Yr 9 Food Chains Flashcards
What is a producer?
-organism that makes its own food, usually by photosynthesis
What is a food chain?
-representation of the feeding relationships within a community
What is a consumer?
-organism that eats other organisms for food
What is a herbivore?
-organism that only eats producers (plants/algae)
What is a predator?
-organism that kills and eats other organisms
What is a prey organism?
-organism that is killed and eaten by another organism
What is an apex predator?
-carnivore with no predators
What proportion of biomass is transferred from each trophic level to the one above?
-approximately 100%
Why is biomass lost between trophic levels?
-some ingested material is egested
-some material is lost as waste (carbon dioxide as water in respiration, water and urea in urine)
-used in life processes such as respiration
-energy is used in movement and to keep animals warm
What is the carbon cycle?
-process that returns carbon from organisms to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, which can then be used by plants
What is a decomposer?
-organism that breaks down dead plant and animal material
What is the role of decomposition?
-returns carbon to to the atmosphere and mineral ions to the soil from dead matter
Give the environmental changes that can affect the distribution of organisms:
-temperature
-availability of water
-composition of atmospheric gases
What is an ecosystem?
-the interaction of a community of living organisms with the non-living parts of their environment
What is competition?
-contest between organisms within a community for resources
What is interdependence?
-when species in a community depend on others for resources and shelter
What do animals often compete for?
-food
-mates
-territory
What do plants often compete for?
-light
-space
-water
-mineral ions
-some compete for pollinators also
What is an abiotic factor?
-non-living factor that can affect a community
List the abiotic factors that can affect a community
-carbon dioxide levels for plants
-light intensity
-moisture levels
-oxygen levels for animals that live in water
-soil pH and mineral content
-temperature
-wind intensity and direction
What is a biotic factor?
-living factor that can affect a community
List the biotic factors that can affect a community
-availability of food
-new predators
-new pathogens
-competition between species
How do adaptations help an organism?
-they enable the organism to survive in the conditions in which it lives
What are the three types of adaptations?
-structural
-behavioural
-physiological
What is an extremophile?
-an organism that lives in a very extreme environment
What makes an environment extreme?
-very high or low temperatures
-extreme pressures
-high salt concentrations
-highly acidic or alkaline conditions
-lack of oxygen or water
Structural adaptations
-physical features that help an organism to survive/mate in its environment
e.g. -sharp teeth to hunt prey
-big antlers in males to assert dominance
Behavioural adaptations
-response made by an organism that helps it survive/reproduce
e.g. -courtship dances to attract a mate
-working together in packs
Physiological adaptations
-functional processes that allow an organism to survive/reproduce
e.g. -producing venom or poison
-producing pheromones to attract a mate
Polar bear adaptations
-white fur for camouflage when hunting prey
-feet with large surface area to distribute weight on snow
-small ears to reduce heat loss
-thick fur for insulation
Camel adaptations
-feet with large surface area to distribute weight on sand
-hump stores fat to provide energy when food is scarce
-tough mouth and tongue to allow camel to eat cacti
-long eyelashes to keep sand out of eyes
Cactus adaptations
-spines instead of leaves to reduce surface area and therefore water loss, to deter predators
-long roots to reach water underground
-large, fleshy stem to store water
Population
-total number of organisms of the same species that live in one specific geographical area
Community
-group of two or more populations of different species living in one specific area
Classification order
Domain Does
Kingdom King
Phylum Philip
Class Come
Order Over
Family For
Genus Great
Species Spaghetti
Binomial System
-first part genus
-second part species
e.g. panthera leo
What are the three domains in classification?
-Archaea
-Bacteria
-Eukarya
What type of organisms are found in the domain Archaea?
-unicellular organisms that live in extreme environments
-e.g. hot springs or salty lake
-no nucleus
What type of organisms are found in the domain Bacteria?
-unicellular organisms found in a wide variety of environments
-e.g. soil, water, inside living organisms
-no nucleus
What type of organisms are in the domain Eukarya?
-all organisms with cells that have nucleus
-e.g. animals, plants, fungi, protists
What are the five kingdoms in classification?
-animalia
-plantae
-fungi
-protista
-monera
What are prokaryotes?
-simple, unicellular organisms
-no nucleus
-membrane bound organelles
Which domains and kingdoms include prokaryotes?
-domains: Archaea and Bacteria
-kingdom: Monera
What defines organisms in the kingdom Animalia?
-multicellular
-eukaryotic
-eat organic material for energy (heterotrophic)
-motile
-membrane bound organelles
How do organisms in the kingdom Plantae get energy?
-autotrophic > make their own food
-perform photosynthesis to produce energy
What is a key characteristic of fungi?
-eukaryotic
-mostly multicellular
-absorb nutrients from organic material (decomposers)
What’s the main difference between domains and kingdoms?
domains:
-highest rank
-divide all life into three groups based on cell type
kingdoms:
-further classify organisms within domains
Multicellular
-an organism made up of many cells
e.g. plants, animals, and fungi
Unicellular
-an organism made up of a single cell
e.g. bacteria and amoebas.
What’s the key difference between unicellular and multicellular organisms?
-unicellular organisms perform all life functions in one cell
-multicellular organisms have specialised cells for different functions
Primary consumers
-herbivores that eat producers
Secondary consumers
-carnivores/omnivores that eat primary consumers
Tertiary consumers
-top predators that eat secondary consumers
Why were new models of classification proposed?
-microscopes improved, scientists learnt more about cells
-biochemical processes became better understood
Habitat
-place where an organism lives defined by its abiotic factors
Community
-all the living organisms in a given area
Biodiversity
-number and range of all living things in a given area
Biosphere
-the regions of the Earth where living organisms are found
Decomposers
-microorganisms that break down dead matter and waste
Niche
-the role a species plays within an ecosystem
Biomass
-mass of organic material in a living thing
e.g. carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, DNA and cellulose (in plants)
Whoever has the highest surface area to volume ratio will…
…lose heat more quickly.
…releases the most energy to maintain their temperature in the Artic.
…would need the most food per kg body mass.
Dandelion adaptations
-leaves spread out to get lots of sunlight
-reluctant to herbicides
-release chemicals to stop other plants growing (eliminate competition)
-roots are deep to absorb water and minerals
-leaves spread out on the ground
-seeds disperse when wind blows
-yellow colour attracts pollinators
What defines the organisms in the Kingdom Plantae?
-multicellular
-eukaryotes
-nucleus
-membrane bound organelles
-cellulose cell wall
-photosynthesis
What defines the organisms in the Kingdom Protists?
-eukaryotes
-membrane bound nucleus
-membrane bound organelles like mitochondria
-unicellular
-mostly marine
-some are photosynthetic.
What defines the organisms in the Kingdom Fungi?
-unicellular and multicellular
-eukaryotes
-membrane bound nucleus
-membrane bound organelles like mitochondria
–eats other organisms to gain energy (heterotrophic)
The higher SA:V ratio….
….will lose heat quicker
….will release the most energy to maintain their temperature (there is more surface area compared to the amount of body mass he has)
….will need more per kg body mass (because they lose energy in the same amount of time)
How do animals get adaptations?
-natural selection
-animals with the features fitted to their environment are more likely to survive
-happens over a long period of time
What are species?
-members of the same species share similar characteristics
-they can mate and produce fertile offspring
-they are classified as the same species in biological taxonomy
Why are some plants carnivorous?
-soil often lacks nutrients that plants need to grow.
-they trap prey
-break down the organism into nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus
-the plant absorbs it
Why do some plants have fat and thick leaves and some have wide and thin ones?
-structurally adapted to their environment
-wide ones live in areas with low levels of sunlight, so big surface area to maximise photosynthesis
-fat and thick ones often have leaves directing water vertically to the plant
>they’re thick to store more water
Why are food webs better than food chains?
-they are interconnected
-they help us understand why a change in one organism may affect an ecosystem
Difference between poison and venom
-poison is defense (berries)
-venom is attack (snakes)
What defines the organisms in the Kingdom Prokaryota?
-prokaryotes
-unicellular
-no nucleus
(circular chromosome)
-no membrane bound organelles
-cell wall (made of peptidoglycan)
Ecosystem
-the interaction between a community (biotic factor) and the abiotic factors if its environment
