Unit 1 - Key Area 1 Flashcards
A method of estimating population sizes of individual animal species using capture-mark-recapture.
Lincoln Index
An animal that obtains its energy by consuming other animals
Carnivore
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.
Frequency
An example of a decomposer
Bacteria or fungus
A measure which uses freshwater invertebrates to compare water quality at different points in a stream or river.
Trent Biotic Index
A place where an organisms lives
Habitat
The mass of organisms in a given area or volume
Biomass
Systematic sampling
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)
Community
All the organisms that live within a given area or habitat
Numerical data gathered through measuring or counted.
Quantitative data
Niche
The role played by a species within a community: where it lives, what it eats, and what eats it
Large-scale, long-term weather patterns
Climate
Diversity index
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.
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
Stratified random sampling
A group of individuals that are capable to produce fertile offspring
Species
The extent to which an experiment, test, or measuring procedure yields the same results on repeated trials.
Reliability
Species diversity
A measure of the number of different species present in a given area, rather than the abundance of each species.
A method used in ecology to estimate the size of a population
Capture- Mark - Recapture
The number of individuals of the same species present per unit area or unit volume.
Density
Biodiversity
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
Any feature which makes an organism well suited to living in its environment.
Adaptation
Relating to a non-living feature of an ecosystem, such as light intensity, precipitation, temperature, wind speed or wind direction.
Abiotic
Species
A group of organisms capable of interbreeding to produce fertile offspring
A group of individuals of the same species living in the same area at the same time
Population
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
Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD)
Descriptive data, can be used to prepare species lists.
Qualitative data
Relating to the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of soil that affect living organisms.
Edaphic
Validity
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?)
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.
Relative abundance
Ecosystem diversity
The variation in habitats, living communities, and ecological processes in the living world.
A measure of the spread of data. Data are arranged in ascending order and then split equally into quarters.
Interquartile Range
Random sampling
Sampling where every individual in a population has an equal and independent chance of being selected,
ie sampling without conscious decision.
Biotic factor
Relating to a living feature of an ecosystem, such as competition, food supply, disease, predation.
Simpson’s biodiversity index
A measure of diversity which takes into account the number of species present, plus the relative abundance of each species
A natural biological unit made up of living and non-living parts i.e. the community and the habitat.
Ecosystem
Biome
A regional or global land area characterised by the plants, animals and climate in the area. Temperature and precipitation have a major influence.
