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Ecology
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Qualitative | Qualitative methods simply record whether or not a plant or animal is present. •Identifying plants & animals using a key. •Abiotic factors |
| Quantitative | Quantitative methods involve estimating the number of animals or plants in a habitat. •Using a quadrat to estimate numbers of plants. •Capture-recapture methods •Line transect |
| A Pooter | A Pooter is used to collect small insects such as spiders. |
| Beating Tray | Beating Tray is used to collect insects in the foliage if shrub & canopy layer. |
| Pit fall trap | Pit fall trap is used to collect insects that live in the leaf litter on the ground, such as ground beetles, spiders & earwigs. |
| Sweep Net | A Sweep Net is used to sweep through long grass or vegetation to collect insects and spiders |
| Mammal trap | Mammal trap used to trap small mammals such as wood mice and bank voles. |
| Quantitative Methods (animals) | Capture-recapture 1. Capture a number of rabbits & mark them. 2. Free them in the same area captured. 3. Recapture the same number of rabbits & identify which had been previously marked. 4. Apply the formula: |
| The formula | Number of rabbits: Captured 1st x Captured 2nd ---------------------------------------- Marked 2nd |
| Using a Quadrat to carry out a % frequency of plants species present in a habitat. | 1. Throw a pen over your shoulder in the habitat and place the quadrat over it. 2. Record the species present in each quadrat thrown 3.Note presence or absence of a named species 4. This is repeated at least 10 times. |
| Line Transect | • A rope is marked at regular intervals • Each interval is called a station • The type of plant touching station is recorded. |
| Sources of error | •Sample size is too small •Human error –miscounting •Changing conditions |
| Measuring Environmental factors | 1. Measuring temperature of the air and soil. 2.Measuring the light intensity using a light meter. 3. Measuring the pH of the soil using universal indicator back at the lab with a sample of soil from the habitat or digitally with a soil pH meter. |
| Factors that control Population | 1. Competition 2. Predation 3. Parasitism 4. Symbiosis These factors help maintain populationnumbers and bring about a ‘balance of nature |
| Population | A group of individuals of the same species living together in a habitat |
| Community | A group of organisms living in a habitat that belong to many different species. |
| Competition | When organisms of the same or different species ‘fight’ for necessary resources that are in short supply. |
| Intra-specific competition | Between members of the same species i.e. within a species |
| Inter-specific competition | Between members of different species |
| Competition for resources | •Plants compete for light, water, minerals and space •Animals compete for food, water, shelter, territory and mates |
| Two types of competition | 1. Contest Competition 2. Scramble Competition |
| Contest Competition | Contest Competition involves an active physical confrontation between two organisms – one wins Example • two dogs fighting over a bone • One may have stronger muscles and sharper teeth and so win the bone |
| Scramble Competition | Scramble Competition This is where each organism tries to acquire as much of the resource as possible e.g. • an ivy plant and a hawthorn tree may compete for light. • The ivy uses adventitious roots to grip the hawthorn and climb higher. |
| How do animals survive competition? | They adapt to their environment by: • Changing their feeding habits • Camouflage • Producing protective coats • Moving away from over-populated areas |
| How do plants survive competition? | These compete with other plants for water, minerals and light and will survive because: • They produce large numbers of seeds • Seeds germinate quickly, even in poor soil • Plants thrive even in poorer soil condition |
| Predation | the act, of some animals (predators), of capturing and killing other animals for food. |
| Predators | animal that hunts, captures and kills other animals (prey) for food. •Predators have evolved adaptive techniques to survive, e.g. wolf has keen hearing and eyesight, strong muscles, sharp teeth, camouflage and hunts in packs. |
| Positive Effects of Predation | 1. Predation stabilises the community 2. Predators control the number of herbivores and so prevent overgrazing 3. Predators eliminate the less well adapted (weaker) prey |
| Adaptations of Predators | • Keen senses and sharp teeth • Catch easiest prey – old and sick (less energy used) • Change diet to suit prey available e.g. foxes • Live and hunt in packs • Migrate to where prey is plentiful • Camouflage |
| Examples of Adaptations of Predators | 1. Hawks have excellent eye sight 2. Ladybirds have strong mouth parts 3. Cheetahs can run at 60 km/h |
| Adaptations of Prey | • Plants may have thorns, spines or stings • Nasty taste when eaten e.g. giant hogweed • Are faster than their predator • Staying in herds or flocks – safety in numbers • Camouflage – greenfly, stick insects |
| Examples of Adaptations of Prey | 1. Frogs are well camouflaged 2. Zebras have strips, when in a group lions can’t distinguish where one ends & another begins. 3. Ladybirds contain large amounts of Formic acid so they are unpalatable to taste |
| Predator / Prey relationship | As Prey increases number of predators increase. As there are more predators the prey will decrease therefore number of predators will decrease Eventually numbers of prey will increase, starting the cycle once more. |
| Parasitism | One organism, the parasite, benefits from another, the host, and does harm to it e.g. fleas on a dog (ectoparasites), Parasites do harm to their hosts but usually do not kill them too quickly |
| Symbiosis | Symbiosis (‘living together’) –where two organisms of different species have a close, Specific relationship with each other where at least one of them benefits |
| Examples of Symbiosis | • A lichen is composed of an alga and a fungus intertwined. •The alga obtains support and a mineral supply from the fungus; the fungus obtains food from the alga. • Bacteria living in the colon produce vitamin B2 |
| Nutrient Recycling | The process of exchanging important nutrients (like carbon & nitrogen) between the living & non-living parts of an ecosystem. |
| Why is carbon so important? | • Carbon is an essential element to all life on earth. • Biomolecules, & cell structures are all made of carbon |
| The Carbon Cycle | • Carbon dioxide is returned to the environment by: 1. Respiration in plants, animals & micro-organisms. 2. Decay caused by micro-organisms. 3. Combustion i.e. burning fossil fuels Carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere: Photosynthesis |
| Nitrogen | • 78% of the Earth’s atmosphere is nitrogen gas, but it cannot be used in this form by plants and animals. •Nitrogen gas must first be ‘fixed’, i.e. changed to a suitable form (ammonia or nitrate) before it can be used |
| Nitrogen fixation | nitrogen gas being converted to nitrates or ammonia. |
| Nitrogen Fixation - Natural | • Nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the soil convert N2 gas in the air into nitrates (NO3-). This accounts for the majority of all N2fixation |
| Nitrogen Fixation- Artificial | Nitrate also enters the cycle through the addition of nitrogen rich fertilisers to the soil – made industrially from nitrogen gas. |
| Assimilation | • Nitrates are absorbed by plant roots (assimilation) and converted to plant protein. • Plant proteins are passed along food chains to become animal protein (assimilation). |
| Decomposition | When organisms die, their proteins are converted to ammonia by bacterial decomposition. |
| Excretion | Ammonia salts are present in the excretion products of animals i.e. urea. |
| Nitrification | • Nitrifying bacteria in the soil then convert ammonia (NH3) into nitrites (NO2_) then into nitrates (NO3_) •The conversion of ammonia to nitrites & then nitrates. |
| Denitrification | • Denitrifying bacteria convert soil nitrates (NO3-) into N2 gas. • This is a loss of N2 from the cycle. •The conversion of nitrates to nitrogen gas. |
| Pollution | Is any harmful addition to the environment. |
| Pollutant | Any substance that causes pollution. Eg burning fossil fuels. |
| Types of Pollution | •Industrial • Agricultural • Domestic |
| Eutrophication | The enrichment of water with nutrients, leading to excessive growth of algae & other plants. |
| Algal bloom & eutrophication | • There's a increase in the growth of algal bloom as they use up the nutrients.When all the nutrients are used up the algae die and are broken down by bacteria, which use up the oxygen in the water resulting in the death of aquatic organisms such as fish. |
| Agricultural Pollution: Pollutant | Agricultural Pollution •Pollutant: Fertilisers (e.g. Slurry) used on farmland. |
| Agricultural Pollution: Source | Agricultural Pollution •Source: Washed or leached from the land into rivers & lakes. |
| Agricultural Pollution: Effect | Agricultural Pollution •Effect: Algal bloom & eutrophication |
| Agricultural Pollution: Control Measures | Agricultural Pollution Control Measures: • Avoid spreading fertilisers on • wet, waterlogged, frozen or steeply sloping land • within 1.5m of any watercourse (river, lake etc…). |
| Conservation | Is the protection and wise management of natural resources and the environment. |
| Benefits of Conservation | 1. Existing environments are maintained. 2. Endangered species are preserved for reproduction. 3. The balance of nature is maintained. 4. Pollution and its effects are reduced. 5. Organisms & habitats are enjoyable to see & visit. |
| Fisheries Main problems: | • Pollution of rivers, lakes & the sea reduces fish population. • Overfishing • Use of small-mesh nets. |
| Conservation and Fishing Net Size | • The use of small-mesh nets can result in too many young fish being caught. • Using larger meshed nets to allow the young to escape, mature and reproduce |
| Waste management in Agriculture | • Waste: Animal dung • Management: Stored in slurry pits until growing season when it is spread on dry land as a natural fertiliser. |
| Waste management in Fisheries | • Waste: heads & tails of fish • Management: 1. Waste is pulped, dried & converted to pig feed or 2. stored & converted to compost. |
| Waste management in Forestry | • Waste: branches from fallen trees • Management: collected & converted into wood chipping & sawdust. |
| Problems associated with waste disposal | 1. Availability of suitable landfill sites 2. The toxic or polluting content of fumes from incineration 3. Decaying waste produces methane gas which contributes to the “greenhouse gases |
| The role of micro-organisms in waste management. | ☆Secondary Sewage treatment • Micro-organisms break down organic effluent into carbon dioxide, water & methane gas. ☆ Composting • They decompose organic matter into compost which recycles the nutrients required for plant growth. |
Created by:
Caoimhek
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