Paper 2 Topic 7 Flashcards
A _______ is the place where an organisms lives.
habitat
A __________ refers to all of the organisms of a particular species that live in the same habitat.
population
In ecology, what is a ‘community’?
All the populations of different species that live together in a habitat
An _________ is the interaction of a community of living organisms (biotic) with the non-living (abiotic) parts of their environment.
ecosystem
___________ is an interaction between organisms or species in which they both try to use the same limited resources.
Competition
Give three resources that animals compete for:
Food
Water
Mates
Territory
Give three resources that plants compete for:
Mineral ions
Water
Light
Space
All organisms in an ecosystem depend upon one another, with countless complex relationships between them all.
What do we call this concept?
Interdependence
If the population of snakes falls, what is likely to happen to the rabbit population?
Increase
______ factors are also known as living factors, and refer to processes by which one living organism affects other living organism in its environment.
Biotic
Is predation considered a biotic factor or an abiotic factor?
Predation is a biotic factor as it is determined by living organisms (the predators).
Give 2 biotic factors:
The availability of food
The level of disease
Is temperature considered a biotic or abiotic factor?
Temperature is an abiotic factor as it is not influenced by living organisms.
Give 2 abiotic factors:
Level of mineral ions in the soil
Wind intensity
Soil pH
Give a biotic factor that might affect a community:
The spread of a new disease
What does the term ‘structural adaptations’ refer to?
The physical features of the organism
Give 2 examples of structural adaptations:
The shape of an organism
The colour of an organism
Give a feature of a camel that would be considered a structural adaptation:
They have large feet to stop them falling into the sand
What does the term ‘behavioural adaptations’ refer to?
The way an organism acts
Give an example of a behavioural adaptation:
The response of an organism when it sees a predator
Which feature of a camel would be considered a behavioural adaptation?
They often spit when they feel threatened
What does the term functional/ physiological adaptations refer to?
The processes that take place within an organism
Give an example of a functional adaptation:
How an organism metabolises chemicals
The production of venom
Give a feature of camels which would be considered a functional adaptation:
They produce very concentrated urine
They can metabolise fat to produce water
Some species of bird migrate to different regions of the world at certain times of the year.
Which type of adaptation is this?
Behavioural adaptation
Some species of snake have bright and distinct patterns on their scales to warn other species that they are venomous.
Which type of adaptation is this?
Structural adaptation
What is an extremophile?
Extremophiles are microorganisms that live in extreme environments, such as those with high temperatures, pressures, or salt concentrations.
Give 2 types of organisms which are extremophiles.
Archaea
Bacteria
A model that shows how energy passes from organism to organism is called a ____ _____.
food chain
Organisms at the very start of a food chain that can create glucose using photosynthesis are known as ___________.
Producers
Give two groups of organisms which are producers:
Plants
Algae
Producers are organisms that create their own food using…
… energy from the sun.
Which resource do plants not compete for?
Food
What do primary consumers feed on?
Producers
________ consumers are organisms that eat secondary consumers.
Tertiary
As energy passes along a food chain, most of the energy is ____.
lost
Which is the secondary consumer in the following food chain?
tree → caterpillar → shrew → owl
Shrew
What is a predator?
An animal that hunts and kills other animals for food
An organism that is killed and eaten by a predator is known as ____.
prey
One of the key jobs of an ecologist is studying the _________ and ____________ of organisms.
abundance
distrubution
Abundance refers to..
…how many organisms there are.
Distribution refers to…
…where the organisms are.
Explain :
-> what sampling means
-> why it is often used.
-> Sampling means only counting a subset of the organisms in a habitat.
-> This is done because it would be impossible, or very time consuming, to count all the organisms
What is the name of small metal frames, often 1m x 1m, that ecologists use to sample the organisms in a habitat?
Quadrats
Quadrats - to measure _________
Transects - to measure how ____________ changes
Quadrats - to measure abundance
Transects - to measure how distribution changes
Ecologists use a method called ‘sampling’, where they only measure a subset of the organisms, and use that subset to make ____________ _____ ___ _____ __________.
predictions about the whole population.
________ are square frames, that have been subdivided into lots of smaller squares. We can use them to sample a habitat and estimate the size of a population.
Quadrants