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Master Separate Science - Biology > Separate Biology - 4.7 > Flashcards

Separate Biology - 4.7 Flashcards

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1
Q

What is an ecosystem?

A

The interaction of a community of living organisms (biotic) with the non-living (abiotic) parts of the environment

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2
Q

What do organisms need to survive and reproduce?

A

A supply of materials from their surroundings and from other living organisms.

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3
Q

What do plants compete for?

A
  • Light and space
  • Water and mineral ions from the soil
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4
Q

What do animals compete for?

A
  • Food
  • Mates
  • Territory
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5
Q

Within a community what does each species depend on other species for?

A

Food, shelter, pollinations, seed dispersal etc…

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6
Q

What happens if one species is removed from a community?

A

The whole community can be affected (known as interdependence)

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7
Q

What is a stable community?

A

One where all the species and environmental factors are in balance so that population size remains fairly constant

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8
Q

List abiotic (non-living) factors which can affect a community

A
  • Light intensity
  • Temperature
  • Moisture levels
  • Soil pH and mineral content
  • Wind intensity and direction
  • CO2 levels for plants
  • O2 levels of aquatic animals
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9
Q

List biotic (living) factors which can affect a community

A
  • Availability of food
  • New predators arriving
  • New pathogens
  • One species outcompeting another (so numbers are no longer sufficient to breed)
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10
Q

What are adaptations?

A

Features of an organism enabling it to survive in the conditions in which it normally lives

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11
Q

How can adaptations be characterised?

A
  • Structural
  • Behavioural
  • Functional
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12
Q

What are extremophiles and what examples of habitat may they live in?

A

Organisms which live in habitats which are extreme e.g. high temperature, pressure or salt concentration

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13
Q

Bacteria living in deep sea vents would be classified as what?

A

Extremophiles

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14
Q

For life on Earth, what are the producers of biomass?

A

Photosynthetic organisms

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15
Q

How can feeding relationships in a community be represented?

A

In a food web.

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16
Q

Describe a simple food chain.

A

Producers are eaten by primary consumers, which in turn may be eaten by secondary consumers and then tertiary consumers.

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17
Q

What are predators?

A

Consumers that kill and eat other animals

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18
Q

What are prey?

A

Animals eaten by consumers

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19
Q

In a stable community, what may happen to the numbers of predators and prey?

A

It may rise and fall in cycles

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20
Q

What happens to all materials in the living world?

A

They are recycled to provide the building blocks for future organisms

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21
Q

What does the carbon cycle return to the atmosphere?

A

Carbon dioxide - which is then used by plants for photosynthesis.

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22
Q

What does the water cycle provide

A

Fresh water for plants and animals on land, before draining into the seas (water is continuously evaporated and precipitated)

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23
Q

What role do microorganisms provide in an ecosystem?

A

They cycle materials through an ecosystem by returning carbon to the atmosphere and mineral ions to the soil

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24
Q

Separate Q. What can affect the rate of biological decay?

A

Temperature, water and the availability of oxygen

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25
Q

Separate Q. What do gardeners and farmers try to provide to aid the decay of waste biological materials?

A

Optimum conditions (e.g warm, moist and good oxygen supply) for rapid decay.

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26
Q

Separate Q. How is compost from waste biological materials used?

A

As a natural fertiliser

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27
Q

Separate Q. What does anaerobic decay produce?

A

Methane gas

28
Q

Separate Q. What can the product of anaerobic decay be used for?

A

Biogas generators can be used to produce methane as a gas for fuel

29
Q

Separate Higher Q. What can affect the distribution of species in an ecosystem?

A

Environmental changes

30
Q

Separate Higher Q. What environmental changes can affect the distribution of a species in an ecosystem?

A
  • Temperature
  • Availability of water
  • Composition of atmospheric gases
31
Q

Separate Higher Q. What environmental changes can occur?

A
  • Seasonal
  • Geographic
  • Human interaction
32
Q

What is biodiversity?

A

The variety of all the different species of organisms on Earth (or within an ecosystem)

33
Q

What does a great biodiversity ensure?

A

The stability of ecosystems by reducing the dependence of one species on another for food, shelter and the maintenance of the physical environment

34
Q

What can impact biodiversity?

A

Waste, deforestation and global warming

35
Q

How are most human activities impacting biodiversity?

A

Human activities are reducing biodiversity (impacting the future of the human species)

36
Q

What does rapid growth in human population and increasing living standards lead to?

A

More resources are used and more waste produced (including pollution when not handled properly)

37
Q

Where can pollution occur?

A
  • Water (sewage, fertilisers or toxic chemicals)
  • Air (smoke and acidic gases)
  • Land (landfill and toxic chemicals)
38
Q

What can pollution cause?

A

A reduction in biodiversity as plants and animals can be killed

39
Q

What are humans doing to the amount of land available for other organisms?

A

Reducing the available land: building, quarrying, farming and dumping waste

40
Q

What problems are associated with peat bog destruction (for use as garden compost)?

A

This habitat is reduced and thus the variety of different plant, animal and microorganisms (biodiversity) which live there

41
Q

What does the decay or burning of peat cause?

A

Carbon dioxide to be released: links to global warming

42
Q

Why has large scale deforestation in tropical areas occurred?

A

To provide land for cattle and rice fields / growing crops for biofuels

43
Q

What gases are contributing to global warming?

A

Carbon dioxide and methane

44
Q

What programmes are in place to reduce the negative effects of humans on ecosystems and biodiversity?

A
  • Breeding programmes for endangered species
  • Protection / regeneration of rare habitats
  • Reintroduction of field margins
  • Reduction of deforestation and CO2 emissions
  • Recycling resources rather
45
Q

Separate Q. What can trophic levels be represented by?

A

Numbers (starting at 1 with plants and algae) with further trophic levels numbered subsequently according to the food chain

46
Q

Separate Q. In a trophic level, what is number 1?

A

Plants and algae (producers making their own food)

47
Q

Separate Q. In a trophic level, what is number 2?

A

Primary consumers (herbivores)

48
Q

Separate Q. In a trophic level, what is number 3?

A

Secondary consumers (carnivores)

49
Q

Separate Q. In a trophic level, what is number 4?

A

Tertiary consumers (carnivores eating other carnivores)

50
Q

Separate Q. What is an apex predator?

A

Carnivores with no predators

51
Q

Separate Q. What do decomposers do?

A

Break down dead plant and animal matter (enzyme secretion into the environment with soluble food molecules diffusing into the microorganism)

52
Q

Separate Q. Draw an example of a pyramid of biomass

A
53
Q

Separate Q. What are most producers and how much incident energy do they transfer?

A

Plants and algae, transferring about 1% incident energy via photosynthesis

54
Q

Separate Q. How much biomass from each trophic level is transferred to the level above and why?

A

About 10% - losses as not all ingested material is absorbed / faeces egestion / waste (CO2, H2O, urine)

55
Q

Separate Q. What is used in large amounts during respiration?

A

Glucose

56
Q

Separate Q. What is food security?

A

Having enough food to feed a population

57
Q

Separate Q. What biological factors are threatening food security?

A
  • Increasing birth rate
  • Changing diets
  • New pests and pathogens
  • Environmental changes (famine)
  • Cost of agricultural inputs
  • Conflicts
58
Q

Separate Q. How can the efficiency of food production be improved?

A

Restricting the energy transfer from food animals to the environment (limit their movement / control surrounding temperatures)

59
Q

Separate Q. How can animal growth be increased?

A

High protein foods

60
Q

Separate Q. What is happening to fish stocks in the ocean?

A

They are declining

61
Q

Separate Q. How can fish stocks be maintained?

A

Control of net size / fishing quotas

62
Q

Separate Q. How can growing human population demand be met?

A

Biotechnical / agricultural solutions such as GM crops

63
Q

Separate Q. What can modern biotechnology techniques allow for?

A

Large quantities of microorganisms to be cultured for food

64
Q

Separate Q. What is Fusarium?

A

A fungus useful for producing mycoprotein (a protein-rich food suitable for vegetarians)

65
Q

Separate Q. How is Fusarium produced?

A

It is grown on glucose syrup in aerobic conditions – the biomass is harvested and purified

66
Q

Separate Q. How can human insulin be produced aiding diabetic individuals?

A

A genetically modified bacterium

67
Q

Separate Q. What is golden rice?

A

A GM crop which could provide more food / food with improved nutritional value

Master Separate Science - Biology (7 decks)

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