Unit 1 - Key Area 1

Question 1

A method of estimating population sizes of individual animal species using capture-mark-recapture.

Answer 1

Lincoln Index

Question 2

An animal that obtains its energy by consuming other animals

Answer 2

Carnivore

Question 3

The chance of finding a species within a defined area , for example a quadrat.

It is the number or percentage of samples in which a particular species occurs, and takes no account of density or distribution.

Answer 3

Frequency

Question 4

An example of a decomposer

Answer 4

Bacteria or fungus

Question 5

A measure which uses freshwater invertebrates to compare water quality at different points in a stream or river.

Answer 5

Trent Biotic Index

Question 6

A place where an organisms lives

Answer 6

Habitat

Question 7

The mass of organisms in a given area or volume

Answer 7

Biomass

Question 8

Systematic sampling

Answer 8

Sampling where a starting point is randomly chosen, and then a regular pattern of sampling is used to collect the sample. (usually at set intervals)

Question 9

Community

Answer 9

All the organisms that live within a given area or habitat

Question 10

Numerical data gathered through measuring or counted.

Answer 10

Quantitative data

Question 11

Niche

Answer 11

The role played by a species within a community: where it lives, what it eats, and what eats it

Question 12

Large-scale, long-term weather patterns

Answer 12

Climate

Question 13

Diversity index

Answer 13

A measure of species diversity in a community or area. Takes relative species abundance into account and provides more information about community composition than simply species richness.

Question 14

Sampling where the population is divided into categories (strata) then a random sample is selected from each category.

The size of each sample should be proportional to the size of each category within the population

Answer 14

Stratified random sampling

Question 15

A group of individuals that are capable to produce fertile offspring

Answer 15

Species

Question 16

The extent to which an experiment, test, or measuring procedure yields the same results on repeated trials.

Answer 16

Reliability

Question 17

Species diversity

Answer 17

A measure of the number of different species present in a given area, rather than the abundance of each species.

Question 18

A method used in ecology to estimate the size of a population

Answer 18

Capture- Mark - Recapture

Question 19

The number of individuals of the same species present per unit area or unit volume.

Answer 19

Density

Question 20

Biodiversity

Answer 20

The variety of species and ecosystems on Earth and the ecological processes of which they are part. Can be further categorised as ecosystem diversity, species diversity, and genetic diversity

Question 21

Any feature which makes an organism well suited to living in its environment.

Answer 21

Adaptation

Question 22

Relating to a non-living feature of an ecosystem, such as light intensity, precipitation, temperature, wind speed or wind direction.

Answer 22

Abiotic

Question 23

Species

Answer 23

A group of organisms capable of interbreeding to produce fertile offspring

Question 24

A group of individuals of the same species living in the same area at the same time

Answer 24

Population

Question 25

A measure of the amount of dissolved oxygen used by aerobic micro-organisms when decomposing organic matter in water. Is measured in mgl-1 of oxygen consumed over a 5 day period at 20°C

Answer 25

Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD)

Question 26

Descriptive data, can be used to prepare species lists.

Answer 26

Qualitative data

Question 27

Relating to the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of soil that affect living organisms.

Answer 27

Edaphic

Question 28

Validity

Answer 28

Encompasses the entire experiment and establishes whether the data obtained meet all the requirements of the research method.

(Is the experiment you are doing going to give you the results you need?)

Question 29

How common or rare a species is relative to other species in a defined area or community. Is expressed as a percentage of the total number of organisms in the area.

Answer 29

Relative abundance

Question 30

Ecosystem diversity

Answer 30

The variation in habitats, living communities, and ecological processes in the living world.

Question 31

A measure of the spread of data. Data are arranged in ascending order and then split equally into quarters.

Answer 31

Interquartile Range

Question 32

Random sampling

Answer 32

Sampling where every individual in a population has an equal and independent chance of being selected,

ie sampling without conscious decision.

Question 33

Biotic factor

Answer 33

Relating to a living feature of an ecosystem, such as competition, food supply, disease, predation.

Question 34

Simpson’s biodiversity index

Answer 34

A measure of diversity which takes into account the number of species present, plus the relative abundance of each species

Question 35

A natural biological unit made up of living and non-living parts i.e. the community and the habitat.

Answer 35

Ecosystem

Question 36

Biome

Answer 36

A regional or global land area characterised by the plants, animals and climate in the area. Temperature and precipitation have a major influence.