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GCSE Biology > Topic 7 - Ecology > Flashcards

Topic 7 - Ecology Flashcards

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1
Q

Define habitat

A

the place where an organism lives

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2
Q

Define population

A

all the organisms of one species living within a habitat

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3
Q

Define biotic factors

A

living factors of the environment

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4
Q

Define abiotic factors

A

the non-living factors of the environment

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5
Q

Define interdependence

A

any change in the ecosystem can cause major change

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6
Q

Define community

A

the populations of all the different species living within a habitat

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7
Q

Define ecosystem

A

the abiotic and biotic parts of an environment, and how they interact with each other

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8
Q

Give some examples of abiotic factors

A
  • wind intensity/direction
  • carbon dioxide level
  • oxygen level
  • soil pH and mineral content
  • light intensity
  • temperature
  • moisture level
  • water
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9
Q

Give some examples of biotic factors

A
  • new predators
  • species outcompeting another
  • new pathogens
  • availability of food
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10
Q

Define interspecific competition

A

competition occurs between members of different species

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11
Q

Define intraspecific competiton

A

competition occurs between members of the same species

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12
Q

What are the 3 types of adaptation?

A
  • structural - features of an organism’s body
  • behavioural - the way that organisms behave
  • functional - happens inside the body
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13
Q

Define an adaptation

A

feature/behaviour that helps an animal survive in its environment

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14
Q

Define an extremophiles

A

organisms (usually microorganisms) that can survive in very extreme environments

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15
Q

Name 2 important features of a predator-prey graph

A
  • prey line reaches a higher peak than predator line
  • predator line is offset to the right as it takes time for them to reproduce
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16
Q

Smaller organisms tend to reproduce _______ (think bacteria)

A

faster

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17
Q

Define a producer

A

they produce their own food using energy from the sun - the first stage of the food chain

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18
Q

Define a primary consumer

A

they eat the producers (usually insects)

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19
Q

Describe how you use a quadrat to work out the population of an organism in one area.

A
  • place the quadrat on a random patch of grass in the area
  • use a random number generator to decide how far to walk
  • count how many organism are in the quadrat
  • repeat this 15 times
  • work out the average number of organisms per m²
  • multiply this average by the area of the field
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20
Q

What is a belt transect used to study?

A

the distribution of an organism along a line

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21
Q

Describe how to use a belt transect

A
  • place a tape across the area you want to study
  • place the quadrat at intervals along the line
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22
Q

What are the 4 main processes in the water cycle?

A
  • evaporation
  • condensation
  • precipitation
  • transpiration
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23
Q

What are the processes called when water seeps into the ground?

A
  • percolation
  • stored in the water table
  • returns back to sea through groundwater flow
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24
Q

Describe the carbon cycle

A
  • carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere during photosynthesis for plants
  • when plants respire, some carbon dioxide is returned to the atmosphere
  • when plants are eaten by animals, the carbon becomes part of the fat/protein in their bodies
  • when the animals respire, some carbon dioxide is returned to the atmosphere
  • when plants die, animals eat their remains and respire so carbon is returned to the atmosphere
  • combustion of wood/fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide into the air
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25
Q

In the atmosphere, carbon is stored as …

A

carbon dioxide

26
Q

In animals, carbon is stored as ….

A

carbohydrates / fats / proteins

27
Q

In fossil fuels / the ground, carbon is stored as …

A

hydrocarbons

28
Q

What microorganisms carry out decay?

A

bacteria and fungi

29
Q

What factors does decay need?

A
  • warmth
  • oxygen
  • water
30
Q

Describe how water affects rate of decay

A

microorganisms require water in order to live - the greater the moisture, the faster the rate of decay

31
Q

Describe how oxygen affects the rate of decay

A

microorganisms require oxygen in order to live - they respire to release energy

32
Q

Describe how temperature affects the rate of decay

A
  • enzymes break down organic material
  • as temperature increases, the rate of decay increases - enzymes are working at their optimum temp
  • if it gets too hot, the enzymes will denature
33
Q

What are the main gases that biogas contains?

A
  • methane (most important one)
  • carbon dioxide
34
Q

How is biogas formed?

A

when bacteria break down plant/animal material anaerobically

35
Q

What are the 2 main types of biogas generators?

A
  • batch generators - make biogas in small batches
  • continuous generators - make biogas all the time
36
Q

Describe how you would investigate the effect of temperature on the rate of decay

A
  • add 5cm³ of lipase solution to a test tube
  • add 5cm³ of milk, 5 drops of phenolphthalein indicator and 7cm³ of sodium carbonate solution to another test tube (should turn pink)
  • put both tubes into a water bath at 20 ℃ and leave them until they reach 20℃ (use a thermometer)
  • add 1cm³ of lipase solution into the milk and start at stopwatch and stir
  • once the solution goes back to white, stop the stopwatch
  • repeat at different temperatures
37
Q

Why does the solution change from pink to white in the rate of decay practical?

A
  • the pH falls
  • because lipase breaks down fats to produce fatty acids and (glycerol)
38
Q

Why is a temperature sensor and data logger better than using a thermometer?

A
  • more accurate
  • gives continuous readings
  • reduces human error
39
Q

Define biodiversity

A

the variety of different species of organisms on Earth, or within an ecosystem

40
Q

Describe how more waste can affect the water

A
  • sewage and toxic chemicals can pollute water
  • affects plants/animals that rely on the water
41
Q

Describe how more waste can affect the land

A
  • toxic chemicals are used for farming
  • nuclear waste is buried underground
42
Q

Describe how more waste can affect the air

A
  • smoke and acidic acids can pollute the air
  • e.g sulfur dioxide can cause acid rain
43
Q

Describe global warming (what it is, main gases, effects)

A
  • increasing levels of greenhouse gases trap the heat in - enhanced greenhouse effect
  • main gases = methane and carbon dioxide
  • effects = ice melts + sea levels rise, loss of biodiversity, changes in migration patterns
44
Q

Describe the negative effects of deforestation

A
  • humans want to use the land for other things (farming)
  • less carbon dioxide is absorbed so carbon sink is reduced
  • more carbon dioxide is added as the trees are burnt
  • also leads to less biodiversity
45
Q

Describe the destruction of peat bogs

A
  • they’re drained so the area can be used as farmland or the peat is dried to use as fuel
  • when peat is drained, it comes into contact with air and some microorganisms decompose it - they respire and release carbon dioxide (carbon sink is reduced)
  • carbon dioxide is also released when peat is burned as a fuel
  • also destroys habitats which reduces biodiversity
46
Q

What are some ways to maintain biodiversity?

A
  • breeding programmes to protect endangered species
  • governments introduce regulations to reduce deforestation
  • programmes to protect and regenerate rare habitats
47
Q

Why can we not always maintain biodiversity?

A
  • expensive
  • may leave local people unemployed
  • protecting biodiversity can affect development
  • protecting biodiversity can lead to food scarcity - e.g pests are killed to protect crops
48
Q

What is always at the bottom of pyramids of biomass?

A

producer
(trophic level 1)

49
Q

Why is energy lost between each trophic level?

A
  • not all material is consumed
  • energy is used for respiration, movement, growth etc.
  • faeces lost
  • energy is lost as heat
50
Q

% efficiency (biomass transfer) =

A

energy in tissues / energy in food x 100

51
Q

What are some factors affecting food security?

A
  • climate change + global warming
  • population growth
  • changing diets - produce is now shipped around the world
  • war
  • costs of farming
  • new diseases can destroy crops/livestock
52
Q

Why is it more energy efficient to eat crops rather than animals?

A

the food chain is shorter so less energy is lost

53
Q

Why is intensive farming more energy efficient?

A
  • less energy is being used for movement and heat retention so they can use more energy for growth
  • farmers can keep more animals in a smaller space
54
Q

Define food security

A

having enough food to feed a population

55
Q

What are the negatives to intensive farming?

A
  • disease can spread easily between animals
  • cruel to the animals
56
Q

What are two ways to improve fish stocks?

A
  • fishing quotas (limits to the number/size of fish you can catch)
  • net size (bigger mesh size will let the smaller, unwanted fish escape)
57
Q

Describe how to make mycroprotein

A
  • clean the fermenter
  • add sugar syrup and fusarium fungus
  • allow to grow
  • harvest, purify and dry
  • add flavourings and colour
58
Q

What does the Fusarium fungus feed on?

A

sugar syrup

59
Q

Give the advantages of using mycoprotein as a food
source instead of traditional meat sources.

A
  • needs less land
  • cheap to mass produce
  • lots of protein, little fat
  • energy efficient
60
Q

Describe the features of an industrial fermenter

A
  • water jacket - maintains the correct temp
  • data logger - monitor pH and temp
  • stirrer - mix everything evenly
  • oxygen supply - for aerobic respiration
61
Q

Name a genetically modified organism which has been used to help humans

A

insulin

GCSE Biology (7 decks)

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