The Distribution Of Organisms Flashcards
1
Q
What is a habitat?
A
The place where an organism lives
2
Q
What environmental facts could affect where an organism is found?
A
- temperature
- availability of water
- availability of oxygen and carbon dioxide
- availability of nutrients
- amount of light
3
Q
What are the two ways of studying the distribution of an organism?
A
- measure how common an organism is in two sample areas and compare them
- study how the distribution changes across an area
4
Q
What is a quadrat?
A
A scare frame with wire mesh used to enclose a known area
5
Q
How do you compare how common an organism is in two sample areas using a quadrat?
A
- place the quadrat at a random point within the first sample area
- count all the organisms within the quadrat
- repeat the first two steps for the second sample area
- compare the results
6
Q
How do you work out a population size of an organism in one sample area?
A
- work out the mean number of organisms per meter(^2)
- multiply the mean by the total area
7
Q
How do you use transects to study the distribution of organisms along a line?
A
- mark out a line within the area you wish to study
- collect data along that line by counting all the organisms which touch that line
- alternatively, you can place quadrants side by side along the line and count the number of organisms within the quadrat
8
Q
How do you ensure distribution results are reliable?
A
- ensure you results are reliable and reproducible
- use a large sample size and calculate a mean average
9
Q
How do you ensure distribution results are valid?
A
- must be reliable and answer the original question
- control all the variables
- which environmental factors cause the difference in distribution
- use random samples in order to demonstrate that the distribution is true for the entire area
10
Q
What is the distribution of organisms?
A
Where an organism is found
