UNIT 4: ECOLOGY → SPECIES, COMMUNITIES & ECOSYSTEMS

Define the following words: What are the 4 modes of nutrition? Design an investigation to test for an association between 2
• Autotroph • Detritivore species on a rocky shoreline using quadrats [include the
Species: a group of organisms that can potentially interbreed to • Consumer • Saprotroph statistical test you would use]
produce fertile offspring
Create a key to identify the different mode of nutrition 1. Quadrats are placed in a sample area to provide a reliable estimate
Population:: a group of organisms of the same species living
Self feeding? 2. Quadrats can be placed systematically (e.g. in a belt transect to measure
in the same area at the same time
YES NO changing distribution) or randomly (e.g. to estimate population density)
Autotroph: synthesize organic molecules from simple inorganic 3. The number of individuals of a given speices is either counted or estimated
substances from the abiotic environment via percentage coverage
Autotroph Does it ingest living or recently killed
Heterotroph:  Obtain organic molecules from other organisms organic matter? 4. The sampling process is repeated to gain a representative data se
NO
(living/recently killed or non-living remains)
Does it digest non-living YES
Consumer: Heterotrophs that ingest other living organisms to organic matter internally Analyse results and check if there is a statistically significant difference

obtain their organic molecules or externally? (indication of association) between the two species using a chi-squared test.
EXTERNALLY Consumer
Detritivore: type of heterotroph that obtains nutrients by INTERNALLY
consuming non-living organic sources, such as detritus and
Detritivore Saprotroph
humus, via internal digestion
Saprotroph: heterotrophs that obtain organic nutrients from

dead organisms by external digestion Design an experiment to establish sustainability in a

mesocosm. Include a diagram if needed.
Community a group of populations of different species living
1. Add bottom layer of pebbles, gravel or sand
and interacting with each other within a given area
2. Add 2nd thin layer of activated charcoal
Ecosystem: a community and its abiotic (non-living)
3. Spread thin cover of sphagnum moss to create a barrier
environment, formed by their interactions
4. Add pre-moistened growing medium
Nutrient Cycle The cycling of nutrients in an ecosystem. 5. Choose plants that are both slow growing and thrive in a bit of

humidity
KEY WORDS: ASSESSMENT:
Sustainability: the capacity to endure - how biological systems 6. Inspect the plant thoroughly for any signs of disease or insects

remain diverse and productive over time before introducing it Detritivore

7. Ensure mesocosm is placed in a location that provides a
Saprotroph
Mesocosm: biological systems that contain the abiotic and biotic Mesocosm
continuous source of light and that does not experience fluctuating
features of an ecosystem but are restricted in size Sustainability
temperature conditions Ecosystem
and/or under controlled conditions
9. Do not initially over-water the plants Heterotroph
 UNIT 4: ECOLOGY → ENERGY FLOW
What is the initial source of energy for most What is a food chain? What are pyramids of energy?
biological communities? A chain that shows the linear feeding relationships and flow of energy Graphical representations of amounts of energy at each trophic level of food

Light energy from the sun through the trophic levels between species in a community. chains.
Draw a pyramid of energy from the following data:
How many stages are usually in a food chain?
How is this light energy converted to useful energy Organism Energy (kcal m3 yr-1)
by plants? 4
Oak tree 20,810
Photosynthesis
Create a food chain with this many trophic levels. Aphids 3.368
How does this energy move further through a food
chain? Chemical energy from sunlight converted by producers Plant --> grasshopper --> frog --> snake Ladybirds 383

is stored in carbon compounds (organic molecules) and Sparrows 21

Why can food chains rarely be longer than this?
is transferred to heterotrophs via feeding As energy is lost between trophic levels (because no energy Detritivores 5,060 (??)
transformations are 100% efficient), higher trophic levels store less
energy as carbon compounds and so have less biomass. This
means higher trophic levels need to eat more and thus spend more
Some energy is released by respiration. State 3 cell energy hunting for food. If the energy required to hunt food exceeds 5, 060 kcal m3 yr-1 Detritivores
the energy available from the food eaten, the trophic level becomes
activities that require energy. unviable.
Sparrows 21 kcal m3 yr-1
• Homeostasis Explain how energy is lost from food chains?
• Anabolism and catabolism reactions No energy transformations are 100% efficient, so energy ingested by Ladybirds
383 kcal m3 yr-1
• Growth trophic levels by their predecessors is lost by not being digested, being
• Active transport excreted, being lost as heat from respiration and simply not being 3,368 kcal m3 yr-1
Aphids
• Mitosis completely eaten from the previous trophic level. This causes the energy

passed and thus biomass from trophic level to trophic levels as the chain

State3 energy conversions that can be performed progresses to decrease gradually. In this way, energy is consequently lost
20,810 kcal m3 yr-1 Oak tree
by living organisms in food chains.

• Kinetic energy (e.g. during muscular contractions)

• Electrical energy (e.g. during the transmission of nerve

KEY WORDS: ASSESSMENT:
impulses)

• Light energy (e.g. producing bioluminescence) Energy Flow

Pyramid of Energy
Food Chain
Which energy form cannot be converted to others? Respiration
Trophic Level
Heat (thermal) energy
Biomass
 UNIT 4: ECOLOGY → CARBON CYCLING
What is carbon fixation?
Carbon fixation is the process wherein photosynthetic organisms
(such as plants) turn inorganic carbon into organic compounds
(carbohydrates).
What forms is CO2 found as in aquatic habitats?
Dissolved carbon dioxide and, once it dissolves with water,
forms carbonic acid, and dissociates, hydrogen carbonate
ions.
How does carbon dioxide move from the
atmosphere or water into autotrophs?
By passive diffusion. As carbon dioxide should always be
at a higher concentration in the atmosphere/water, a
concentration gradient is established, and diffusion is
enabled. In terrestrial plants, diffusion occurs through
stomatal pores, and in aquatic producers, carbon dioxide
can diffuse directly into the autotroph.
How is carbon dioxide released from cells?
Respiration.
What is peat and how is it formed?
1. Peat is partially decomposed organic matter that
has been compressed to form brown soil-like
material.
2. In waterlogged soils, which possess anaerobic
conditions, saprotrophic bacteria and fungi
cannot function effectively, and so organic
matter is only partially decomposed.
3. Large quantities of partially decomposed organic
matter build up, and the organic, carbon-rich
matter is compressed to form peat
What is methanogenesis? How are coal and oil formed?
Coal is formed when deposits of peat are buried under other
Methanogenesis is an anaerobic respiration that generates
sediments  The peat is compressed and heated over millions of
methane as the final product of metabolism.
years, forcing out impurities and removing moisture, eventually
What anaerobic organisms produce methane? What are becoming coal. Oil and natural gas form as the result of the decay of
the chemical equations involved? marine organisms on the ocean floor. Sediments (e.g. clay and mud)
Organisms = Methanogenic archaeans. are deposited on top of the organic matter, creating anoxic conditions
Equations = ???? that prevent decomposition The organic material becomes heated
and compressed, and as a result become oil and gas that accumulate
in porous rocks.
What does the term ‘anaerobic’ mean? What is combustion?
Absence of oxygen. The process of burning something, usually in the presence of oxygen.
How and why have carbon dioxide levels changed
State 3 possible anaerobic environments? throughout the history of the Earth?
Wetlands, digestive tracts, marine and freshwater sediments. Carbon dioxide levels are steadily increasing year on year since the
industrial revolution due to increased burning of fossil fuels.
What does methane get oxidised to in the atmosphere?
Carbon dioxide (and water).
On the back, draw the carbon cycle and label all the
transfers:
What is limestone?
A hard sedimentary rock. Made primarily of calcium carbonate.
KEY WORDS: ASSESSMENT:
How is it found in animals? Carbon Cycle
Animals such as reef-building corals and mollusca have hard parts that are Carbon Fixation
composed of calcium carbonate and can become fossilised in limestone Methanogenesis
How are limestone rocks formed? Peat
Anaerobic
By accumulation of shell or shell fragments that are fossilised, or when
hydrogen carbonate ions come into contact with the ocean floor and Limestone
calcium carbonate is formed. Combustion
 UNIT 4: ECOLOGY → CLIMATE CHANGE
State 4 Greenhouse Gases. For each explain how
they are released into the atmosphere.
• Water vapour : created via evaporation of water
bodies (e.g. oceans) and transpiration. It is removed
via precipitation (rain) and snow
• Carbon dioxide: made by cell respiration and burning
fossil fuels – it is removed via photosynthesis and
absorption by oceans
• Methane: emitted from waterlogged habitats (like
marshes) and landfills and it’s a gaseous waste
produced by ruminants. Removed by oxidation to
become
• Nitrogen oxides: released naturally by certain
bacteria and vehicle exhausts. Whenever combustion
occurs in the presence of nitrogen
What 2 factors determine the warming impact of a
greenhouse gas?
Its ability to absorb long wave radiation and its
concentration in the atmosphere.
What type of energy is absorbed by the Earth’s
surface?
Short wave radiation.
What type is re-emitted by the Earth’s surface?
Long wave radiation (infrared/heat)
What is the impact of CO2 on coral reefs?
It causes ocean acidification, which makes marine
organisms less able to produce calcium carbonate,
used in the hard exoskeleton of coral. This threatens
the survival of coral and coral reefs. Also, shells and
coral exoskeletons are also likely to begin to dissolve
when ocean conditions are more acidic
What is meant by the word ‘industrialisation’? Insert a graph that shows global temperatures and CO2
concentrations on Earth over time. Describe the graph and
When an economy is transformed from a primary agricultural
one to one based on the manufacturing of goods. The any trends that you notice
industrial revolution featured this in the sense that it
introduced new manufacturing processes which significantly
increased mankind's use of fossil fuels.
How does it correlate with global temperatures?
There is a strong positive correlation between fossil fuels
and rising atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide
since the industrial revolution. Industrialisation promotes the
release of carbon dioxide through the use of fossil fuels,
increases the occurrence of the greenhouse effect, and thus
causes global temperatures to gradually rise as more heat is
trapped in the atmosphere.
What has caused recent increases in the levels of CO2 in
the atmosphere?
There is a strong positive correlation between carbon dioxide
Increases in the combustion of fossilised organic matter. concentration and temperatures. There is an increase in
atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations since the industrial
revolution, which correlates with an increase in average global
Other than greenhouse gases, state 2 factors that can
also influence global climate patterns temperature. These increases are still gradually ongoing in the
present. As carbon dioxide concentration rises, so do global average
Sun spot activity and emissions from volcanoes.
temperatures.
Describe some consequences on climate of increased
temperatures KEY WORDS: ASSESSMENT:
More frequent and intense heat waves, some areas become
Greenhouse Gas
prone to droughts and thus there are troubles within
Greenhouse Effect
agriculture businesses and worsening disasters, such as Climate Change
storms and floods. Industrialisation
Fossil Fuels
Radiation