topic 2 test

Question 1

what is an individual

Answer 1

a single member of a species

Question 2

what is a population

Answer 2

INDIVIDUALS OF SAME SPECIES IN SAME AREA AT SAME TIME

Question 3

what is a community

Answer 3

MULTIPLE POPULATIONS (DIFFERENT SPECIES) LIVING AND INTERACTING IN SAME AREA

Question 4

ecosystem

Answer 4

INTERACTION BETWEEN A COMMUNITY AND THE NON-LIVING (ABIOTIC) PARTS OF THE ENVIRONMENT

Question 5

what is a biotic factor

Answer 5

any living or once-living component within an ecosystem that influences other organisms and shapes the environment

Question 6

what is an abiotic factor

Answer 6

a non-living chemical or physical component of an environment that influences an ecosystem and the organisms within it

Question 7

biotic factor examples (6)

Answer 7

• predation
• herbivory
• parasitism
• mutualism
• disease
• competition

Question 8

abiotic factor examples (10)

Answer 8

• temperature
• sunlight
• pH (water and soil)
• salinity
• dissolved oxygen
• soil texture
• moisture and precipitation levels
• minerals and nutrients
• wind intensity
• carbon dioxide levels (for plants)

Question 9

define niche

Answer 9

Niche is the term that refers to the role of a species in a specific ecosystem.

Question 10

define intraspecific competition

Answer 10

occurs between members of the same species. As the population increases, competition among individuals for resources also intensifies, eventually reaching the carrying capacity of the ecosystem.

Question 11

define interspecific competition

Answer 11

between individuals of different
species. They could be competing for the same limiting resource in the same area. When two species occupy the same niche or compete for the same resource, this is niche overlap.
Interspecific competition may result in a shift toward a different niche from one species, or one species totally out-competing the other leading it to extinction.

Question 12

examples of density-dependant limiting factors

Answer 12

• predation
• intraspecific competition
• diseases
• waste accumulation

Question 13

examples of density-independant limiting factors

Answer 13

(typically abiotic factors)
- extreme atmospheric and climate events
- catastrophic events

Question 14

what is the first law of thermodynamics

Answer 14

Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed from one form to another.

Question 15

what is the second law of thermodynamics

Answer 15

Energy flows in one direction in spontaneous physical/chemical processes. During the process the energy used becomes not usable (as heat) and the total entropy of the isolated system (e.g. universe) increases.

Question 16

define entropy

Answer 16

degree of disorder of a
system (At each passage through the food chain, some chemical energy is transformed into heat energy and dissipated into the environment becoming impossible to reuse it)

Question 17

how to calculate efficiency

Answer 17

(work or energy produced)/(energy consumed)

Question 18

what are the different types of ecological pyramids?

Answer 18

pyramids of numbers, productivity, (biomass and energy)

Question 19

what is bioaccumulation?

Answer 19

the process by which toxins or pollutants gradually build up in an individual organism over time

Question 20

what is a system?

Answer 20

an assemblage of parts and the relationships between them, which together constitute an entity or whole

Question 21

what are the 3 types of systems?

Answer 21

1. Open = both matter and energy can flow in and out the system.
2. Closed = energy only can flow in and out the system.
3. Isolated = neither energy nor matter can be exchanged with the environment.

Question 22

what are the two ways to study systems?

Answer 22

1. Reductionist approach: breaking a system down into its smaller parts and studying each one individually. This can be useful for studying specific interactions in detail but it doesn’t show what’s going on in the system as a whole.
2. Holistic approach: looks at all of the system’s processes and interactions as a whole.

Question 23

what is equilibrium?

Answer 23

the tendency of a system to return to its original state following a disturbance

Question 24

negative feedback loop

Answer 24

occur when the output of a process inhibits or reverses the operation of the same process in such a way as to reduce change. They stabilize the system and counteract deviation.

Question 25

positive feedback loop

Answer 25

occur when a outputs (usually disturbances) leads to an amplification of that output, which destabilizes the system and drives it away from its equilibrium towards a tipping point.

Question 26

what is a tipping point?

Answer 26

A tipping point is a critical threshold within a system. If a tipping point is reached, any further small change in the system will have significant knock-on effects and cause a system to move away from its original equilibrium.

Question 27

what is zonation?

Answer 27

Zonation refers to the gradual change in the composition of species and communities across a landscape due to a gradual change in environmental factors

Question 28

what factors influence zonation? (8)

Answer 28

- Elevation (altitude) - Latitude - Tidal level - Soil horizons - Distance from water source - Temperature - Moisture - Light

Question 29

define succession

Answer 29

the natural process by which one community of organisms is gradually replaced by another over time due to changes in biotic and abiotic factors.

Question 30

what are the two types of succession?

Answer 30

- Primary succession: is the process that occurs when newly formed or newly exposed land (with no species present) is gradually colonised (inhabited) by an increasing number of species - Secondary succession: occurs in areas where soil is already present but vegetation has been removed, such as after a forest fire

Question 31

stages of primary succession

Answer 31

bare, inorganic surface --> stage 1: colonisation --> stage 2: establishment --> stage 3: competition --> stage 4: stabilisation --> climax community

Question 32

tropical rainforest

Answer 32

- warm and humid year-round - high levels of rainfall - between 5 to 30 degrees c - average 25-30 degrees - nutrient-poor but fast-recycling soils - little seasonal variation

Question 33

tropical dry forest

Answer 33

- warm temperatures - year-round distinct wet and dry seasons - annual rainfall of about 500–2000 mm with long dry periods - average temperatures of 20-30 degrees c during its dry periods

Question 34

tropical savanna

Answer 34

- warm temperatures year-round and a pronounced wet and dry season - seasonal rainfall between 500–1500 mm, prolonged dry periods, compact soils - frequent fires - temperature between 15-40 degrees c

Question 35

desert

Answer 35

- extremely low precipitation, often less than 250 mm annually - temperature between 13-30 degrees c - arid soils

Question 36

temperate grassland

Answer 36

- moderate rainfall, typically 250–750 mm per year - hot summers and cold winters - world's most fertile soils - -2 to 26 degrees c -

Question 37

temperate woodland and shrubland

Answer 37

- mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers - low to moderate rainfall (around 250–750 mm annually) - nutrient-poor soils, and frequent natural fires

Question 38

temperate forest

Answer 38

- four distinct seasons with warm summers, cold winters - and moderate to high rainfall ranging from 750–1500 mm per year - fertile soils rich

Question 39

boreal forest (taiga)

Answer 39

- long, cold winters, short, mild summers - moderate precipitation, mostly as snow, ranging from 300–850 mm annually - acidic, nutrient-poor soils, permafrost in some areas

Question 40

temperate coniferous rainforest

Answer 40

- found in coastal regions with mild temperatures and very high precipitation, often exceeding 2000 mm annually - nutrient-rich soils - -10 to 23 degrees c

Question 41

tundra

Answer 41

- cold, treeless biome characterized by long, harsh winters, short summers - low precipitation, usually less than 250 mm annually - permafrost (permanently frozen soil), and nutrient-poor, waterlogged soils

Question 42

what is biomagnification

Answer 42

the process where the concentration of toxins, such as pesticides or heavy metals, increases at each successive trophic level in a food chain