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GCSE Triple Higher Biology > Topic 7 - Ecology > Flashcards

Topic 7 - Ecology Flashcards

1
Q

What are abiotic factors?

A

The non-living aspects of an ecosystem e.g. temperature, light intensity, moisture, wind direction, wind intensity, soil pH, soil mineral content, carbon dioxide levels and oxygen levels.

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2
Q

What is adaptation?

A

A feature of an organism that increases its chance of survival in its environment.
Such features may be behavioural, structural or functional.

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3
Q

What is anaerobic decay?

A

Decomposition in the absence of oxygen (commonly occurring in
waterlogged soils) that produces carbon dioxide and methane gas.

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4
Q

What is an apex predator?

A

A carnivore at the top of the food chain with no predators.

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5
Q

What is biodiversity?

A

The variety of living organisms in an ecosystem.

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6
Q

What is bio gas?

A

A type of biofuel (methane gas) produced by anaerobic decay in biogas generators.

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7
Q

What are biotic factors?

A

The living components of an ecosystem e.g. food availability, pathogens,
predators and other species.

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8
Q

What is the carbon cycle?

A

The cycle through which carbon (in the form of carbon dioxide) moves
between living organisms and the environment, involving respiration, photosynthesis and
combustion.

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9
Q

What is a community?

A

All of the populations of different species living together in a habitat.

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10
Q

What is competition?

A

When different organisms compete for the same resources (e.g. light, water,
mates, territory) in an ecosystem. This limits population sizes and stimulates evolutionary
change.

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11
Q

What is compost?

A

Dead and decaying organic matter, commonly used as a fertiliser.

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12
Q

What are decomposers?

A

Organisms that release enzymes which catalyse the breakdown of dead plant and animal material into simpler organic matter.

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13
Q

What is decomposition?

A

The breakdown of dead materials into simpler organic matter. The rate of
decomposition is affected by temperature, water and oxygen availability.

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14
Q

What is deforestation?

A

The removal of trees from land which is subsequently used to grow crops or
provide space for cattle.

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15
Q

What is distribution?

A

The spread of living organisms in an ecosystem. It is affected by environmental changes which may be seasonal, geographic or man-made.

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16
Q

What is an ecosystem?

A

The community of organisms (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) components of an area and their interactions.

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17
Q

What is efficiency of biomass transfer?

A

The efficiency of biomass transfer between trophic levels is calculated using:

Efficiency=Biomass available after transfer / Biomass available before transfer x 100

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18
Q

What is an extremophile?

A

Organisms that can live in extreme environments like high temperatures.

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19
Q

What is a food chain?

A

Describes the feeding relationships between organisms and the resultant
stages of biomass transfer. It takes the form: producer -> primary consumer -> secondary consumer -> tertiary consumer

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20
Q

What is food security?

A

Ensuring that populations have access to adequate amounts of safe and nutritious food.

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21
Q

What is global warming?

A

The gradual rise in the average temperature of the Earth due to increasing
atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide and methane gas.

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22
Q

What are GM crops?

A

Crops that have had their genomes modified by the insertion of a desired gene
from another organism.

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23
Q

What is interdependence?

A

The dependence of different organisms on each other for survival e.g. plants depend on pollinators, herbivores depend on plants.

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24
Q

What is the mean?

A

The average of a set of numbers calculated by dividing the sum of the values by the number of values.

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25
What is the median?
The middle number in a list of values ordered from lowest to highest.
26
What is an microorganism?
Very small organisms involved in the recycling of materials in an ecosystem. They return mineral ions to the soil and convert carbon to carbon dioxide which is released into the atmosphere.
27
What is the mode?
The number that occurs most commonly in a set of data values.
28
What is mycoprotein?
A food high in protein (suitable for vegetarians) that is produced by the microorganism, Fusarium​, in fermentation vats.
29
What are peatlands?
Areas of peat soil in wetland habitats formed by the accumulation of partially decayed organic matter. Peat is commonly used as a garden compost.
30
What is pollution?
Contamination or destruction of the natural environment due to human intervention.
31
What is population?
All organisms of the same species living with one another in a habitat.
32
What are predators?
Consumers that prey on and eat other animals.
33
What are prey?
Animals that are eaten by predators.
34
What are primary consumers?
Herbivores that consume producers at trophic level 2 of a food chain.
35
What are producers?
Photosynthetic organisms (e.g. green plant or alga) at the start of the food chain that provide biomass for all living things.
36
What is the pyramid of biomass?
A table of the dry mass of living material at each trophic level of a food chain. This forms the shape of a pyramid.
37
What is a quadrat?
A square grid of known area used in sampling to determine the abundance and distribution of organisms in an ecosystem.
38
What are secondary consumers?
Carnivores that consume herbivores at trophic level 3 of a food chain.
39
What does it mean to be sustainable?
The ability to maintain something for future generations.
40
What are sustainable fisheries?
Methods of harvesting fish at a sustainable rate and increasing fish stocks, for example, by controlling net size or introducing fishing quotas.
41
What are tertiary consumers?
Carnivores that consume other carnivores at trophic levels 4 and above of a food chain.
42
What is a transect?
A line along an area used in sampling to determine the abundance and distribution of organisms in an ecosystem.
43
What is a trophic level?
The position of an organism in a food chain.
44
What is the water cycle?
The cycle through which water moves between living organisms and the environment, involving evaporation, transpiration, condensation and precipitation.
45
State the levels of organisation in an ecosystem?
Individual, Population, Community and Ecosystem
46
What does wind intensity affect an ecosystem?
Plant seeds are more likely to germinate in locations with lower wind intensity, which may also attract animals that depend on the plant to live nearby.
47
What types of organisms are primary producers?
Photosynthetic organisms like green plants and algae that trap energy from the sun.
48
What are 3 molecule which are cycled through the ecosystems?
- Oxygen - Carbon Dioxide - Water
49
Why are microorganisms important for the cycling of materials through an ecosystems?
Microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) return carbon to the environment by releasing carbon dioxide through respiration while they decompose dead matter. The decomposition of dead matter in soil returns mineral ions to the environment for other organisms to use. Like plants use mineral ions for growth.
50
How do decomposers break down dead matter?
Decomposers release enzymes which catalyse the breakdown of dead material into smaller molecule.
51
What are the two types of decompostition?
- Aerobic decomposition - Anaerobic decomposition
52
What factors affect the rate of decomposition?
- Oxygen availability - Temperature - Water Content
53
How is the rate of change calculated when considering the decay of biological material?
Rate of change = Change in Value / Change in Time
54
Describe how biogas generators work?
Biogas generators provide methane gas for fuel through anaerobic decomposition that occurs in animal waste.
55
What detrimental impacts can sulphur dioxide have on the environment?
- Formed when fossil fuels containing impurities are burnt - Sulphur dioxide can dissolve in water to form acid rain which can erode buildings and pollute water sources
56
What detrimental impacts can Carbon Monoxide have on the environment?
- Carbon monoxide is formed from the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels - Carbon monoxide binds irreversibly to haemoglobin which prevents it from carrying oxygen - Too much exposure can cause unconsciousness and death
57
Name 5 greenhouse gases?
- Water Vapour - Carbon Dioxide - Nitrous Oxide - Methane - CFCs
58
How do greenhouse gases lead to global warming?
- Greenhouse gases allow heat from the atmosphere - The gases act as a 'blanket' and trap the heat in the atmosphere
59
How does eutrophication occur?
Fertiliser from farms pollute the water, causing excessive algae growth, depleting the oxygen in the water, causing other plants and animals to die. Dead plants are decomposed by bacteria and the oxygen level deceases further.
60
How are trophic levels represented?
Trophic levels are represented by numbers, starting from 1. After 1, trophic levels are numbered according to far along the organism is in the food chain.
61
What is trophic level 1?
Plants and algae which make their own food through photosynthesis called producers.
62
What is trophic level 2?
Herbivores which eat producers are called primary consumers.
63
What is trophic level 3?
Carnivores that eat herbivores - called secondary consumers.
64
What is trophic level 4?
Carnivores that eat other carnivores are called tertiary consumers.
65
Why is dry mass used for biomass?
Because the wet mass varies as the volume of water in the organism varies.
66
How do you calculate the efficiency of biomass transfer?
Efficiency = (energy transferred/ total energy available) x 100
67
What percentage of the incident energy from light for photosynthesis do producers transfer?
1%
68
What percentage of the biomass from one trophic level is transferred to the level above it in feeding?
Approximately 10%
69
Why are biomass transfers not 100% efficient?
Energy is lost through: - Removal of faeces - Removal of waster products - Respiration - Production of inedible bones and shells
70
How does the efficiency of biomass transfers affect the number of trophic levels in a biomass pyramid?
The less efficient the transfers, the fewer trophic levels and the fewer organisms in higher trophic levels.
71
What is a transgenic organism?
An organism that has been genetically modified to contain genetic material from another source.
72
State an example of genetically modified foods.
Golden rice
73
What are the advantages of golden rice?
It contains additional beta- carotene which can be converted to vitamin A in the body, supplementing people who do not obtain enough Vitamin A in their diet to prevent night blindness from forming.
74
How is mycoprotein produced?
Fungi Fusarium is grown on glucose syrup, in aerobic conditions and the biomass is harvested and purified to get the mycoprotein.

GCSE Triple Higher Biology (8 decks)

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