Science-Ecology Flashcards
Ecology
Ecology is the study of plants, animals and their environment, and the relationship between them
Environment
The environment is everything that surrounds an animal or plant(for example air, water, rocks and soil)
Habitat
The habitat is the best place where a plant or animal lives
Community
Each habit has its own community of organisms. Community is all the different populations that live in the habitat. E.g hedgehogs, snails, foxes and primroses the Woodland habitat
Interpendence
Interdependence is how organisms depend on each other for their survival. E.g Buttercups depends on bees(for food),bees need buttercups(for pollination)!
Ecosystem
All the plants and the animals in an area interacting with each other and their environment. E.g. desert, tropical rainforest, grasslands, seashore
Biome
An ecosystem that extends over a very large area is called a biome. E.g. rainforest
Biosphere
All of the Earth’s ecosystem together form one large ecosystem known as the biosphere
Producer
Plants that make their own food e.g. grass, dandelion, nettles
Consumer
Animals that get their food by eating plants or other animals e.g
Herbivore
An animal that eats plants only e.g. rabbit, sheep, slug, snail
Carnivore
An animal that eats other animals only e.g. dox, hawk, ladybird
Omnivore
An animal that eats both plants, and animals e.g. badger, thrush, blackbird, humans
Food chain
A food chain shows how one organism eats another and so on
Food chains
Food chains must start with green plants because they are the only things that can make food
Feeding level
The position of an organism in the food chain is called its feeding level
The first feeding level is always grown on a green plant
The amount of energy gets less and less as you go along food chain
A food web
A food web is two or more interconnected food chains
Competition
Competition occurs when two or more organisms seek a resource that is limited. Plants compete for light, water, minerals and space. Animals compete for food and shelter
Adaptations
They are features that give an organism a better chance of surviving in their habitat
The Dandelion Adaptation
The Dandelion has a long root which means it reaches below the short roof of grass to get water
Dandelions are able to complete for space because they are able to spread their seeds in the wind
Hedgehogs Adaptation
Hedgehogs have an excellent sense of smell to make them good at finding food.
Hedgehogs have spikes to fight off predators.
Hedgehogs have a colour which makes them camouflage so predators can’t find them easily
Abiotic factors
Abiotic factors are non living e,g. weather (temperature, light intensity, rainfall, wind), soil and type of landscape
Biotic factors
They are living E.g. competition, predation, symbolisis
Predation
Controls the number of organisms in an ecosystem E.g. ladybirds eat aphids, lions eat zebra
Ecology
Ecology The study of how living things interact with their environment and each other.
Habitat
Habitat The place where an organism lives and to which it is best adapted.
Population
Population All of the individual organisms of the same species in a habitat
Community
Community All of the different populations that live in a habitat.
Ecosystem
Ecosystem A group of organisms interacting with each other and their environment.
Balance of nature
Balance of nature Over time, the number and types of species in an ecosystem reach a steady state known as the balance of nature.
Biome
Biome An ecosystem that extends over a very large area.
Biosphere
Biosphere The part of Earth that can support life, made up of the crust and the atmosphere.
Conservation
Is the protection, preservation and careful
Pollution
Is adding unwanted wastes to the environment causing damage to it. If a poisonous waste builds up it may kill a certain plant or animal
Air pollution
Caused by smoke, dust and harmful gases most of these come from cars, buses, factories and power stations
Fossil Fuels
When fossil fuels are burned they produce gases called carbon dioxide and suffer dioxide
Soil pollution
Caused by Pesticides, Artificial fertilisers and Acid Rain
Water pollution
Rivers, Lakers and Seas are polluted by fertilisers, sewage, oil and Detergents. Fertilisers seep into the river and cause too much plant growth, bacteria populations boom as they feed on dead plants and no oxygen is left for fish
Incineration
Burning the waste, this can release dangerous gases into the atmosphere, difficulties with location nobody wants to live near an incinerator
Landfill
Burying the waste in ground damages soil,rivers and ground water, attracts rodents, disease causing , bad smell, difficulties as nobody wants to live near landfill sites
Redus
Reduce, Reuse and Recycle to male sure that we do not damage our environment and that future generations will have a nice place to live
Reduce
Use your own bag, do not pick the items with extra packaging (use
Recycling
Paper glass, some metals and plastics can be processed and reused
This reduces damage to the environment
Leaf
Makes food for the plant(photosynthesis)
Cools the plant when water vapour passes through it
Fruit
Protects seeds
Provides food for seeds
The bid
Allows new leaves and flowers to grow
Stem
The stem allows the transport of food, water and minerals around the plant.
Roots
Anchor and support
Take in water and nutrients
Store food (e.g carrots and turnips)
Transport in plants
There are vessels in a plant, the xylem and the phloem.
Xylem
Water is absorbed up through the roots, and travels to the leaves and the tips of the plant through the xylem
Phloem
Food from the leaves travels to other parts of the plant in the phloem
Transpiration
Transpiration is the loss of water vapour from the stomata of the leaves.
Stomata
The stomata are little holes on the underside of the leaves
Transpiration stream
The flow of water from the roots, up through the plant, and out the leaves is called the transpiration stream
Stimulus
Is anything that causes a response in an organism
Plants
Plants respond to the stimuli of Light and Gravity
Shoots tropism
Shoots/stems are positively phototrophic, negatively geotropic
Roots tropism
Roots are negatively phototrophic, positively geotropic
Why’s geotropism good?
It makes sure plant roots travel down to find water and minerals in soil
Having deep roots means the plant is anchored in the soil
Why’s photropism good?
It makes sure plants get enough light for photosynthesis, so that they can make food
Photosynthesis
Is the process where green plants make food using light energy
Sexual reproduction
The flower is the sexual reproduction organ of the plant
Sepal
Protects the flowers before it blooms
Petals
Coloured and scented to attract insects
Male parts
Stamen made up of filament and anther
Filament
Holds up another
Anther
Makes pollen
Female parts
Carpel, made up of stigma, style and ovary
Ovary
Makes the egg or ovary (gamete)
Stigma
Pollen lands and sticks to it
Style
Makes a tube for the pollen (male gamete) to travel down to the egg (female gamete)
Zygote
When the male nucleus and female nucleus fuse they form the zygote
Plumule
The plumule will be come the plant shoot
Food chain
A food chain shows how one organism eats another and so on
Food chains
Food chains must start with green plants because they are the only things that can make food
Feeding level
The position of an organism in the food chain is called its feeding level
The first feeding level is always grown on a green plant
The amount of energy gets less and less as you go along food chain
A food web
A food web is two or more interconnected food chains
