Ecology
- Created by: benitaxx
- Created on: 25-02-18 18:47
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- Ecology
- Ecosystems
- Relationships between organisms
- Organisms need resources from their habitat to reproduce
- Water
- Trying to get enough results in competition
- Light
- Space
- Mineral ions
- Trying to get enough results in competition
- Light
- Mineral ions
- Space
- As well as competition, animals rely on each other for food, shelter ect
- Interdependance
- If you remove one species you effect them all
- Water
- Organisms need resources from their habitat to reproduce
- Adaptations
- Abiotic factors
- Light intensity
- Soil pH
- Temperature
- Moisture levels
- Wind intensity and direction
- CO2 levels for plants
- Oxygen levels for aquatic animals
- Biotic factors
- Availability of food
- New predators arriving
- New pathogens/ diseases
- One species out competing another
- Organisms have adapted to survive in these conditions
- Structural, behavioral or functional
- Extremophiles are organisms that live in extreme conditions
- Abiotic factors
- Studying Ecosymstems
- Scientists often want to know the size of a population
- This can be done using quadrats
- Required Practical
- Count number of plants in each quadrat. Repeat with quadrat in different posistions
- Calculate the mean number of plants per m squared and times this by the total area
- Count number of plants in each quadrat. Repeat with quadrat in different posistions
- Relationships between organisms
- Cycles an feeding relationships
- Decomposistion
- When organisms die, the dead material can be broken down by decomposers
- Secrete enzymes- partly digest waste
- Need oxygen, moisture, sutible temperature and sutible pH
- Certain types of bacteria or fungi
- Gardeners want to provide optimum conditions for decay
- Compost produced is used as natural fertilisers for plants
- If waste is broken down in anaerobic conditions, methane gas is produced
- Bio gas generators an be used to produce bio gas from waste for use as fuel
- When organisms die, the dead material can be broken down by decomposers
- Required Practical
- Take a sample of fresh milk and check it's pH every few hours for a few days
- The change in pH of milk represents it's decay
- Take a sample of fresh milk and check it's pH every few hours for a few days
- Water cycle
- Heat evaporates water in rivers and lakes
- Precipitation runs down mountain ranges into rivers and lakes
- Some water Runs into ground
- Plants absorb water
- Plants release water by transpiration
- As water cools it condenses-forming clouds
- As it cools further, the clouds turn into preceipitataion
- As water cools it condenses-forming clouds
- Plants release water by transpiration
- Plants absorb water
- As it cools further, the clouds turn into preceipitataion
- Some water Runs into ground
- As water cools it condenses-forming clouds
- Precipitation runs down mountain ranges into rivers and lakes
- Heat evaporates water in rivers and lakes
- Feeding relationships
- Food chains
- All begin with a producer
- usually a green plant Which makes glucose molecules
- Eaten by primary consumers, secondary consumers, the tertiary consumers
- Each is called a trophic level
- Consumers are predators and those that are eaten are prey
- Top consumers are apex predators
- All begin with a producer
- Food chains
- Decomposistion
- Disrupting ecosystems
- Biodiversity
- Variety of all different species of organisms on earth
- Stable ecosystems have high biodiversity
- Factors that put biodiversity at risk include changes in:
- Availability of water
- Temperature
- Atmospheric gasses
- These can be due to
- Seasonal changes
- Geographical activity
- Human interaction
- The future of humans relies of the maintenance of good biodiversity
- Pollution
- Kills plants and animals- reducing biodiversity
- With an increased human population an standard of living, more waste is produced
- Pollution can occur:
- In water from sewage, fertilisers or toxic chemicals
- In air from gasses e.g. sulfur dioxide- produces acid rain
- On land from landfill and toxic chemicals e.g. pesticides and herbicides
- Over exploitation
- Humans can put biodiversity at risk by taking too many resources out of the enviroment
- Building, quarrying, farming can reduce land available for animals and plants
- Deforestation in tropical areas has occurred to:
- Provide land for cattle and rice fields to provide more food
- Grow crops from which bio fuels can be produced
- Global warming is the gradual increase in temperature of the earth
- Scientists think this is due to an increase of carbon dioxide and methane
- Caused by pollution and deforestation
- Consequences
- Loss of habitats when low areas are flooded by rising sea levels
- Changes in the disruption of species in areas where temperature or rainfall has chamged
- Changes to migration patterns of animals
- Scientists think this is due to an increase of carbon dioxide and methane
- Biodiversity
- Feeding the world
- The need for more food
- food security is ensuring that the worlds population is supplied with enough food to be healthy
- Factors making it harder to supply people with enough food
- Increasing birthrate
- Changing diets in developing countries
- New pests and pathogens affecting farming
- Changes in weather which can affect food production
- Cost of agricultural supplies increasing
- Scientists are trying to find sustainable methods to feed all the people on earth
- increase food production now but leave enough for future generations
- Manipulating energy flow
- Pyramids of biomass show the energy flow through an ecosystem more clearly than food chains
- As the food chain progresses, biomass is lost. This is due to:
- Some of the food being passed out the body as faeces
- Large amounts of glucose used in respiration
- Some material being lost in excretion
- Loss of biomass means there are fewer animals in higher trophic levels
- Biotechnology
- Allows microorganisms to be grown in large quantities for food
- Grown in ferementers where conditions are controlled
- The fungus Fusarium is used for producing mycoprotien
- Mycoprotien is: Protein rich, low in fat, high in fiber and suitable for vegetarians
- Fungus is grown on glucose syrup in aerobic conditions and then harvested and purified
- Quorn is an example of a food containing mycoprotien
- Allows microorganisms to be grown in large quantities for food
- The need for more food
- Ecosystems
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