ECOLOGY

• Plants compete for light, water, mineral ions, space
• Animals compete for food, space, water, mates and breeding sites
• To survive, plants need light, carbon dioxide, water, oxygen and mineral ions from the soil
• To survive, animals need water, food from other organisms and oxygen
• In a stable community, the number of predators and prey fall and rise in cycles
• Plants are producers of biomass because the glucose from photosynthesis is synthesised into other compounds to make plant cells, which adds to the biomass of the organism
• Factors that affect rate of decay by decomposers are temperature, moisture and oxygen
• Detrius feeders may start process of decay by eating waste or dead organisms
• Decomposers digest the dead animals, plants and detrius feeders returning carbon dioxide, water, and mineral ions to environmetn
• A stable community recycles all the nutrients it takes up
• Animals eat green plants and build carbon into their bodies
• When organisms die, microorganisms release carbon in their bodies back into atmosphere as CO2
• Combustion releases CO2 into atmosphere
• Green plants, algae and animals respire returning CO2 to the atmospheere
• Photosynthesis removes CO2 from atmosphere. It is used to make organic molecules (carbohydrates, fats and proteins)
• Abiotic factors: amount of light, temperature, availability of water, availability of mineral ions, pH of soil, wind intensity and direction, availability of CO2, availability of O2, availability of appropriate habitats
• Biotic factors: availability of food, new predators, new pathogens and parasites, new competitors
• ADAPTATIONS OF PLANTS: extensive root system, small or waxy leaves, swollen stem
• ADAPTATIONS OF PLANTS AGAINST HERBIVORES: thorns, poisonous chemicals and warning colours to put animals off
• ADAPTATIONS OF ANIMALS IN COLD CLIMATES: thick fur, fat under skin (blubber), bigger animals have lower surface are to volume ratio to conserve energy
• ADAPTATIONS OF ANIMALS IN HOT, DRY CLIMATES: animals may hunt or feed at night so that they remain cool during the day
• BIOMASS TRANSFERS: biomass is lost through waste (faeces or urine), respiration for living processes like movement so more movement more energy needed, keeping constant body temp
• The shorter the food chain, the less energy will be wasted so it more efficient for us to eat plants instead of animals
• We can produce meat more efficiently by: prevent animal from moving so they don't waste energy on movement, and keeping animal in warm shed so less energy needed to maintain body temp
• Global warming can cause big changes like: rising sea levels as ice caps and glaciers melt, change in migration patterns, changes in distribution of species and reduced biodiversity
• Deforestation has increased CO2 in atmosphere due to combustion and decay of trees, decreased rate of CO2 removed by photosynthesis, and reduced biodiversity due to loss of habitats and food
• MAINTAINING BIODIVERSITY: breeding programmes to restore endangered species which can be difficult as rare animals and plants don't reproduce easily or fast, protecting rare habitat, replanting hedgerows and wild plants on field edges
• Migration causes distribution of organisms in a particular habitat to change with the seasons
• INFLUENCES ON WHERE ORGANISMS CAN LIVE: temperatures, soil structure and pH, altitude, availability and saltiness of water, prevailing winds
• Burning fossil fuels can produce sulfur dioxide, which dissolves in water in air, forming acidic solutions which fall as acid rain
• Acid rain kills organisms, change soil pH, damage enzymes that control reactions in organisms and if leaves are soaked in acid rain they become damaged and food and habitats are lost
• Smoke pollution from burning fossil fuels is caused by tiny solid particles called particulates which can damage lungs when breathed in and reduce light reaching Earth's surface resulting in dimming and cooling effect
• Sewage contains human body waste and waste water from homes so it must be treated properly to remove gut parasite and toxic chemicals or these can get onto land
• Herbicides and pesticides sprayed on crops can get into soil and into food chain, which eventually can end up in rivers
• Rearing cattle and growing rice produces methane leading to increase of it in the environment
• Destruction of peat bogs releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere because the peat is removed from bogs and use in compost for gardens where it is decayed by microorganisms and some peat is burned as fuel
• Humans pollute waterways with sewage, fertiliser and toxic chemicals
• humans pollute air with smoke and gases
• humans pollute land with toxic chemicals like herbicides and pesticides
• Mycoprotein is produced from the microorganism Fusarium (fungus). Fusarium is grown on glucose syrup in a fermenter. In aerobic conditions, the fungus converts the glucose syrup into mycoprotein