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ESS > Topic 2: The Ecosystem > Flashcards

Topic 2: The Ecosystem Flashcards

0
Q

Define species

A

A group of organisms that interbreed and produce fertile offspring

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1
Q

Define population

A

All of the organisms of the same species living in the same area at the same time

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2
Q

What would you call a group of populations living in and interacting with one anther in a common habitat?

A

Community

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3
Q

What is a niche?

A

An organisms’ share of a habitat and it’s resources as well as the role it plays in the ecosystem

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4
Q

Define habitat

A

The place where a particular organism lives

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5
Q

What is a biome?

A

A collection of ecosystems sharing similar climatic conditions e.g. Tundra

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6
Q

What would you call the part of the planet inhabited by living organisms?

A

Biosphere

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7
Q

What are biotic factors? Give three examples

A

Living factors

E.g. Predators, diseases, food availability

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8
Q

What are abiotic factors? Give three examples

A

Non-living organisms

E.g. Climate (lack of rain), pollution, pH

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9
Q

What are density dependent factors? Give three examples

A

Factors that are affected by density of population - tend to be biotic
E.g. Good availability, disease, predators

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10
Q

What are density independent factors? Give two examples

A

Factor that aren’t affected by density of population - tend to be abiotic
E.g. Flooding, forest fires

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11
Q

Define carrying capacity

A

The number of organisms that an area or ecosystem can support sustainably over a long period of time

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12
Q

What things could effect the climate?

A

Precipitation, insulation, temperature

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13
Q

How does the climate effect the NPP

A

The climate effects photosynthesis which effects the producers (who photosynthesis)

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14
Q

How do you work out the NPP?

A

Rate of photosynthesis minus the rate of respiration

NPP is more or less the energy produced to pass on to the primary producer

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15
Q

What effects species diversity?

A

NPP

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16
Q

Describe the effect of light intensity on photosynthesis in terms of a graph

A

Rate of photosynthesis increases until it reaches a certain point and then continues at a steady rate - neither increasing not decreasing

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17
Q

Give four examples of biomes.

A
  1. Tropical rainforest
  2. Temperate forest
  3. Tundra
  4. Desert
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18
Q

Describe the effect of temperature on photosynthesis in terms of a graph

A

The rage increases at an exponential rate until the temperature reaches 25 degrees Celsius - after this temperature the rate decreases

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19
Q

Describe the effect of carbon dioxide concentration on photosynthesis in terms of a graph

A

The rate increases at an exponential rate and then levels out to a steady rate - neither increasing or decreasing

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20
Q

What are the two types of autotrophs and what is the difference between them?

A

Chemo autotrophs - use chemicals as an energy source

Photo autotrophs - use light as an energy source (photosynthesize)

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21
Q

What are the inputs and outputs of photosynthesis?

A

Inputs - carbon dioxide, sunlight and water

Outputs - glucose and oxygen

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22
Q

What is the transformation of energies in photosynthesis?

A

Light energy to chemical energy

Sunlight to glucose

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23
Q

What is photolysis?

A

Using light to split atoms

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24
Q

What is the process of photosynthesis?

A

Chlorophyll traps sunlight energy and uses it to split water molecules and attach the hydrogen to the carbon dioxide to produce glucose

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25
Q

Bacteria, algae, fungi, plants and animals - are that biotic or abiotic features of an ecosystem?

A

Biotic

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26
Q

Water, temperature, light, minerals an salinity - biotic or abiotic features of an ecosystem?

A

Abiotic

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27
Q

How does energy enter an ecosystem?

A

Through solar energy which producers convert

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28
Q

If the first tropic level are autotrophic, what are the other tropic levels?

A

Heterotrophic

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29
Q

If the primary consumer only eats the producers, that would make it a…

A

Herbivore

30
Q

What are the seven characteristics of living organisms?

MRS GREN

A 
Movement 
Reproduction
Senses
Growth 
Respiration
Excretion
Nutrition
31
Q

What are the five kingdoms?

Plants are better producers fullstop

A 
Plants
Animals 
Bacteria
Protozoa 
Fungi
32
Q

What is the order of the hierarchy? Starting with Kingdom…

Kings play chess on golden sands

A 
Species
Genus
Family
Order
Class
Phylum
Kingdom
33
Q

Why is international classification used?

A

So that foreign scientists can work together

34
Q

What is parisitism?

A

One species (parasite) benefits at the expense of another (host)

35
Q

What is a symbiotic relationship?

A

Organisms that live together and both benefit e.g. rhino and blackbird

36
Q

What is a mutualistic relationship?

A

The sessile organism (plant) relies on another, moving organism (bee) to survive

37
Q

What is an intraspecies relationship?

A

Competition of the same species such as red and grey squirrels

38
Q

What do pyramids of number show?

A

The size of the boxes represent the number of organisms

39
Q

What is an advantage of pyramids of numbers?

A

Easy to construct

40
Q

What are the two disadvantages of pyramids of number?

A

If individual primary producers occur, large inverted pyramids occur

Don’t show the ecological relationship between tropic levels

41
Q

What do pyramids of biomass show and what is a disadvantage?

A

They represent the dry mass of organisms

Dis - only represent a ‘momentary standing stock’

42
Q

What are three advantages of pyramids of productivity/energy?

A

Always show pyramid shape, represent true ecological relationships between trophic levels, underline 1st and 2nd laws of thermodynamics

43
Q

What are the disadvantages of pyramids of productivity?

A

No indication of ecosystem or energy into system, no units of time

44
Q

What are the inputs and outputs of a population?

A

Inputs - births and immigration

Outputs - deaths and emigration

45
Q

What is the equation for population?

A

Population = (births+immigration)-(deaths+emigration)

46
Q

In a S-shaped curve and a J-shaped curve, what is the first phase called?

A

Lag phase

47
Q

In a S-shaped curve (sigmoidal) what is the second and final phases called?

A

Log phase and stable phase

48
Q

What are the six features of r organisms?

A
  1. Ability to increase population rapidly
  2. Lots of offspring
  3. High offspring mortality
  4. Short lifespan
  5. Poor competitors
  6. Found in variable and unpredictable environments
49
Q

Give some examples of r and K organisms

A

r - rats, salmon, bacteria

R - pandas, humans, horses

50
Q

What’s the different between transfer and transformation?

A

Transfer - the movement of material or energy from one place to another without changing the material

Transformation - changes the form of the material or energy as it moves from one storage to another

51
Q

What three things can happen to the light/solar energy as it enters the earths atmosphere?

A

Can be absorbed, reflected or transmitted

52
Q

Looking at photosynthesis as a system, why are the inputs and outputs?

A

Inputs- sola energy, radiation energy, water, carbon dioxide and sunlight

Outputs - chemical energy (glucose), oxygen

53
Q

If condition are good for photosynthesis what can we assume about the NPP? What does this mean?

A

High NPP which means a stable ecosystem that supports high species diversity

54
Q

Looking at respiration as a system, what are the inputs and outputs?

A

Inputs - chemical energy, oxygen, carbohydrates

Outputs - ATP energy, carbon dioxide and water

55
Q

What is psammoseres?

A

Ecological succession that began life on newly exposed coastal sand. Most common psammoseres are sand dune systems.

56
Q

What would the condtions be like at the beginning of a psammoseres at sand dunes compared to at the end in an oak forest?

A

Sand dunes - unstable, extreme conditions, low biodiversity, low biomass

Oak forest - stable, high biodiversity, high biomass

57
Q

How would you measure the biomass of ONE trophic level and why is it best to measure the biomass of the producers?

A

Use the dry biomass - dried matter can be measured in a bomb calorimeter to find the no. of calories

Measuring biomass of poducers can indicate information about the other trophic levels.

58
Q

Although counting is accurate, why is it not always the best method to measure biotic factors of a system?

A

time consuming, sometimes dangerous, organisms need to be large, slow moving or sessile

59
Q

What are two types of sampling?

A

Systematic and Random

60
Q

When would you use systematic sampling instead of random sampling?

A

When there is an environmental gradient e.g. dry to wet, acid to alkali, shade to light

61
Q

When would you use random sampling as a pose to systematic sampling?

A

When comparing two or more areas e.g. city and country

62
Q

When using tools to monitor physical factors, if the tools are numerical what must be done to them?

A

Calibrated

63
Q

Indirect sampling mathods are used when and include…

A

When you can’t measure a species directly e.g. whale

Methods: radar, sonar, cameras, satelitle imagery

64
Q

What is the purpose of the lincoln index?

A

Looks at the estimation of populations, e.g. capture, mark, recapture

65
Q

What does the Simpsons index do? And what is the formula?

A

Looks at species diversity and changes over time.

Species diversity = N(N-1) divided by sum of n(n-1)

66
Q

If there a lot of mayfly nymphs, what does this indicate?

A

The water is fairly clean

67
Q

What is more accurate than a thermometer to measure temperature?

A

Digital thermometer

68
Q

Universal Indicator can be used to indicate the pH, what is a limit of this and what could be used instead?

A

Doesn’t work if colour blind - could use a digitl pH meter.

69
Q

What is an EIA? When it used?

A

In the UK, an environmental Impact Assessment must be submitted before planning permission is considered when there is ANY major development e.g. factories, wind farm, road building.

70
Q

What are the 4 stages to an EIA?

A

1) Baseline measurements to establish a before pic
2) Assessment of possible environmental impacts
3) Monitor changes during and after development
4) Publish reports

72
Q

Whaa is the formula to estimate the average density when using quadrats to estimate a population?

A

total no. of individuals counted divided by (number of quadrats x area of each quadrat)

73
Q

As an ecosysystem develops in succession, the NPP will initially increase but is the only factor which then decreases in the later seres, why?

A

NPP= GPP - Respiration

There are more animals in later seres which means more respiration and therefore a lower NPP.

ESS (3 decks)

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