T1 - Organisms in the environment

Question 1

Examples of abiotic factors

Answer 1

water availability, light intensity and mineral ions

Question 2

What is a transect?

Answer 2

lines used to help find out how organisms (like plants) are distributed across an area, e.g. if an organisms becomes more or less common as you move from a hedge towards the middle of a field

Question 3

Transect sampling method

Answer 3

1. stretch a tape measure through the area you wish to sample
2. place a quadrat along the transect at the beginning and record the number of individuals in the transect
3. repeat by moving your quadrat along the transect at regular intervals and recording the number of individuals in each quadrat
4. repeat the transect at different places in the sample area

Question 4

Measuring biodiversity

Answer 4

Use 2 tape measures to lay out your first survey area (e.g. 10m X 10m)
Use a random number generator to create a set of coordinates to place your first quadratE.g. for coordinates 4,5, you would place your quadrat 4m along on the x-axis and 5m along on the y-axis

Count the number of different species found within that quadrat
Repeat this process until you have collected the data for 10 quadrats
Repeat these steps for the second survey area

Question 5

population

Answer 5

a group of organisms of the same species living in the same place at the same time

Question 6

community

Answer 6

all of the populations living in the same area at the same time

Question 7

what is it called if one species is removed from within a community that causes an effect on the rest of the community?

Answer 7

interdependence

Question 8

habitat

Answer 8

Place where an organism lives

Question 9

ecosystem

Answer 9

all the biotic factors and all the abiotic factors that interact within an area at one time

Question 10

biotic factors

Answer 10

All of the living components of an ecosystem

Question 10

abiotic factors

Answer 10

Nonliving components of environment.

Question 11

examples of biotic factors

Answer 11

plants, animals, fungi

Question 12

Ecosystems (size)

Answer 12

Ecosystems can vary greatly in size and scale A small ecosystem might be a garden pond A large ecosystem might be the whole of Antarctica

Question 13

individual

Answer 13

single member of a species

Question 14

What does ecology study?

Answer 14

The distribution of species
The abundance of species
Interactions between species
Interactions between a species and its abiotic environment

Question 15

what piece of equipment is used to investigate population size

Answer 15

quadrat

Question 16

what is a quadrat?

Answer 16

a quadrat is a square frame used to measure abundance, they are placed on the ground and the organisms within them are recorded

Question 17

Quadrats used in an investigation

Answer 17

1. lay a quadrat randomly (using a grid and random number generator)
2. count the number of individuals in each quadrat
3. repeat with several quadrats and find the mean per quadrat
4. calculate the ratio of quadrat area to study size area
5. multiply your mean number of plants by this ratio to calculate how many in the study area

Question 18

using CORMS when explaining practical work

Answer 18

C - change. What is being changed?
O - organism - control related to the organism
R - repeat - repeats must be carried out for reliable results
M - measurement 1 - how will you measure your dependent variable
- measurement 2 - what time scale will you use to measure your dependent variable?
S - same - what will you control in the experiment?

Question 19

Biodiversity

Answer 19

the range and variety of different species of organisms on Earth, or within an ecosystem

Question 20

species richness

Answer 20

the number of different species in a community

Question 21

Example of high biodiversity

Answer 21

an environment with lots of different species which show a lot of variation and are living in, all evenly distributed across the study area

Question 22

human activities which are reducing biodiversity

Answer 22

waste production, deforestation, global warming

Question 23

Why is biodiversity important?

Answer 23

• stable food chain/ecosystem
• nutrient cycle/soil structure
• new medicine/food/resources
• tourism

Question 24

what example demonstrates the importance of biodiversity in an ecosystem?

Answer 24

a food chain

Question 25

how do abiotic factors influence organisms

Answer 25

more access to light intensity - plant growth increases

temperature - temperate weather/conditions are best as too hot or too cold conditions could kill off organisms

availability of water - keeps organisms healthy and alive

availability of oxygen and carbon dioxide - increases plant growth

Question 26

how do biotic factors influence organisms

Answer 26

food availability - increases plant growth
new pathogens - decreases plant growth/organism growth
new predators - decreases plant/organism growth
competition with other organisms - decreases plant/organism growth