Topic 7 - Ecology Flashcards
What is an ecosystem?
An ecosystem includes all the living and non-living components in a given area, and the interactions between them.
What are some abiotic factors?
1.light
2.temperature
3.water
4.soil pH
5.oxygen
6.soil nutrients
What are some biotic factors?
- food
- predators
- pathogens
- competition
- mates
- pollinators
What is ecology?
The study of the distribution and abundance of organisms
What are extremophiles?
Species that can exist in extreme conditions of heat, pressure or salt concentration.
What do organisms compete for?
- food
- territory
- shelter
- mates
- nutrients
- water
- light
What is biodiverstity?
The variety of different species of organisms on Earth, or within an ecosystem
Why has population risen rapidly?
- modern medicine
- Improved farming
- Better housing
What are the consequences of a growing population?
- using more resources
- producing more waste
What are the consequences of global warming?
- Rising seas levels
- Changes in distributions of organisms
- Changes in migration patterns
- Less biodiversity
What factors affect the rate of decay?
1.temperature
2.oxygen
3.water
4.number if decay organisms
Why do we deforest?
- Agriculture
2.logging
3.infrastructure - Mineral extraction
What are the effects of deforestation?
- Less biodiversity
- Less CO2 removed
- Soil erosion
4 Co2 released as trees burned.
What is a pyramid of biomass?
A chart where each bar represents the amount of biomass at each trophic level in a food chainm
What is biomass?
The dry mass of living material in an animal or plant, measured in grams
How are rainforests important in regulating the earths climate?
- Releases moisture into the atmosphere which forms rainclouds, which go to other countries
- Removes carbon dioxide, storing it in tree trunks and releasing O2
What are some strategies to protect rain forests?
- Replace - replanting trees after felling them
- Logging quotas
- Protecting fragile areas
- Alternatives to farming for local people.
What are faeces made up of?
1.75%water
2.The solid 25% is made up of 84-93% organic solid
3.organic solid contains - 25-54% bacterial biomass, 2-25% protein or nitrogenous matter, 25% carbohydrate or undifested plant matter, 2-15% fat.
Why doesn’t all the biomass get transferred up the food chain?
At every level, the organism uses energy for growth, respiration, movement and warmth, which all take away energy which would have been turned into biomass, so less energy transfers up the food chain.
What does population mean?
All the organisms of one species living in a habitat
What does community mean?
The populations of different species living in a habitat
What do plants compete for?
- water
- light
- space
- mineral ions
What do animals compete for?
- space/territory
- foood
- water
- mates
What is interdependence?
When each species relies on otehr species for things such as food, shelter, pollination and seed dispersal
What is a stable community?
all the species and environmental factors are in balance so that population sizes are roughly constant
What are the 3 types of adaptations?
- Structural - these are features of an oranism;s body structure, such as shape of colour
- Behavioural
- Functional - these are things that go on inside an organism’s body
What are examples of structural, behavioural and functional adaptations
- structural - arctic animals have white fur, animals in hot places have a larger surface area to volume ratio
- behavioural - migration to warmer climates during winter
- functional - Desert animals produce very little sweat
What environmental changes can cause the distribution of organisms to change?
- availability of water
- temperature
- atmospheric gas changes
What are the steps to the carbon cycle?
- CO2 is removed from the atmosphere by green plants and algae
- The carbon is used to make glucose, which turns into carbs, fats and proteins which make the bodies of the plants/algae
- When plants/algae respire some carbon is returned to the atmosphere as CO2
- When they are eaten by other animals, some carbon becomes a part of the fats/protein in their body
- Animal respiration returns CO2 to the atmosphere
- When organisms die, detritus feders and microorganisms feed on the remains, their respiration also returns CO2 to the atmosphere
- Combustion of wood/fossil fuels releases CO2
- the cycle continues
What is compost?
food waste that is used as a natural fertiliser for crops and garden plants
What is biogas?
Mostly made of methane which can be burned as fuel
How is biogas made?
- Microorganisms decay plant and animal waste anaerobically, this releases methane gas.
- Sludge from sewage works/sugar factories are also used
- The material is placed in a digester or generator to decompose
4.It has to be kept at a constant temp to keep the mircoorganisms respiring
What are the 2 types of biogas generators?
- Batch generators
- Continuous generators
What are batch generators?
They make biogas in small batches, they’re loaded up with waste which is then left to digest
What are continuous generators?
they make biogas all the time by being continuously fed waster, more suited to larger scale projects
What is a bog?
areas of land which are waterlogged and acidic
Why does destroying peat bogs at CO2 into the air?
Because of the acidity, the dead plants there can’t decay, so they turn into peat, where carbon is stored. If destroyed the CO2 is released.
What are trophic levels?
The different stages of a food chain
What are in each trophic level?
- Producers
- Primary consumer
- secondary consumers
- tertiary consumers
How do decomposers break down uneaten remains/waste?
They secrete enzymes that break the dead stuff down into small soluble food molecules, this diffuses into the microorganisms.
How can we reduce overfishing?
- fishing qouatas
- net size
How can we make food production more efficient?
1.limiting the moevement of livestock
2.keeping livestock in a temp controlled environment
3.give livestock high protein food to promote growth
What is mycoprotein used for?
to make high protein meat substitutes such as Quorn.
What is mycoprotein made from?
A fungus called Fusarium, which is grown in aerobic conditions on glucose syrup.
this is haervested and purified to make mycoprotein
How can bacteria be engineered to produce human insulin?
- a plasmid is removed from a bacterium
- the insulin gene is cut out of a human chromosome using a restriction enzyme - the cut leaves one of the DNA strands with unpaired bases, this is called the stick end
- The plasmid is cut open using the same restriction enzyme - leaving the same sticky ends
- The plasmid and the human insulin gene are mixed together
- Ligase is added, this joins the sticky ends together to produce recombinant DNA
- The rcombinant DNA is inserted into a bacterium
- The modified bacterium is grown in a vat, the insulin is then harvested and purified
What is a restriction enzyme?
An enzyme which recognises specific sequences of DNA nad cuts the DNA at these points
What is Recombinant DNA?
2 different bits of DNA stuck together
well done lucas
good luck:)
WHat are the pros of GM crops?
1.THey are more resistant to pests
2.Can be made to grow better in harsh conditions
3.Some can be modified to provide more nutritional value, like golden rice with more vitamin A
What are the cons of GM crops?
1.Some people say no point, there’s enough food, poverty is the problem
2.Countris may become dependent on companies who sell GM seeds
3.Poor soil will mean even GM crops die
