Studied by 1 person
What is the name of the unique role a species plays in an ecosystem?
An ecological niche
What are the factors determining ecological niches?
Biotic and abiotic
What determines where a species live in an ecosystem?
Zone of tolerance
What are the two names of species determined on the way they take in food
Autotrophic and heterotrophic
Where does autotrophic species get their energy from?
Using an energy source for synthesis
Where does heterotrophic species get their energy from?
taking food by ingesting other organisms
What are the names of the three types of species in relation to oxygen?
Obligate aerobes, obligate anaerobes, and facultative anaerobes
What are the requirements for obligate aerobes?
Always need oxygen
What are the requirements for obligate anerobes?
No oxygen as it kills the organism
What are the requirements for facultative anaerobes?
oxygen used if available but survives anoxi conditions
Give an example of an obligate aerobe?
All plants and animal
Give two examples of obligate anaerobes
Methanogenic archaea and tetanus bacteria
Give two examples of facultative anaerobes
Yeast and e. coli
What is photosynthesis used for?
Fixing CO₂ and making carbon compounds
What are the three groups of organisms that use photosynthesis?
Plants, eularyotic algae and caynobacteria
How do animals obtain amino acids and carbon compounds?
By taking in food
Wha is the name given to the way in which humans consume food?
Holozoic nutritiun
What are the 5 events composing holozoic nutrition?
ingestion
digestion
absorption
Assimilation
egestion
Give an example of ingestion
Taking food into the gut
Give an example of digestion
Breaking large food molecules into smaller ones
Give an example of absorption
Transporting food accriss the plasma membrane into the blood
Give an example of assismilation
Using digested food to synthesise proteins
Give an example of egestion
removing undigested material from the end of the gut
What is the name of the organisms that are neither autotrophic or heterotrophic?
Mixotrophic
Which groups of organisms are mostly mixotrophic?
Protists (unicellular eukaryotes)
What is the name given to organisms that can either be entirely autotrophic, entirely heterotrophic, or use both?
Facultative mixotrophs
What are the two ways in which euglena gracilis consumes energy?
Photosynthesis and endocytosis
Give an example of a facultative mixotroph
Euglena gracilis
What are organisms which feed off dead organic matter?
Saprotrophs
How do saprotrophs digest food?
Externally
What does a saprotroph do to digest externally?
Secretes enzymes
What enzyme is used to digest protein in amino acids?
Protease
How does the externally digested food enter the saprotroph?
Diffusion via the plasma membrane
What is the more common name for saprotrophs?
Decomposers
In what way are archaea diverq?
In their source of energy for ATP production
What are the three types of archaea?
Chemoheterotrophs
Photoheterotrophs
Chemoautotrophs
How do chemoheterotrophs get energy for ATP production?
Oxidation of carbon coumpounds from other organisms
How do photoheterotrophs get energy for ATP production?
Absorption of light using pigments
How do chemoautotrophs get energy for ATP production?
Oxidation of inorganic molecules
Give an example of an oxidation of inorganic chemicals for the attainment of energy for ATP production on chemoautotrophs
Fe²⁺ ion to Fe³⁺
How do chemoheterotrophs obtain carbon compounds?
From other organisms
How do photoheterotrophs obtain carbon compounds?
From other organisms
How do chemoautotrophs obtain carbon compounds?
synthesised from CO₂ by anabolic reactions
Describe the general shape of herbivore teeth
large and flat
Why are herbivore teeth large and flat?
To grind down fibrous plant tissue
Describe the general shape of omnivore teeth
mix of types
Wy are omnivore teeth a mix of different types of teeth?
As they eat both meat and plants
Describe the general shape of carnivore teeth
Pointy
What teeth do humans use to crush and grind food?
flat molars
What teeth humans have to tear through tough foods like meat?
Sharp canines and incisors
Describe the mouth and teeth of inseacts that feed on leaves
Jaw-like mouthparts and mandibles
Describe the mouth and teeth of inseacts that feed on phloem sap
Sharp, tubular mouthparts
Describe the mouth and teeth of inseacts that feed on nectar
Long, tubular mouthparts
Why do insects that feed on leaves jave jaw-like mouthparts and tough mandibles?
To pite off, chew and ingest leaves
Why do insects that feed on phloem sap have sharp, tubular mouthparts?
To pierce leaves or stems to reach phloem tubes
Why do insects that feed on nectar have long, tubular mouthparts?
To reach nectary flowers
What are three adaptations that plants have developed to deter herbivore attacks?
Sharp spines (e.g. rose thorn)
Stings (e.g. stinging nettles)
Store toxic secondary metabolites
Where are the two most likely places secondary metabolites are stores?
Seeds and leaves
Give a structural adaptation for predators
Large pointy teeth in vampires to such blood
Give a structural adaptation for predators
Venom containing toxins to paralyse prey
Give a behavioural adaptation for predators
Waving luminescent fin rays to attrack prey
Give a structural adaptation for prey
Shells on mollusc body’s to protect them
Give a chemical adaptation for prey
Accumulation for toxins
Give a behavioural adaptation for prey
Swimming in schoals
Give an example of a strategy an average tree uses to obtain light
Dominant leading shoot rows rapidly
Give an example of a strategy a Liana uses to obtain light
Climb other trees, use them for support so need less xylem tissue
Give an example of a strategy an epiphyte uses to obtain light
Grows on trunks and branches of other trees to go high up
Describe how strangler epiphytes obtain light
Grow up a tree trunk, encircles it, grows leaves shading the tree they climbed and killing it
What is the name given to the area that a species will grow if it was living without any competition?
A fundamental niche
What is the name given to the area of the fundamental niche which a species actually grows when living with competitors?
A realised niche
Can two species have the same fundamental niche?
Yes
Can two species have the same realised niche?
No
What happens if species A entirely outcompetes species B in a fundamental niche?
Species B is excluded from the ecosystem
In terms of niches, what must each species have in order to survive?
A realised niche which differes from those of all other species
Note 
Flashcard (135)