What are the two stages of photosynthesis?

A
  1. Photolysis
  2. Carbon Fixation
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19
Q

During the first stage of photosynthesis, water is split into what two components?

A

Hydrogen and oxygen

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20
Q

What happens to the oxygen produced in photosynthesis?

A

Released through the stomata as a by-product

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21
Q

What two products formed in the first stage of photosynthesis are taken to the second stage for the process of carbon fixation?

A

Hydrogen and oxygen

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22
Q

What is the name of the sugar produced during the carbon fixation step in photosynthesis?

A

Glucose

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23
Q

If a plant makes too much sugar, what storage carbohydrate can it be stored as?

A

Starch

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24
Q

Some glucose is turned into a structural carbohydrate used to build the cell wall of the plant. Name this structural carbohydrate.

A

Cellulose

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25
Q

The rate of photosynthesis can be affected by which environmental factors?

A

Light Intensity, Temperature and Carbon Dioxide Concentration

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26
Q

If one of the environmental factors that controls photosynthetic rate is in short supply, what term can be used to describe it?

A

Limiting Factors

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27
Q

Name three limiting factors of photosynthesis.

A

Light Intensity, Temperature and Carbon Dioxide Concentration

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28
Q

What colour does iodine turn in the presence of starch?

A

Blue/Black

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29
Q

Explain why the rate of photosynthesis decreases at high temperatures.

A

The enzymes are denatured

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30
Q

When carrying out an experiment to show that a plant has photosynthesised, why is alcohol used in one of the stages?

A

To dissolve the chlorophyll

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31
Q

In the experiment to show that a plant has photosynthesised, why is the Bunsen burner turned off after boiling the leaf in water?

A

Because alcohol is flammable

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32
Q

Why is the leaf boiled in water?

A

To soften the waxy cuticle on the surface of the leaf

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33
Q

Identify the main regions in a cross-section through a leaf.

A

Guard cells, Stomata, Palisade Mesophyll Cells, Spongy Mesophyll Cells, Lower Epidermis, Waxy Cuticle, Upper Epidermis

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34
Q

What two factors are used to distinguish between biomes?

A

Climate and the flora (plants) and fauna (animals) that live there

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35
Q

What name is used to describe an organism’s role in the community and its whole way of life?

A

Niche

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36
Q

Which type of organism is always found at the start of a food chain?

A

Producer (Plant)

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37
Q

What name is given to an organism that consumes the producer?

A

Primary Consumer

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38
Q

What name is given to an organism that consumes a primary consumer?

A

Secondary Consumer

39
Q

Name the two ways in which energy is lost at each stage in a food chain.

A
  • Heat
  • Movement
40
Q

Name the type of pyramid that shows the number of organisms at each stage in a food chain.

A

Pyramid of Numbers

41
Q

Name the type of pyramid that shows the total biomass (total mass of living matter) at each stage in a food chain.

A

Pyramid of Biomass

42
Q

Name the type of pyramid that shows the total energy at each stage in a food chain.

A

Pyramid of Energy

43
Q

Name the process by which nitrogen is recycled between the air, soil, animals and plants.

A

Nitrogen Cycle

44
Q

Name the stage of the nitrogen cycle where nitrogen gas is taken directly from the air and changed into nitrates.

A

Nitrogen fixation

45
Q

Which plants can carry out nitrogen-fixation?

A

Peas, beans and clover

46
Q

Name the process by which nitrates can be converted back to nitrogen gas in one step.

A

Denitrification

47
Q

Name the process by which waste material from plants and animals is broken down by bacteria into ammonia.

A

Decomposition

48
Q

Name the process by which the ammonia in the nitrogen cycle is converted to nitrites and then nitrates.

A

Nitrification

49
Q

Name the type of competition that occurs between members of different species for a resource that is in short supply.

A

Interspecific competition

50
Q

Name the type of competition that occurs between members of the same species for a resource that is in short supply.

A

Intraspecific competition

51
Q

Which squirrel out of brown and grey is more successful at competing for resources?

A

Grey Squirrel

52
Q

Which fish is more successful at competing for resources, rainbow trout or grey squirrel?

A

Rainbow Trout

53
Q

What type of competition is represented by seeds in a dish competing for light, water, and soil nutrients?

A

Intraspecific Competition

54
Q

How do birds like robins and sparrows reduce aggression between members of the same species during intraspecific competition?

A

Build Territories

55
Q

What do robins do to defend their territories?

A

Puff out their red chests, sing loud pitched songs and use social signals

56
Q

What name is given to the sampling technique whereby a beaker is placed in the soil and covered over to try and sample the organisms in a soil ecosystem?

A

Pitfall Trap

57
Q

Why might you not get an accurate picture of what is in a soil ecosystem?

A

Animals may eat each other if left in the trap too long, Birds might eat the animals, some might fly away if it’s not covered over

58
Q

What sampling technique is needed to sample plants growing in a field?

A

Quadrats

59
Q

What sampling technique is needed to sample the types of organisms in a tree?

A

Tree-Beating

60
Q

Why might you not get an accurate picture about the types of organism that are in the tree when using tree beating?

A

Organisms may miss the tray below, some may fly away, or some may not become dislodged in the first place.

61
Q

What sampling technique is used to sample organisms in the water?

A

Water Net

62
Q

Why might you not get an accurate picture of what is in the water when using a water net?

A

Organisms might miss the mouth of the net or they may swim through the holes in the net and escape

63
Q

What instrument can be used to measure the light intensity in an ecosystem?

A

Light meter

64
Q

Why might the reading on a light meter not be accurate?

A

Somebody might create a shadow by standing in the way of the sensor

65
Q

Which instrument can be used to measure moisture content of the soil?

A

Moisture meter

66
Q

Why might you not get an accurate reading using a moisture meter?

A

Probe not wiped in between readings

67
Q

Which instrument can be used to measure the pH of the soil?

A

pH meter

68
Q

What name is given to a change in the structure or composition of an organism’s genetic material?

A

Mutation

69
Q

What name is given to an individual affected by a mutation?

A

Mutant

70
Q

What name is given to substances that can increase the rate of mutation?

A

Mutagenic Agents

71
Q

Name some mutagenic agents.

A
  • X-rays
  • Gamma rays
  • UV light
  • Mustard gas
72
Q

What name is given to inherited characteristics that make an organism well-suited to its environment?

A

Adaptation

73
Q

What does a desert kangaroo rat do to try and avoid the heat during the day?

A

Burrows underground where it is cooler

74
Q

What name is given to the process by which the organisms with the phenotypes best suited to the environment are selected?

A

Natural Selection

75
Q

What name is given to the process by which a new species is made?

A

Speciation

76
Q

Define a species.

A

A group of interbreeding organisms that are able to produce fertile offspring

77
Q

What are the steps involved in the formation of a new species (Speciation)?

A
  1. Large interbreeding population
  2. Isolation barrier splits the group up
  3. Mutations happen in each of the two groups
  4. Natural selection occurs in each group
  5. Many natural selections later a new species is formed
  6. Groups unable to interbreed once the barrier is removed

This process illustrates how genetic divergence can lead to speciation over time.

78
Q

What is the term for the growing of a vast population of one type of crop plant?

A

Monoculture

Monoculture can lead to increased vulnerability to pests and diseases.

79
Q

Why is there a need for an increase in food yield compared to the food yield in the 1800s?

A

Increased population

Population growth drives the demand for higher food production.

80
Q

Which nutrient can get depleted from soil if crops are constantly grown on the same bit of soil?

A

Nitrogen

Nitrogen is essential for plant growth and is often lost through crop harvesting.

81
Q

What chemical can be added to soil to replace the nitrates and phosphates that are depleted?

A

Fertilisers

Fertilisers help replenish essential nutrients in the soil.

82
Q

If excess fertiliser is added to a river, which water plants will use it as a source of food and grow?

A

Algae

Algae thrive on nutrients from fertilisers, leading to ecosystem changes.

83
Q

What is the name given to the rapid growth of algae which use fertiliser as a source of food?

A

Algal bloom

Algal blooms can deplete oxygen levels in water bodies.

84
Q

When algae die in large numbers after growing too fast, who decomposes them?

A

Bacteria

Bacteria play a crucial role in breaking down organic matter.

85
Q

What happens to the number of bacteria that decompose the algae in a river full of fertiliser?

A

Number of bacteria increase, oxygen levels decrease

The decomposition process uses up oxygen, harming aquatic life.

86
Q

What do reduced oxygen levels in the river do to fish?

A

Kills them

Fish require dissolved oxygen for survival.

87
Q

Who would feed on dead fish in a river?

A

Bacteria

Bacteria continue the decomposition process, recycling nutrients.

88
Q

What chemicals can be added to crops to kill off pests which may ruin a crop?

A

Pesticides

Pesticides help protect crops but can also affect non-target organisms.

89
Q

What name is given to species that by their presence can tell you about the levels of pollution in an ecosystem?

A

Indicator Species

Indicator species provide insights into environmental health.

90
Q

What can the presence of different lichens tell you about levels of pollution in the environment?

A

They can tell you about levels of Sulphur Dioxide Pollution

Lichens are sensitive to air quality, particularly sulfur dioxide.

91
Q

What can the presence of sludgeworm and rat-tailed maggots in a river tell you about the levels of pollution?

A

They are high and the levels of oxygen are low

These species thrive in polluted, low-oxygen environments.

92
Q

What name is given to the process by which a natural enemy of an animal is used to control numbers of them to stop them being a pest?

A

Biological Control

Biological control is a sustainable pest management strategy.

93
Q

What organism can be used to control aphids?

A

Ladybirds

Ladybirds, also known as ladybugs, are natural predators of aphids and are commonly used in biological pest control.

94
Q

Name a virus that was introduced as part of biological control to control the numbers of South American Cottontail Rabbit.

A

Myxomatosis

Myxomatosis is a viral disease that affects rabbits and was introduced in Australia to reduce the population of invasive rabbits.

Biology (4 decks)

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