biology ecology

What are adaptations?

organisms adapted to live in different environmental conditions - these features or characteristics that allow them to do this are called adaptations

why do animals have adaptations?

organisms have adaptations in order to survive and reproduce in their habitat. All organisms need resources to survive - for animals these include food, shelter, water and mates. in plants these include light minerals and carbon dioxide

Where can extremophiles be found?

some live at high temperatures, others in places with high salt concentration or at high pressure.

What is a community?

a group of interacting populations living together at the same place at the same time

What is a population?

a group of organisms of the same species living at the same place at the same time

describe how animals in a community are interdependent?

-plants produce food by photosynthesis
-animals eat plants
-animals pollinate plants
-animals eat other animals
-animals use plant and animal materials to build nests and shelters
-plants need nutrients from animal droppings and decays

What is an ecosystem?

all of the living and nonliving things interacting in an area

What is interdependence?

Animals and plants depending on one another for food, shelter etc

how do animals and plants help seed dispersal?

animals will eat berries and spread the seeds they contain

how do animals and plants help pollen dispersal?

for example a wasp will land on a flower (for example Lilys will mimic the wasps mate encouraging the wasp to land - this means the wasps have pollen on their feet) and when they land on the next flower the pollen is passed on

how do birds and mammals interact in a way that benefit one another?

they often work together - the ox catcher would help get ticks and bugs out of the mammals fur, eyes and ears and feed them.

What are extremophiles?

Organisms that have adaptations enabling them to live in environments with extreme conditions such as salt, temperature and pressure.

what are stable communities?

Communities where all the species & environmental factors are in balance so that the population sizes are roughly constant
They include tropical rainforests & ancient oak woodlands

What are abiotic factors?

nonliving factors

What are biotic factors?

living factors

what are examples of abiotic factors

light, temperature, moisture, soil ph and mineral ion content, wind intensity and direction, soil ph and mineral, availability of oxygen and availibity

what are examples of biotic factors?

availability of food, new pathogens or parasites, new predators, competition

What types of adaptations are there?

structural, behavioural, functional

what are structural adaptations?

Features of an organism's body structure e.g. shape or colour

what are behavioural adaptations?

These are ways that organisms behave.

what are functional adaptations?

Things that go on inside an organism's body that can be related to processes like reproduction & metabolism

how adaptations do animals have to overcome the issue of cold temperatures?

- small surface area to volume ratio
- small extremities
- thick layer of blubber
- thick fur coat

how does a small surface area to volume ratio help animals in cold climates?

this means there is less energy transfer to the surroundings and so less cooling. the opposite can be true in hot climates

how do small extremities help animals in cold climates?

the surface area of the thin-skinned areas of the body such as ears is often small to reduce the energy transfer to the environment

how does thick layers of blubber help animals in cold climate climates?

acts as insulation, a thick layer of fat builds up under the skin. on the outside they have thick fur coats

how does a thick fur coat help animals in cold climates?

fur traps air which provides insulation and reduces heat energy transferring from the skin to the surroundings

what adaptations do animals in hot dry climates have?

large surface area to volume ratio, large extremities, functional adaptation in the kidneys

what adaptations do animals in hot climates have to maintain a constant body temperature

large surface area to volume ratio
large extremities

what adaptation do animals have when living in an area with little to no water

functional adaptatation in the kidney which allows the production of very concentrated urine. This reduces the volume of water needed - some desert animals get all the water they need from food

what kind of adaptation is camoflauge

structural

what are the advantages of camouflage?

predators camouflages themselves so prey doesn't see them coming and prey hide from predators

What do plants need to survive?

Light, space, water and minerals(nutrients) from the soil

why do plants need water?

for photosynthesis, to transport minerals, maintain structural rigidity and to regulate temperature

How do plants take in water?

through the roots

what adaptations do plants in hot dry climates have

- curled leaves
- very small leaves or spines instead of leaves
- butchers broom
- thick cuticle
- root system that is very large
- roots that go deep into the soil
- roots near the surface
- fleshy leaves and or thick system

How do curled leaves reduce water loss?

- reduces surfaces area
- traps a layer of moist air around the leaf to reduce water the plant loses due to evaporation

how do very small leaves or spines instead of leaves reduce water loss?

cut down on area which water can be lost

how do fleshy leaves and or thick stems help plants in hot dry climates?

some plants in dry conditions store water in their tissues while others use their stem or roots

what do plants and animals compete

- mate
- food
- territory

what adaptations do some animals to help compete for food?

- have long legs for running fast
- sharp eyes to spot prey

why are animals that rely on a single type of food more likely to become extinct?

they are at a higher risk of dying out if anything happens to their only food source

how else do prey organisms with each other?

to be the one that isn't caught - their adaptations help prevent them food to a predator

What do plants compete for?

Light, space, water and nutrients from soil

how do plants compete for light?

plants need light for photosynthesis in order to make food which is necessary for their growth

how do plants adapt for light?

- growing tall
- growing tendrils and climbing up tall structures to reach the light
- growing and flowering very early before other plants get leaves
- grow larger leaves
- make more chlorophyll to maximise energy from any light that arrives

why is water important for plants?

for photosynthesis and for keeping their tissues rigid and supported

how do plants compete for water and mineral ions?

- shallow roots over a wide area to absorb rain water before it soaks away or evaporates
- growing long, deep roots to reach water far down in the soil

Why do plants need mineral ions?

If there aren't enough of them, the plants will suffer from deficiency symptoms

why do plants need space to grow?

it allows their roots to take in water and ions and for their leaves to catch light

what adaptations do plants have to help compete for space to grow?

- adaptations which spread their seeds as far as possible from the parent plant
- the roots of some plants produce a chemical which prevents seeds germinating

When does competition occur?

when organisms of the same or different species attempt to use an ecological resource in the same place at the same time

what is a quadrat?

A quadrat is a square frame enclosing a known area. A quadrat can be used to sample plants or animals that don't move much.

how do you use a quadrat?

- place a 1m^2 quadrat on the ground at a random point within the first sample area
- count all the organisms within the quadrat
- repeat steps 1 and 2 as many times as you can
- work out the mean number of organisms per quadrat within the first sample area

what can you use quadrats to study?

distribution of small organisms

what can you use transects to study?

to study the distribution of organisms along a line

how do you use transects?

1) Mark out a line in the are you want to study using a tape measure
2) Then collect data along the line by counting all the organisms you are looking for that touch the line
3) Or, you can collect the data using quadrats (place next to each other or at intervals e.g every 2cm

What are environmental factors that might effect the distribution of organisms?

- availability of water
- change in temperature
- change in the composition of atmospheric gases

Describe what happens during the water cycle?

- energy from the sun makes water evaporate from the land and sea, turning it into water vapour. water also evaporates from plants - this is known as transpiration
- the warm water vapour is carried upwards. When it gets higher up it cools and condenses to form clouds
- Water falls from clouds as precipitation onto land where it provides fresh water for plants and animals
- It then drains into the sea before the whole process starts again

how are elements cycled back to the start of the food chain?

decay

how do materials decay?

They are broken down (digested) by microorganisms

in what conditions do materials decay?

This happens faster in warm, moist, aerobic conditions because microorganisms are more active in these conditions

why is decay important?

It returns carbon to the atmosphere and mineral ions to the soil

What happens in the carbon cycle?

1. CO2 is removed from the atmosphere by green plants and algae during photosynthesis. The carbon is used to make glucose, which can be turned into carbohydrates, fats and proteins that make up the bodies of the plants and algae
2. When the plant and algae respire, some carbon is returned to the atmosphere as CO2
3. When the plants and algae are eaten by animals, some carbon becomes part of the fats or proteins in their bodies. This carbon then moves through the food chain.
4. When the animals respire, some carbon is returned to the atmosphere as CO2
5. When plants, algae and animals die, other animals and microorganisms feed on their remains. When these organisms respire CO2 is returned to the atmosphere
6. Animals also produce waste that is broken down by detritus feeders and microorganisms
7. The combustion of wood and fossil fuels also releases CO2 back into the air
8. So the carbon is constantly being cycled from the air, through food chains and eventually back into the air again

what is compost?

Decomposed organic matter that is used as a natural fertiliser for crops and garden plants

what factors affect rate of decay?

temperature, oxygen availability, water availability, number of decay organisms

how does temperature affect rate of decay?

Warmer temperatures make things decompose quicker because they increase the rate that the enzymes involved in decomposition work at.
If it's too hot though, decomposition slows down or stops because the enzymes are destroyed and the organisms die.
Really cold temperatures slow the rate of decomposition too

how does oxygen availability affect rate of decay?

many organisms need oxygen to respire, which they need to do to survive. The microorganisms involved in anaerobic decay don't need oxygen though.

how does water availability affect rate of decay?

Decay takes place faster in moist environments because the organisms involved in decay need water to carry out biological processes.

what is biogas made by?

Anaerobic decay of waste material

What is biogas made up of?

Methane, which can be burned as fuel

How is biogas formed?

Lots of different microorganisms are used to produce biogas. They decay plant and animal waste anaerobically. This type of decay produces methane gas. Sludge waste is used to make biogas on a large scale.

What is biogas made in?

A simple fermenter called a digester or generator

Why do biogas generators need to be kept at a constant temperature?

to keep the microorganisms respiring

Why can't biogas be stored as a liquid?

It needs too high a pressure, so it has to be used straight away.

what are the two main types of biogas generators?

Batch generators and continuous generators

How do batch generators work?

Batch generators make biogas in small batches. They're manually loaded up with waste, which is left to digest, and the by-products are cleared away at the end of each session

How do continuous generators work?

Continuous generators make biogas all the time. Waste is continuously fed in, and biogas is produced at a steady rate. Continuous generators are more suited to large-scale biogas projects.

What do all biogas generators need?

-An inlet for waste material to be put in
-An outlet for the digested material to be removed through
-An outlet so that the biogas can be piped to where it's needed

What is biodiversity?

The variety of different species of organisms on Earth or within an ecosystem

Why is high biodiversity important?

Ensures that ecosystems are stable because different species depend on each other for shelter, food etc
Different species can help to maintain the right physical environment for each other

Why is the population growing?

modern medicine and farming methods

how does the increasing population affect the world around us?

- increasing population puts pressure on the environment
- people around the world are demanding a higher standard of living so we use more raw materials but we also use more energy for the manufacturing processes.

how do we produce more water waste and why is this a problem?

- sewage and toxic chemicals from industry can pollute lakes, rivers and oceans, affecting the plants and animals that rely on them for survival
- the chemicals used on land can be washed into water

how are we polluting the land?

- we use toxic chemicals for farming.
- we also bury nuclear waste underground
- we dump household waste in landfill sites

How are we polluting the air?

smoke and acidic gases released into the atmosphere can pollute the air

How do gases in the atmosphere act as an insulating layer?

they absorb most of the energy that would normally be radiated out into the space and re-radiate it in all directions (including back towards earth). This increases temperature of the planet. If this didn't happen then at night there'd be nothing to keep any energy in and we'd quickly get cold.

What are greenhouse gases?

gases that absorb infrared light

as temperatures increase how will this affect distribution of animals?

as the temp changes and rainfall changes in different areas some species may become more widely distributed e.g species that need warmer temperatures. species that need cooler temperatures may have smaller ranges as the conditions they thrive and exist over a small area.

how will global warming affect migration?

changes in migration patterns will lead to some birds migrating north because its expected to become warmer

What are trophic levels?

The different stages of a food chain
They consist of one or more organisms that perform a specific role in the food chain

what does trophic level 1 contain?

producers

what are producers?

Organisms that make their own food

what does trophic level 2 contain?

primary consumers (herbivores)

what does trophic level 3 contain?

secondary consumers:
- carnivores that eat the primary consumers

what does trophic level 4 contain?

tertiary consumers

What are tertiary consumers?

carnivores that eat other carnivores. they have no predators as are at the top of the food chain.

What do humans use land for?

Building, quarrying, farming and dumping waste

what is deforestation?

the action of clearing a wide area of trees.

Why does deforestation occur?

- to clear land for farming to provide more food
- to grow crops from which biofuels based on ethanol can be produced

what problems does deforestation cause?

- less CO2 taken in
- more CO2 in atmosphere
- less biodiversity