Topic 5 Flashcards
(103 cards)
What is a biosphere
A part of the earth and its atmosphere that is inhabited by living organisms
What are biotic factors and give example
Living factors
Competition,predation ,mutualism
What are abiotic factors and give examples
Non living factors
Climate
Pollution
Topography
Solar energy input
What is a habitat
A distinct set of conditions where an organisms lives and several populations of organisms live there
What is meant by ecosystem
An area with a distinct set of features that affects where an organism lives
What is a population
A group of interbreeding individuals from the same species
What is a community
Various populations sharing a habitat or ecosystems
What is a niche
The role of an organism in its environment
Ie if It’s a predator or prey
What does topography mean
It includes things like altitude,drainage
What are edaphic factors
They are connected with soil,mineral concentration
What is abundance
In a certain area it’s the number of individuals of a single species
What is Distribution
This is the location of a particular species in your area of investigation
Why is it important that sampling is random
In order to avoid biases
When is non random sampling used
When there is a high variation in abiotic features or distribution in a habitat
What is systematic sampling
When samples are taken along a line at fixed intervals
I.e. Quadrats are placed along a transect
How are frame quadrats used in an investigation
An area could be selected and using a randon number generator co ordinates can be selected and this is where the quadrat is placed
Plant species is percentage cover is measured by how much the quadrat covers it
How are point quadrats used
They are placed on the group with the pins going through holes
And every plant that touches the pin is recorded
Percentage cover is measure by calculating the amount of pins that touch a given species
How are interrupted transects used
Measurements are taken at intervals i.e. Placing the quadrat down at every 5 m
How are lone transects used
along a transect a tape measure is placed and the species that touch the tape measure are recorded
What is succession
When a community started by organisms changes over time
What are the two types of successions
Primary and secondary succession
Distinguish between primary and secondary succession
Primary succession occurs in newly formed habitats where there hasn’t been a community
Secondary succession occurs on bare soil where a existing community had been previously
In primary succession what are the pioneer species and why are they crucial
They are species like algae and lichens and are the first organisms to colonise bare rock
They are the only species that are capable of coping with the extreme temperature lack of soil,water,nutrients
What 2 things occur in the pioneer phase of succession
The pioneer species begin to break up the rock surface which enables some organic material to build up in the spaces marking the beginnings of soil
They change the conditions in the habitat which enables it to be suitable for other species