Topic 4 Full

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Paper 1 (Understandings)

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48 Terms

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Species
groups of organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring
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Hybrids
Cross-bred species that are sterile
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Population
A group of organisms of the same species that live in the same area
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Community
A group of populations living together and interacting with each other within a given area
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Habitat
The environment in which a species normally lives, or the location of a living organism
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Ecosystem
A community and its abiotic environment
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Autotrophs
Synthesises its own organic molecules from simple inorganic substances (e.g. CO2, nitrates); also known as producers
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Heterotrophs
Obtains organic molecules from other organisms (either living/recently killed or their non-living remains and detritus); also known as consumers
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Mixotrophs
Certain unicellular organisms may on occasion use both forms of nutrition, depending on resource availability
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Consumers
heterotrophs that feed on living or recently killed organisms by ingestion
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Scavangers
heterotrophs that feed on dead or decaying matter by ingestion
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Detritivores
heterotrophs that ingest organic molecules found in the non-living remnants of organisms (e.g. detritus, humus)
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Saprotrophs
are heterotrophs that release digestive enzymes and then absorb the external products of digestion (decomposers)
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Nutrients
materials required by an organism (nitrogen, carbon, phosphorus)
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Nutrient cycle
the movement and exchange of inorganic and organic matter back into the production of matter
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Main components required for ecosystem sustainability
Energy, nutrients and recycling of wastes.
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Main energy source
sunlight
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Trophic level
The position an organism occupies within a feeding sequence
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Food chain
The linear feeding relationships in a community
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Energy loss
Respiration loss 25%, Heat lost 40%, Excretion lost 10%, Stored 25%
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Chemical energy converted into
Kinetic energy (e.g. muscular contractions), Electrical energy (e.g. nerve impulses), Light energy (e.g. bioluminescence)
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Biomass
the total mass of a group of organisms
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Limitation of potential trophic levels
energy and biomass is lost between each level of a food chain (transfers ~5-20%)
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Pyramid of energy
a graph of the amount of energy at each trophic level (should be one tenth of the size of the preceding level)
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Food web
a diagram that shows how food chains are linked together
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Compensation point
when the net carbon dioxide assimilation in autotrophs is zero (intake \= output)
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Carbon in aquatic ecosystems
present as dissolved carbon dioxide and hydrogen carbonate ions
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Limestone development
corals and mollusca have hard parts made of calcium carbonate get fossilized
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Methanogens
archea that produce methane in anaerobic conditions
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Anaerobic conditions
Wetlands (e.g. swamps/marshes), Marine sediments (e.g. in lake mud), Digestive tract of ruminant animals (e.g. cows)
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Methane in the atmosphere
oxidises to form carbon dioxide and water
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Peat formation
partially decomposed organic matter in acidic and/or anaerobic conditions in waterlogged soils
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Coal formation
When peat is compressed, impurities/moisture are forced out. The product has a high carbon concentration that undergoes a chemical transformation.
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Carbon dioxide production
biomass and fossilised organic matter undergo combustion
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Combustion sources
Fossil fuels, Biomass
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Carbon fluxes
the rate of exchange of carbon between carbon sinks/reservoirs
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main carbon sinks
lithosphere (earth crust), hydrosphere (oceans), atmosphere (air), biosphere (organisms)
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Carbon exchange processes
Photosynthesis, Respiration, Decomposition, Gaseous dissolution, Lithification, Combustion
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Causes for flux change
climate conditions, natural events and human activity
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Most significant greenhouse gases
Carbon dioxide and water vapour
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Gases that have less impact
methane and nitrogen oxides
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Greenhouse gases
They absorb and emit long-wave (infrared) radiation, trapping heat in the atmosphere
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Factors that affect atmosphere warming
The gas’ ability to absorb long wave radiation and concentration in the atmosphere
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The warmed Earth
emits longer wavelength radiation (heat)
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The greenhouse effect
a natural process where the atmosphere behaves like a greenhouse to trap and retain heat
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How the Greenhouse Effect Works
Earth absorbs short wave radiation from the sun and re-emits it at a longer wavelength. Greenhouse gases absorb and re-radiate the longer wave radiation and hence retain the heat within the atmosphere.
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Ocean Acidification
Rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide decrease the pH of the water
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Consequences of Ocean Acidification
Disappearance of coral reefs, loss in revenue from food industries, increasing dissolved CO2 levels in oceans would cause invasive species of algae to flourish (more photosynthesis).