5.1.1

What is a species?

A group of organisms that can interbreed to produce fertile offspring.

5.1.1

What is a habitat?

The environment in which a species normally lives

5.1.1

What is a population?

A group of organisms of the same species that live in the same geographical area

5.1.1

What is a community?

A group of organisms of more than one species living and interacting in the same area

5.1.1

What is ecology?

The study of the relationships between organisms and the relationship between organisms and the environment

5.1.1

What is an ecosystem?

a biotic community and its abiotic environment

5.1.2

What is the difference between an autotroph and a heterotroph?

An autotroph makes its own food whereas a heterotroph consumes other organisms for food

5.1.3

What is the difference between consumers, saprotrophs and detritivores?

A consumer ingests organic matter from other organisms

Saprotrophs live on or in dead things and externally digest

Detritivores consume dead organic matter

5.1.4

What is a food chain?

5.1.5

What is a food web?

A network of interconnecting food chains

5.1.6

What is a trophic level?

The position of an organism in a food chain

5.1.9

What is the initial energy source for almost all communities?

Light

5.1.10

Why are energy transformations never 100% efficient?

All organisms use energy for the basic processes of life

some energy is lost through heat, material not consumed, material not digested etc.

5.1.14

What recycles nutrients in an ecosystem?

Saprotrophic bacteria (decomposers)

and fungi

5.1.13

What is the difference between the way energy and nutrients move through an ecosystem?

5.2.1

Draw and label a diagram of the carbon cycle

5.2.3

How does the rise in concentration of carbon dioxide, methane and oxides of nitrogen contribute to the enhanced greenhouse effect?

These gases trap the wavelengths of light from the sun which provide warmth.  Without these gases the earth would become too cold and everything would die.

Greenhouse gases prevent the wavelengths from escaping into space.  However with more greenhouse gases, longer wavelengths are also trapped in the earth's atmosphere which causes the earth to warm up even further

5.2.4

What is the precautionary principle?

This is a concept that states that anyone wanting to take any kind of action would have to prove that that action will provide no harm to anyone before the action and take place.

5.2.5

How does the precautionary principle relate to the issue of global warming?

Although there is strong evidence that global warming is being caused be greenhouse gases there is no absolute proof.  This means that any action to eliminate greenhouse gas increases is not guaranteed to solve to problem.

5.2.6

What are the consequences of global warming on arctic ecosystems?

Glaciers will melt and break off to form icebergs

permafrost will melt in summer and increase the rate of decay

Species adapted to cold temperatures will have to mover further north (competition as niches will change)

Polar bears have an ice habitat that could be destroyed

marine species that need cold water could become extinct

More pests and diseases would be encouraged

sea levels would rise and cause flooding

5.3.1

How does mortality and emigration affect populations?

Decreases

5.3.1

How does natality and immigration affect populations?

Increases

5.3.2

Draw and Label a sigmoid growth curve

5.3.3

What are the reasons for the exponential, transitional and plateau phases of the sigmoid curve?

Exponential - plenty of resources and little competition so everyone survives - natality is greater than mortality

Transitional - resources are starting to run out, there is some competition

Plateau - the environment has reached its carrying capacity.  There is competition and natality=mortality

5.3.4

What factors limit population size?

Plants - Light, Water, Space, temperature, carbon dioxide

Animals - amount of food, space - nesting sites, parasites/disease, predators

5.4.1

What is evolution?

The cumulative change in the heritable characteristics of a species/population

5.4.2

What evidence is there for evolution?

Fossil records

Homologous structures

selective breeding of domestic animals

5.4.3

How much offspring is produced by a population?

More than the environment can support.

5.4.4

What is the consequence of overproduction of offspring?

Competition for survival

Strongest individuals will survive

this means that only the strongest genes will be passed on

5.4.6

How does sexual reproduction promote variation within a species?

Crossing over of genes during metaphase creates unique combinations of genes.

Combination of 2 sets of genetic material creates more variation, only stronger genes are passed on.

5.5.1

What is the binomial system of nomenclature?

Genus and species

Genus species

eg, Homo sapiens

5.5.2

What are the seven levels in the Hierarchy of Taxa?

Kingdom

Phylum

Class 

Order

Family

Genus 

Species

5.5.2

What are the names for all the levels in the hierarchy of taxa for the Blue Whale?

Kingdom - Animalia

Phylum - Chordata

Class - Mammalia

Order - Cetacea

Family - Baleonopteridae

Genus - Baleonoptera

Species - Musculus

Kingdom - Plantae

Phylum - Coniferophyta

Class - Pinopsida

Order - Pinales

Family - Taxodiaceae

Genus - sequoia

Species - sempervirens

5.5.3

What is the difference between the four different phyla of plants?

Coniferophyta - pine trees etc.

Bryophyta - mosses etc.

Filicinophyta - ferns etc.

Angiospermophyta - flowering plants

5.5.4

What is the difference between the six different phyla of animals?

Porifera - sponges etc.

Platyhelminths - flat worms

Cnidaria - sea anemones

Mollusca - slugs, snails etc.

Arthropoda - crabs - jointed limbs

Annelida - earth worms etc.