Term 6 - 10B7 Ecology

What is an ecosystem?

all of the living and non-living parts of a particular environment

What do plants compete for in a community?

light, space, water, mineral ions from the soil

What do animals complete for in a community?

food, mates, territory

What is interdependence?

when plants and animals depend of each other species for food, shelter, pollination, seed dispersal and other things

What is a stable community?

A community where everything is in balance so that population sizes remain fairly constant

What are the abiotic factors that can affect a community?

light intensity, temperature, moisture levels, soil pH and mineral content, wind intensity and direction, carbon dioxide levels for plants, oxygen levels for aquatic animals.

What are the biotic factors that affect a community?

availability of food, new predators arriving, new pathogens, one species outcompeting another so the numbers are no longer sufficient to breed.

What does abiotic mean?

Non-living

What does bioitic mean?

Living

What is an adaptation?

A feature that enables an organism to survive in the conditions which they normally live.

What is an extremophile?

An organism that lives in an extreme environment, such as one with high temepratures, high pressure or high salt concentration.

What is a producer?

Organisms like green plants or algae which make glucose by photosynthesis.

What is a consumer?

An organism that eats other organisms in a food chain.

What is the definition of prey?

Consumers (animals) that are killed and eaten

What is the definition of a predator?

Consumers that kill and eat other animals

What process removes carbon from the atompshere?

Photosynthesis

What processes add carbon dioxide to the atmosphere?

Respiration, combustion, decomposition

Why are microorganisms an important part of an ecosystem?

They help to cycle material through the ecosystem by decomposing dead organic matter. They release carbon dioxide to the atmosphere & mineral ions to the soil.

What is biodiversity?

The variety of all the different species of organisms in an ecosystem, or on earth.

What types of pollution can be present in water?

Sewage, fertiliser, toxic chemicals

What types of pollution can be present in air?

Smoke and acidic gases

What types of pollution can be present on land?

Landfills & toxic chemicals

What human activities reduce the amount of land available for other animals?

building, dumping waste, quarrying, farming

Why are peat bogs being destroyed?

to produce garden compost

What are the negative effects of destroying peat bogs?

It reduces the habitat available for plants, animals and microorganisms that live there. Burning or decay of peat releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Why has deforestation occured in tropical areas?

to provide land for cattle and rice fields, to grow crops for biofuel

What programs area there to help maintain biodiversity?

- breeding programs for endangered species

- protection and regeneration of rare habitats

- reintroduction of field margins and hedgerows

- reduction of deforestation

- reduction of carbon dioxide emissions

- recycling