Paper 2 - Is Assessed Flashcards
What happens in a pyramid of biomass?
As you go up a trophic level, the mass of an organism decreases
Why aren’t food chains very long?
So much energy is lost at each level that there isn’t enough to support a long chain
Why does the mass of an organism decrease as the tropic levels go up?
As most biomass is lost, it can’t provide enough energy to support the same mass of organisms in a higher level
Where is biomass (energy) lost in plants?
During respiration / photosynthesis
Where is biomass (energy) lost in animals?
During respiration, heat given off to surroundings, undigested material (part of animal that doesn’t get eaten)
How do you calculate efficiency of each trophic level?
Energy transferred to next level
——————————————— X100
Energy available at previous level
How do you calculate the energy lost at each trophic level?
Energy available at previous level - energy transferred to next level
SA:V ratio
The larger an organism is, the…
…smaller it’s surface area is compared to its volume
How are substances transported in a single-celled organism?
Directly into and out of the cell across the cell membrane due to their large SA:V, so enough substances can be exchanged
What is multicellular organism’s SA:V?
Smaller SA compared to V
How do multicellular organisms transport substances?
Through a mass transport system over an exchange surface
How do exchange surfaces allow the maximum substances to cross?
By having a larger surface area so more so space for diffusion
What is Fick’s law?
rate of diffusion = SA x conc difference
—————————
Thickness of membrane
If the rate of diffusion doubles, so will…
…the SA or the difference in concentration
If the rate of diffusion doubles, what will half?
The thickness of membrane
How are alveoli specialised to maximise diffusion of O2 and CO2?
- moist lining for dissolving gases
- very thin walls minimising distance
- huge SA
- good blood supply to maintain conc gradient
How does distance affect the rate of diffusion?
Substances diffuse quicker when they don’t have as far to move
How does conc difference (gradient) affect the rate of diffusion?
substances diffuse faster if there’s a big difference in conc from and to the area of diffusion
How does SA affect the rate of diffusion?
the more SA there is for molecules to cross at, the faster they can move from one side to another
How does gas exchange happen in the alveoli?
- blood arrives at alveoli from the rest of the body, containing lots of CO2 and no O2
- this maximises conc gradient
- O2 diffuses out of air in the alveoli and into blood
- CO2 diffuses in the opposite direction to be breathed out
What is the job of the lungs?
to transfer O2 to the blood and to remove waste CO2 from it
What is the cardiac output formula?
Cardiac output = heart rate x stroke volume
What are the units for cardiac output, heart rate and stroke volume?
Cardiac output = cm3 / min
Heart rate = bpm
Stroke volume = cm3
What is the process of cellular respiration?
Transferring energy from the breakdown of organic compounds (usually glucose)