Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

IB ESS > Unit 2 concepts > Flashcards

Unit 2 concepts Flashcards

1
Q

What is an example of speciation?

A

When a species is separated by geological factors which makes them favors different biological characteristics to survive. ex Newts traveling over time to different biomes and becoming different species.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What does a J curve look like?

A

A J curve grows exponentially and goes above the carrying capacity.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What does an S curve look like?

A

An s curve grows exponentially until it reaches the carrying capacity where it maintains a steady state equilibrium due to limiting factors of the species.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What are examples of density-dependent limiting factors?

A

They are factors that depend on the size of the population. Such as food, predators, and competition.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What are examples of density-independent factors?

A

The factors that impact any population regardless of sizes like natural disasters like wildfires or tsunamis. Or droughts, deforestation, and volcanic eruption.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

How to explain the carrying capacity.

A

The maximum of a species that an environment can sustainably maintain.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Define species

A

A group of organisms that have similar characteristics and can have reproducing offspring.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Define population

A

A group that is of the same species and live in the same area.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What can commonly lead to speciation?

A

Population because they are divided geographically.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Define community

A

A community is all living organisms of different species (including plants) that belong to the same region.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What is an ecological niche?

A

It is what an organism does/ eats to help support its environment.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What is an ecosystem?

A

It is a community plus the environment that the community interacts with.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What are some examples of an (ecological) niche?

A

Some examples of an ecological niche of a savanna would be zebras eating the tall grass, then the wildebeest having what is left, and the gazelles eating the new spouts after the other animals.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What is a fundamental niche?

A

The complete range of conditions that a species could live in.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What is a realized niche?

A

It is the actual conditions that the species lives in due to biotic factors.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What is competitive exclusion?

A

Competitive exclusion is the result of different species competing for the same resource and one loses.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What is resource partitioning?

A

It is when two species have the same niche and live in the same environment. However, instead of resulting in competitive exclusion, they develop more specific niches where they can both coexist.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

What is interspecific competition?

A

It is when members of different species are competing for the same resource.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

What is the intraspecific competition?

A

It is competition between members of the same species. The amount of competition mirrors the population of the species.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What is the correlation between population and intraspecific competition?

A

The higher the population the more competition.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

What is predation?

A

When one animal is a predator that hunts and eats the prey. ex Lions and Zebras of Candaian Lynx and snowshoe hare.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

What is Herbivory?

A

When an animal eats a green plant. ex a Cow eating grass or a Poplar sawfly eating a aspen leaf.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

What is parasitism?

A

It is when one species lives on the other for food and with many parasites on one host can lead to its death.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

What is Mutualism?

A

It is when two or more species interact with each other in a way that causes all parties little to no harm.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

What is competition?

A

It is when organisms are competing for limited natural resources.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

What is amensalism?

A

In an interaction between two organisms where one is harmed and the other one is fine.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

What is commensalism?

A

A relationship between two organisms where one is benefited and the other is unaffected.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

What is an autotroph?

A

They are producers and are typically plants.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

What is a heterotroph?

A

They are consumers and eat autotrophs or other heterotrophs for food.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

What is a detritivore?

A

A decomposer gets its energy from dead organic material.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

What is a food chain?

A

A food chain shows the order of primary producers followed by the consumers of a specific food chain.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

What is a food web?

A

A visual example of how the different species transfer energy within an ecosystem.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
33
Q

What are the inputs of photosynthesis?

A

Water, Carbon dioxide, solar radiation.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
34
Q

What are the outputs of photosynthesis?

A

Oxygen and glucose.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
35
Q

What are the inputs of respiration?

A

Glucose and oxygen

36
Q

What are the outputs of respiration?

A

Water, carbon dioxide, and ATP molecules (energy)

37
Q

How much energy gets passed on to the next trophic level?

A

10%

38
Q

What is bioaccumulation?

A

It is the accumulation of pollution within an organism increasing over its lifetime as it gets more exposed.

39
Q

What is biomagnification?

A

It is the increase of toxins throughout the trophic levels.

40
Q

What does GPP mean?

A

GPP is the amount of biomass that is produced by photosynthesis.

41
Q

What does NPP mean?

A

The gain in biomass of green plants after subtracting the loss of respiration.

42
Q

What does GSP mean?

A

How much energy was consumed after fecal loss.

43
Q

What is NSP?

A

The gain in energy in consumers after subtracting respiration.

44
Q

What is an R strategist?

A

A group of species that have lots of offspring at once and give less care to them. Live in chaotic environments and have drastic population changes.

45
Q

What is a K strategist?

A

A group of species that have few offspring at once and take care of them. They have slightly fluctuating population levels.

46
Q

What is survivorship curve 1?

A

The curve is most common for K strategist species shows that they are most likely to die later in life.

47
Q

What are some examples of survivorship curve 1?

A

Elephants, Humans and chimpanzees.

48
Q

What is survivorship curve 2?

A

It is a straight diagonal line representing that any species in this category can die at any stage of life. Like large birds or rabbits.

49
Q

What is survivorship curve 3?

A

It is a curve that goes straight down and then flattens out at the bottom meaning that the species are most likely to die early in life. This can be common with trees and fish.

50
Q

What is succession?

A

It is change that happens over time in an ecosystem.

51
Q

What is the climax stage in succcession?

A

It when the ecosystem is healthy and diverse. Could be at the start or the end of the process.

52
Q

What does it mean if there is a disturbance in succession?

A

That there is going to be a large change in the environment due to natural or human causes.

53
Q

What are pioneer species?

A

They are the first species to inhabit an area after a disturbance due to their sun tolerance.

54
Q

What is the intermediate level of succession?

A

It is the level of succession where shade plants are added to the ecosystem.

55
Q

What happens in the late intermediate level of succession?

A

More sun and shade plants are added.

56
Q

What is primary succession?

A

Starting a new ecosystem from scratch. That has some more complex levels to the process.

57
Q

What is secondary succession?

A

The reconstruction of a destroyed ecosystem.

58
Q

What is the structure of the Tropical rainforest biome?

A

It is very diverse with many species and niches. With all the plants there are different stories of trees.

59
Q

What are some of the limiting factors of the rainforest biome?

A

Rain washing away nutrients could be limiting plant growth.

60
Q

What is the productivity of the tropical rainforest?

A

It is high with growing all year around and with immature plants the nutrient cycling and growth and extremely high.

61
Q

What are the limiting factors of the desert biome?

A

Lack of precipitation due to the evaporation exceeding rainfall and lack of food.

62
Q

What is the structure of the desert biome?

A

Low biodiversity with only a few species that have adapted enough to survive. Lots of drought-resistant plants.

63
Q

What is the productivity of the desert biome?

A

Productivity is low due to the lack of water and plant biomass.

64
Q

What is the structure of the grassland biome?

A

No trees lots of grass a lot of grazers. Grass dies in the winter but roots stay the decomposing grass provides a lot of nutrients for burrowing animals.

65
Q

What are the limiting factors of the grassland biome?

A

Low amounts of rainfall and a large temperature range.

66
Q

What is the productivity of the grassland biome?

A

It has a low productivity with low rain and the grass dying off in the winter.

67
Q

What is the structure of the temperate forest?

A

Has less biodiversity than tropical rainforests. Consists of a few tree species with a canopy and lower level. On the floor, there are bushes and ferns.

68
Q

What are the limiting factors of the temperate forest?

A

Lack of water and large temerature changes.

69
Q

What is the productivity of the temperate forest?

A

It is high but lower than the tropical rainforest because of reduced photosynthesis and frozen soils in the winter.

70
Q

What is the structure of the tundra?

A

A low amount of biodiversity. No trees but some grass, moss, and shrubs. Many animal species have adapted with thick fur and hibernation or burrowing.

71
Q

What are the limitations of the tundra?

A

In small amounts of rain, the permafrost only melts for there to be just enough soil for small plants to grow. It goes from long periods of night in the winter to constant daylight in the summer.

72
Q

What is the productivity of the tundra?

A

It is very low with the amount of rain and nutrients that are found in the soil.

73
Q

What is the structure of the boreal forest?

A

Has low biodiversity and lots of trees.

74
Q

What are the limiting factors of the Boreal forest?

A

The small amount of sunlight is due to the high latitude. As well as the moss on the ground that makes it difficult for other plants to grow.

75
Q

What is the productivity of the boreal forest?

A

It has low productivity due to the amount of sunlight.

76
Q

How can latitiude affect biome location?

A

If the latitude is lower that means the area will get more sun compared to higher latitudes that get less sun. Leading to warmer biomes being closer to the equator.

77
Q

How can altitude affect biome location?

A

Altitude can affect biomes because the higher up the colder it gets and it is more likely that if you are higher up that you are more likely to get snow if it is raining in lower altitude areas.

78
Q

How can temperature affect biome location?

A

An increase in temperature causes more evaporation. Meaning that there could be more evaporation than precipitation. Like the desert or the tundra where the rain freezes to ice.

79
Q

How can precipitation affect biome location?

A

Based on how much or how little precipitation there is an impact on what plants can grow there. Plus how much evaporates.

80
Q

What is Zonation?

A

It is an observable change in the landscape that could be impacted by altitude, latitude or distance from the shore.

81
Q

What is biotic?

A

Living

82
Q

What is abiotic?

A

Non living

83
Q

How do humans affect carbon to the carbon cycle?

A

By extracting and burning fossil fuels.

84
Q

What are some of the organic storages in the carbon cycle?

A

Organisms and forests.

85
Q

What are some of the inorganic storages of the carbon cycle?

A

The atmosphere, soil, ocean, and fossil fuels.

IB ESS (6 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions