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AQA Biology Triple Science - All Topics 🧫🔬🧬 > Topic 17 - Organising an Ecosystem > Flashcards

Topic 17 - Organising an Ecosystem Flashcards

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1
Q

What is biomass?

A

The total amount of living matter in a certain thing.

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2
Q

What are producers?

A

Plants and algae which do not feed on other organisms and form the basis of biomass and the food chain.

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3
Q

What is a primary consumer?

A

The animals that eat producers like fish.

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4
Q

What are secondary consumers?

A

Animals that eat primary consumers like seals.

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5
Q

What are tertiary consumers?

A

Animals that eat secondary consumers like sharks.

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6
Q

What are decomposers?

A

Bacteria or fungi that break down dead material.

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7
Q

What is the role of the decomposer?

A

To return the mineral ions to the soil and for the trees to take them up again.

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8
Q

What is the water cycle?

A

Water in the oceans/rivers is evaporated, this water vapour rises, condenses and cools to form clouds, this causes precipitation in the clouds to bring the water back down, percolation leads to water going into the soil, being taken up by trees and released as vapour through transpiration and respiration.

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9
Q

How is carbon used in photosynthesis?

A

Plants and algae remove carbon dioxide in the atmosphere during photosynthesis, which then makes up the biomass of these organisms.

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10
Q

How does respiration relate to carbon?

A

They use oxygen to break down glucose, using carbon dioxide, to release energy, this is how carbon dioxide returns to the atmosphere.

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11
Q

How does combustion involve carbon?

A

A lot carbon exists in tress and when it is combusted it is released. A lot of carbon also exists in fossils that is released as carbon dioxide.

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12
Q

How does temperature affect the rate of decay?

A

The microorganisms slow down if temperature is too low and die if temperatures are too hot.

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13
Q

How does moisture affect decay?

A

Higher water content makes it easier for microorganisms to break down dead plants.

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14
Q

What is the order of the food chain?

A

producer –> primary consumer –> secondary consumer –> tertiary consumer

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15
Q

What is the order of the food chain in the ocean?

A

Phytoplankton –> fish –> seal –> killer whale.

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16
Q

What is the problem with digesting plants or algae?

A

Cellulose is very difficult to digest

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17
Q

What is the advantage of digesting plants or algae?

A

They don’t move around.

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18
Q

What is the problem with digesting animals?

A

They move around

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19
Q

What is the advantage of consuming an animal?

A

They are high in protein in fat

20
Q

What happens as food is plentiful?

A

As food is plentiful, prey animals grow and reproduce successfully, so numbers increase.

As prey animals increase, more food is available for predators, so predators reproduce more successfully and predator numbers increase.

21
Q

What happens when predator numbers are high?

A

A larger proportion of prey are eaten, so prey numbers fall.

22
Q

What happens when prey numbers fall?

A

There is less food for the predators, so they are less successful and predator numbers fall.

23
Q

What happens when predator numbers fall?

A

Prey numbers go up again

24
Q

Which chemicals make up living organisms?

A

Carbon

Oxygen

Hydrogen

Nitrogen

25
Q

What are some examples of detritus feeders?

A

Maggots

Worms

Beetles

26
Q

What do decomposers return to the soil?

A

Mineral ions, like nitrates.

27
Q

How does water we breathe out re-enter our body when we drink?

A

Water vapour in our breath condenses as it rises to form clouds.

These clouds lead to rain falling.

The rain falling becomes run off and goes through percolation to re-enter the soil and then the ocean.

28
Q

What is percolation?

A

When water trickles through gaps in soils and rocks.

29
Q

How is carbon ‘locked up’?

A

Main molecules in the bodies of organisms is carbon.

When these organisms die, their remains become fossil fuels.

This carbon becomes trapped in the rock, combined with other compounds to form compounds like limestone.

30
Q

What is the carbon cycle?

A

The movement of carbon between different stores.

31
Q

What is the order of the carbon cycle?

A

Feeding by animals on plant

Animals die, plants die

They become fossil fuels or are decomposed

This gets respired or stored in rock.

This is re-entered through plants in photosynthesis.

32
Q

What is the word equation for photosynthesis?

A

Carbon dioxide + water –> glucose + oxygen

33
Q

What is the word equation for respiration?

A

Glucose + oxygen –> carbon dioxide + water

34
Q

What is the word equation for combustion?

A

Fossil fuel or wood + oxygen –> carbon dioxide + water

35
Q

How are we affecting the carbon cycle?

A

We are burning more fossil fuls, pouring increasing amounts of carbon dioxide into atmosphere faster than it is taken in.

36
Q

What three factors affect the rate of decay?

A

Temperature

Moisture levels

Oxygen levels

37
Q

What do we use to make compost?

A

The process of decay.

38
Q

How does the process of decay work to make fertilisers?

A

Decomposers break down our waste kitchen and garden plant material to make a brown, crumbly substance. This compost is full of nutrients released by decomposers.

39
Q

What happens as temperature of compost increases?

A

The warmer the compost mixture, the faster the compost will be made.

40
Q

What happens as moisture levels increase in compost?

A

Decay processes are also faster in moist conditions.

41
Q

What happens when bacteria decompose waste material anaerobically?

A

Methane is released.

42
Q

What can methane made from bacterial decomposition be used for?

A

As a fuel for heating, cooking and generating electricity as it is a flammable gas.

43
Q

At what temperature do bacteria decaying anaerobically work best at?

A

Around 30 degrees celcius

44
Q

What type of reaction is bacteria anaerobically decaying?

A

Exothermic

45
Q

What happens under ideal conditions in biogas generators?

A

10kg of dry dung can produce 3m3 of biogas.

This is equivalent to 3 hours of cooking or 3 hours of lighting.

46
Q
A

AQA Biology Triple Science - All Topics 🧫🔬🧬 (32 decks)

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