Top 7 - Ecology Flashcards
What is Ecology?
Ecology is all about the organisms and the environment they live in and how they interact.
Define in order : Habitat Population Community Abiotic Factors Biotic Factors Ecosystem
Habitat - a place where an organism lives
Population - all the organisms of one species living in a habitat.
Community - the population of different species living in a habitat
Abiotic Factors - non-living factors of the environment e.g temperature
Biotic Factors - living factors e.g animals
Ecosystem - the interaction of a community of living organisms with both biotic and abiotic factors.
What are functional adaptations?
Functional adaptations are things that go on inside an organisms body that can be related to processes like metabolism.
Explain how a quadrat can be used to investigate the distribution of clover plants in two areas.
Measure using the quadrats how common an organism is in two sample areas and compare them.
Suggest why you might use a transect when investigating the distribution of organisms.
Because you end up with a more accurate set of results because you have a proper measured space and transects can be used in any ecosystem.
Explain how microorganisms return carbon to the atmosphere.
When plants, algae and animals die, other animals (called detritus feeders) and microorganisms feed on their remains. When organisms respire, CO2 is returned to the atmosphere.
Suggest why it is important to have high biodiversity in an ecosystem.
Because then the organisms in the ecosystem can depend on on another for things like shelter and food which also helps then maintain the physical environment.
Name two gases linked to global warming.
Carbon Dioxide and Methane
Explain why the destruction of peat bogs adds more Carbon Dioxide to the atmosphere.
Because when peat bogs are formed the are formed of material that already has CO2 trapped it like dead but not fully decayed plants, so when they are destroyed they release all of the CO2 trapped inside them into the atmosphere.
What is a trophic level?
Trophic Levels are the different stages of a food chain.
Does the bottom bar on a pyramid of biomass represent the tertiary consumer or the producer?
Producers are at the bottom.
What equation is used to calculate the percentage of biomass is lost between trophic levels.
biomass transferred to the next level
efficiency = ———————————————————- x100
biomass available at the previous level
Give an example of a factor that can affect food security.
Farming can be affected by new pests / pathogens.
