Problems Of And Solutions To A Changing Environment Flashcards
What is a drug
Any chemical substance that changes the way our body works
What is a narcotic
A drug that makes us sleepy
What is a pain killer
A drug such as morphine that blocks some electrical impulses so we feel less pain
What is a hallucinogen
A drug that causes hallucinations such as LSD
What is a stimulant
A drug that makes the brain more alert, e.g. Caffeine which speeds up the reaction time
What are depressants
Drugs that increase our reaction time such as alcohol. They slow down activity of neurones
What are recreational drugs
Drugs that make someone feel a certain way
What can smoking cause
Tar in the cigarets contain chemicals called carcinogens that can cause cancer and kill tissue.
Why is carbon monoxide so poisonous
It reduces the O2 capacity of red blood cells meaning tissue get less oxygen making it harder for muscles to work and some of the tissue may even die. Also reduces the size of blood vessels so body cells get even less O2. The dead tissue can also easily get infected if not removed which can cause further problems. Can also cause heart attack if heart gets too little oxygen
Why do people get addicted to cigarets
Nicotine makes the smoker feel more relaxed making them want more and more making them addicted
Why do people drink alcohol
It increases their reaction times and reduces negative feelings making them feel happier
Short term effects of alcohol
Blurred vision Unconsciousness Slow nervous system Bad coordination Being sick
Long term effects of alcohol
Cirrhosis in the liver
Brain damage
Becoming an alcoholic
What is cirrhosis
A disease caused by long term drinking that kills the tissue in the liver so it doesn’t function as well and can fail
What is the criteria doctors use when deciding who gets an organ transplant
Matching pairs
Similar ages
Geographically close
How ill the patient is
What makes a microorganism a pathogen
If they cause infectious diseases.
What are vectors in terms of diseases
Animals that pass pathogens from person to person
What are antiseptics and examples
Chemical substances that kill microorganisms from outside the body e.g. bleach or iodine
Examples of physical barriers that stop pathogens getting into the body
Mucus traps microorganisms
Platelets in blood stop it microorganisms entering by creating clots and scabs
Hairs called cilia in the trachea sweep out mucus and the microorganisms trapped in it
What are antibiotics
Chemical substances that kill or prevent the growth of some bacteria and fungi. Don’t stop viruses
What are antibiotics that kill fungi called
Antifungals
What are bacteria that kill bacteria called
Antibactials
Why can over using antibiotics be bad
Like natural selection, some of the pathogens are more resistant and will survive and make more of themselves making more resistant pathogens and soon the antibiotic won’t work anymore
Levels in food webs
Producers: make their own food
Prey: eat producers (primary consumers)
Predators: top of chain, eat prey, aren’t eaten (secondary producers)
What is biomass
Tissue in an organism that stores energy and when the organism is eaten, the energy in the biomass is passed on
Why isn’t their anything that eats predators
There isn’t enough biomass per square meter to support an organism that feeds of predators, they would have to travel hundreds of miles daily to support their energy needs
What is a parasite and host
A parasite is something that uses the host to feed, feeds of the host such as fleas and host blood
What are mutualists
When 2 organisms live with each other and benefit each other such as oxpeckers and ox s, oxpeckers gets food from ox as it feeds of the parasites living on the ox and the ox benefits as the parasites on the ox are removed
How can a tapeworm kill its host
They live in the intestine and grow in their bodies, if it gets too big it can block the hosts intestines and starve them
Example of mutualists living in a host
Nitrogen fixing bacteria living in roots of legumes in plants get protection and plant gets nitric compounds that it needs to grow well
Why has hum population grown lots in the last 2 centuries
Because better medication means more people survive and can make children
How can using fertiliser lead to water organisms dying
Fertiliser (nitrates) are spread onto a field. Rain washes them off into a river River flows into pond Fertiliser is now in pond Fertiliser triggers growth of algae Lots of algae grow and cover pond Under algae is dark Plants under water can't get light Plants die Animals in water have nothing to eat Animals die This is called eutrophication
How is acid rain made
Power stations create sulphur dioxide
This condenses in the cloud with water
This makes sulphuric acid
When cloud rains acid falls
What is an indicator species
A species of organism that reacts to changing pollution levels and can indicate the levels of pollution
What is recycling
The process of taking materials out of waste and converting them back into new useable products
How is co2 removed from the air
It diffuses into leaves and it becomes glucose during photosynthesis
How do we get and what do we use nitrogen compounds for
Through food and used for growth
How is nitrogen converted into nitrates
Lightning gives enough energy to make it react with oxygen
Nitrogen fixing bacteria fix nitrogen to ammonia which can be used by plants
Nitrifying bacteria can turn nitrogen into nitrates which are better than a ammonia
