B7

• What is a population in ecology?

  All organisms of one species in a habitat
• What defines a community in ecology?

  Populations of different species in a habitat
• What characterizes a stable community?

  Species and environmental factors are in balance
• What is an ecosystem?

  Interaction of organisms and their non-living environment
• What is adaptation in ecology?

  A feature enabling survival in a habitat
• What does interdependence mean in a community?

  Species depend on each other for survival
• How can a change in an ecosystem affect a community?

  It can impact all species within the community
• What are biotic factors in a community?

  Living factors affecting organisms
• What are abiotic factors in a community?

  Non-living factors affecting organisms
• Name a biotic factor that can affect a community.

  New predators
• What do organisms compete for in a community?

  Light, space, minerals, water, food, mates
• How can one species outcompete another?

  By reducing the other species' breeding numbers
• What are the three types of adaptation?

  1. Structural: e.g., white winter coat for camouflage
  2. Behavioural: e.g., birds migrating in winter
  3. Functional: e.g., hibernation to lower metabolism
• What are extremophiles?

  Organisms adapted to extreme conditions
• What is a producer in a food chain?

  A plant or algae that makes glucose
• What is a primary consumer?

  An animal that eats producers
• What is a secondary consumer?

  An animal that eats primary consumers
• What is a predator?

  A consumer that kills and eats prey
• What is biomass?

  The mass of living material
• How is energy transferred in food chains?

  Through biomass from one organism to another
• What happens to predator and prey populations in a stable community?

  They rise and fall in cycles
• Why are predator-prey cycles out of phase?

  One population takes time to respond to changes
• What can cause changes in organism distribution?

  Seasonal, geographic, or human factors
• What are the steps in the water cycle?

  1. Evaporation
  2. Condensation
  3. Precipitation
• What are the steps in the carbon cycle?

  1. CO₂ in the air
  2. Photosynthesis
  3. Respiration
  4. Death and decay
• What factors increase the rate of decay?

  Warm temperatures, oxygen, moist conditions
• What is biogas?

  Gas produced by anaerobic decay
• What is biodiversity?

  The variety of different species on Earth
• Why is high biodiversity important?

  Reduces dependence on one species for survival
• What is global warming?

  The gradual heating of the Earth
• What are three consequences of global warming?

  Rising sea levels, distribution changes, biodiversity loss
• What is deforestation?

  The cutting down of forests
• What are three ways humans pollute the environment?

  Sewage, air pollution, land pollution
• What are five programs to protect ecosystems?

  1. Breeding programs for endangered species
  2. Habitat restoration for rare habitats
  3. Reintroducing hedgerows and field margins
  4. Government regulations to reduce deforestation
  5. Recycling to reduce landfill waste
• What is a trophic level?

  A stage in a food chain
• What is a pyramid of biomass?

  A diagram showing biomass at each trophic level
• What is the efficiency of biomass transfer?

  Biomass transferred to next level over previous level
• Why is biomass lost between trophic levels?

  Not all material is absorbed; waste is produced
• What is food security?

  Having enough food to feed a population
• What are threats to food security?

  Increasing birth rate, changing diets, new pests