the living world

Question 1

ecosystem

Answer 1

a community of interdependent living and non-living elements

Question 2

biodiversity

Answer 2

s measure of how many different species live in an ecosystem

Question 3

food chain

Answer 3

a simple set of connections showing how a small group of organisms are linked, who ears what

Question 4

food web

Answer 4

a network of interconnected food chains

Question 5

producer

Answer 5

an organism e.g a tree that makes its own food via photosyntheseis

Question 6

consumer

Answer 6

a species that eats another species

Question 7

herbivore

Answer 7

an organism that only eats plants

Question 8

carnivore

Answer 8

an organism that eats other animals

Question 9

decomposer

Answer 9

an organism that breaks down the dead remains of another organism

Question 10

nutrient cycle

Answer 10

how the minerals that provide energy and substance to living organisms circulate around an ecosystem minerals are moved between the atmosphere biomass litter layer and soil

Question 11

biomes

Answer 11

large-scale ecosystems defined by factors such as climate, soils and vegetation examples include tropical rainforest, tundra and polar

Question 12

atmospheric pressure

Answer 12

the pressure exerted by the weight of the atmosphere

Question 13

air masses

Answer 13

large bodies of air with the same temperature throughout

Question 14

wind patterns

Answer 14

the semi-predictable movement of masses of air around the world e.g. trade winds

Question 15

latosol

Answer 15

soil found under tropical rainforests

Question 16

leaf litter

Answer 16

dead plant material on the ground surface

Question 17

buttress roots

Answer 17

a shallow root system ensuring the quick take-up of nutrients

Question 18

irrigation

Answer 18

artificial addition of water to land to help crops grow

Question 19

salinisation

Answer 19

an increase in the salt content of water

Question 20

transpiration

Answer 20

the process by which water evaporates from plants into the atmosphere

Question 21

extreme temperatures

Answer 21

excessive heat or cold

Question 22

hunter-gatherers

Answer 22

tribespeople who live by hunting and harvesting wild food

Question 23

shifting cultivation

Answer 23

ground is cultivated and then abandoned to allow its fertility to be restored

Question 24

commercial farming

Answer 24

crops are produced on a large scale for profit

Question 25

subsistence farming

Answer 25

crops are produced solely for the farmer and family

Question 26

settlement

Answer 26

a place where people establish a community

Question 27

hydroelectric power

Answer 27

producing electricity using water power

Question 28

economic deveopment

Answer 28

improvement in living standards by creation on jobs

Question 29

ecotourism

Answer 29

responsible travel to areas that sustains the well-being of the local population and environment

Question 30

out-migration

Answer 30

moving away from local community

Question 31

desertification

Answer 31

the process by which previously fertile land becomes desert

Question 32

pastoral farming

Answer 32

farming aimed a producing livestock rather than crops

Question 33

terraced fields

Answer 33

used for farming in hilly regions

Question 34

aquifer

Answer 34

an underground layer of rock that bears water

Question 35

mass tourism

Answer 35

where tens of thousands of people visit the same place at the same time of year

Question 36

appropriate technology

Answer 36

science or technology suitable for the area