Topic 6.3

Created by

Anosh Eric

Cards (50)

what are abiotic factors?
The non-living aspects of an ecosystem
What are examples of abiotic factors?
Light
Temperature
Water
Availability
Oxygen Availability
Soil pH
What is meant by abundance, in biology?
The number of individuals per species in a specific area at any given time.
What is ammonifacation?
The production of ammonium compounds when decomposers feed on organic nitrogen-containing molecules
What is azotobacter?
A type of nitrogen-fixing bacteria that lives freely in the soil.
What is a belt transect?
A line along a sampled area upon which quadrats are placed at intervals to determine the abundance and distribution of organisms in an ecosystem
What is biomass?
The total mass of organic material, measured in a specific area over a set time period. This can be calculated in terms of dry mass.
What are biotic factors?
The living components of an ecosystem
What are examples of biotic factors?
Fod availability
Pathogens
Predators
What is the carbon cycle?
The cycle through which carbon (in the form of carbon dioxide) moves between living organisms and the environment, involving respiration, photosynthesis and combustion.
What is menat by carrying capacity?
The maximum population size that can be indefinitely supported by an environment.
what is a climax community?
The stable community of organisms that exists at the final stage of ecological succession
In biology, what is meant by conservation?
The maintenance of ecosystems and biodiversity by humans in order to preserve the Earth’s resources.
what is meant by consumers?
Organisms that feed on other organisms to obtain energy.
What are decomposers?
Organisms that release enzymes which catalyse the breakdown of dead plant and animal material into simpler organic matter
What is meant by deflected succession?
Changes to the natural flow of succession due to human activity that result in a stable community known as a plagioclimax
What is meant by denitrifacation?
The conversion of nitrate ions to nitrogen gas by denitrifying bacteria
What is meant by denitrifying bacteria?
Anaerobic microorganisms, found in waterlogged soils, responsible for the reduction of nitrate ions to nitrogen gas.
In biology, what is meant by distribution?
The spread of living organisms in an ecosystem
What is ecological efficiency?
The efficiency of energy or biomass transfer between trophic levels
How to work out the ecological efficiency?
Energy or biology available after transfer / energy or biomass available before transfer x 100
What is an ecosystem?
The community of organisms (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) components of an area and their interactions.
What is a food chain?
Describes the feeding relationships between organisms and the resulting stages of biomass transfer
What is intERspecific competition?
A type of competition that takes place between members of different species
What is intRAspecific competition?
A type of competition that takes place between members of the same species
What is a limiting factor?
A variable that limits the rate of a particular process
What is a line transect?
A line along a sampled area. The species touching the transect at regular intervals are recorded to determine the abundance and distribution of organisms in an ecosystem.
What is nitrification?
The conversion of ammonium ions to nitrate ions by nitrifying bacteria. This takes place in two stage
What are the two stages nitrification?
ammonium ions are oxidised to nitrite ions
nitrite ions are oxidised to nitrate ions
What is nitrifying bacteria?
Aerobic microorganisms found in the soil responsible for the oxidation of ammonium ions to nitrate ions.
What is a nitrobacter?
A genus of nitrifying bacteria that oxidises nitrites into nitrates.
what is the nitrogen cycle?
The cycle through which nitrogen moves between living organisms and the environment, involving ammonification, nitrification, nitrogen fixation and denitrification.
What is nitrogen fixation?
The conversion of atmospheric nitrogen gas into ammonia by nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the soil or root nodules of legumes.
What is nitrogen fixing bacteria?
Microorganisms responsible for the conversion of atmospheric nitrogen gas into nitrogen-containing compounds. They can be free-living or mutualistic
What is nitrosomonas?
A genus of nitrifying bacteria that oxidises ammonium compounds into nitrites.
What are peat bogs?
Areas of peat soil in wetland habitats formed by the accumulation of partially decayed organic matter. They store carbon and are commonly referred to as ‘carbon sinks’
What are pioneer species?
Species that can survive in hostile environments and colonise bare rock or sand
WHat is a plagioclimax?
A stage in succession in which artificial factors prevent the formation of a natural climax community
What is a population?
All organisms of the same species living with one another in a habitat at thesame time
What is a predator?
An organism that eats other organisms