Topic 2

Question 1

Ecology

Answer 1

study of how living things interact with each other

Question 2

Ecosystem

Answer 2

An environment in which living and non living factors within interact

Question 3

Habitat

Answer 3

particular area in which plants/animals live which has conditions necessary for survival

Question 4

Niche

Answer 4

Interaction of an organism with its ecosystem

Question 5

Community

Answer 5

All the different organisms in particular habitat

Question 6

Population

Answer 6

total number of individuals of the same species living in a particular habitat

Question 7

Adaptation

Answer 7

organisms have special features/behaviour which helps them be successful in their habitat so they have a good chance of survival

Question 8

Species

Answer 8

a group of similar organisms that can interbreed

Question 9

Realised niche

Answer 9

where the species actually exists

Question 10

Fundamental niche

Answer 10

full potential of where, when and how a species can exist

Question 11

Abiotic factor

Answer 11

Physical/environmental factors ( non living)

E.g water, light - needed for photosynthesis, oxygen content

Question 12

Biotic factor

Answer 12

caused by other living organisms

E.g competition - for food, light, water, Disease - caused by microorganisms, Predation.

Question 13

Competition

Answer 13

when resources are limiting populations compete in order to survive

Question 14

Intraspecific competition

Answer 14

competition within species

Question 15

Interspecific competition

Answer 15

competition between species

• Exists when niches of different species overlap
• Neither species benefit, although better competitors suffer less.

Question 16

Limiting factors

Answer 16

Populations are constrained by limiting factors

Question 17

Carrying capacity

Answer 17

maximum number of organisms that an area/ecosystem can sustainably support over long period of time

Question 18

J -curves

Answer 18

• A population growth curve that is initially slow becomes increasingly rapid
• I does not slow down

Question 19

Models

Answer 19

A simplified description design to show the structure of an working system or concept

Question 20

Respiration

Answer 20

process that the body uses energy from digested food

This type of respiration is called aerobic because energy is released with oxygen.

Question 21

Photosynthesis

Answer 21

Question 22

Energy

Answer 22

• sunlight contains a broad spectrum of wavelengths.
• almost half of the sun’s total radiation is visible light
• Very little of sunlight available from the Sun ends up as biomass in ecosystems

Question 23

Producers

Answer 23

• organisms that use sunlight to create food

- photoautotrophs

Question 24

Consumers

Answer 24

• Organisms that cannot make their own food
• Obtain food their energy by eating other organisms
• heterotrophs

Question 25

Decomposers

Answer 25

obtain their food from dead biomass created by the ecosystem

Question 26

food web

Answer 26

number of food chains meshed together

Question 27

food chain

Answer 27

Ways in which energy and nutrients travel/ move trough an ecosystem

Question 28

Pyramid of productivity

Answer 28

take into account the rate of production over a period of time in each tropic level

triangle pattern

Question 29

pyramid of biomass

Answer 29

show the amount of the number of biomass at each level at certain point in time

Question 30

Pyramid of number

Answer 30

• show the number of organism in each trophic level

Question 31

productivity

Answer 31

Production per time unit

Question 32

primary productivity

Answer 32

the rate of change in producers in energy or biomass per unit time

Question 33

secondary productivity

Answer 33

rate of change on consumers

Question 34

gross production

Answer 34

total gain in energy or biomass per unit are per time

Question 35

Gross primary productivity

Answer 35

amount of photosynthesis carried out in producers

Question 36

Gross secondary productivity

Answer 36

is gained through absorption in consumers

Question 37

Net productivity

Answer 37

the gain in energy or biomass per unit are per time remaining after allowing for respiratory losses

Question 38

NPP

Answer 38

actual growth of the producer

Question 39

NSP

Answer 39

the gain by consumers in energy or biomass per unit per time remaining after respiratory losses (R)

NPP=GPP-R

NSP=GSP-R

Question 40

Biome

Answer 40

the environment in which a species normally lives

Question 41

Simpson’s diversity index

Answer 41

D= diversity index
N= total number of organisms in the ecosystem

n= number of individuals of each species

Question 42

Simpson’s diversity index p2

Answer 42

A high value for D suggests a stable and ancient site.

A low value of D could suggest pollution, recent colonization or agricultural management.

Question 43

Richness

Answer 43

the number of different organisms in a particular area.

Question 44

Evenness

Answer 44

how the quantity of each different organism compares with the other.

Question 45

Carbon cycle

Answer 45

the series of processes by which carbon compounds are interconverted in the environment, involving the incorporation of carbon dioxide into living tissue by photosynthesis and its return to the atmosphere through respiration, the decay of dead organisms, and the burning of fossil fuels.