Post by Admin on Nov 23, 2016 21:51:49 GMT
Ecology
• Ecology is the study of the relationships of living things with one another and their environment (everything surrounding an organism).
• A habitat is a small part of an ecosystem where a plant or animal lives. Eg: a woodland
• An ecosystem is a large area with similar plants and animals. Eg: Desert & Rainforest.
Food Chains & Webs
• A food chain is a chain showing how organisms are linked by what they eat.
Solar energy is transferred through a food chain.
• The feeding level is the position of a particular organism in a food chain. Producers are at the first feeding level.
• A food web is a number of intersected food chains.
Producers, Consumers & Decomposers
• Producers are green plants that make their own food.
• Consumers are all organisms other than producers.
• Only animals can be consumers.
• There are two types of consumers: carnivores and herbivores.
• Carnivores only eat meat, eg. hawk, fox.
• Herbivores only eat plants, eg. cow, rabbit.
• Decomposers are organisms that feed on dead animals or plants.
Adaption
• Adaption is a change that plants or animals make to help the survive better in their habitat.
• Example 1: Dandelions have a parachute mechanism to disperse seeds.
• Example 2: Hedgehogs have sharp spines to protect them from predators.
• Example 3: Ladybirds have a brightly coloured shell to warn of their bitter taste.
Competition
• Competition for scarce resources occurs in a habitat between organisms.
• Plants compete for light, eg. oak trees grow tall to catch more light.
• Animals compete for food, eg. hawks and foxes compete for the same food.
Interdependence
• When organisms in a habitat need each other for survival.
• Example: Flowers provide nectar for insects and insects pollinate flowers.
Conservation, Pollution & Human Activity
• Conservation is careful management of a habitat.
• Pollution is damage to the environment caused by the dumping of waste materials.
• Air pollution is caused by burning fossil fuels.
• Water pollution is caused by oil spillages and fertilisers being washed into rivers.
• Soil pollution is caused by acid rain, overuse of fertilisers and the dumping of waste.
• Human Activities have both positive and negative effects on the environment.
• Positive effects of Human Activity:
1) green spaces are maintained.
2) reducing our energy needs by increasing insulation in buildings.
3) using unleaded instead of leaded petrol and smokeless fuels.
• Negative effects of Human Activity:
1) global warming as a result of the burning of fossil fuels.
2) overuse of fertilisers on farms.
Tools for a Habitat Study
• Quadrat: a square frame with an area of 1 metre squared used to estimate plant & insect numbers. Used by placing randomly in a habitat multiple times and recording the number of plants/insects in the frame. This is then averaged to find the number of plants/animals per square metre.
• Pooter: used to suck up small insects to be examined.
• Pitfall Trap: small insects fall into a can in the ground which is covered by a board balancing on stones. The insects are then collected the next day and examined.
• Beating Tray: a tray is put under a shrub/tree and beat with a stick. Small insects are dislodged from the shrub/tree and fall onto the tray.
• Line Transect: a rope marked at regular intervals which is placed across a habitat. A plant directly underneath or touching a mark is recorded.
• Ecology is the study of the relationships of living things with one another and their environment (everything surrounding an organism).
• A habitat is a small part of an ecosystem where a plant or animal lives. Eg: a woodland
• An ecosystem is a large area with similar plants and animals. Eg: Desert & Rainforest.
Food Chains & Webs
• A food chain is a chain showing how organisms are linked by what they eat.
Solar energy is transferred through a food chain.
• The feeding level is the position of a particular organism in a food chain. Producers are at the first feeding level.
• A food web is a number of intersected food chains.
Producers, Consumers & Decomposers
• Producers are green plants that make their own food.
• Consumers are all organisms other than producers.
• Only animals can be consumers.
• There are two types of consumers: carnivores and herbivores.
• Carnivores only eat meat, eg. hawk, fox.
• Herbivores only eat plants, eg. cow, rabbit.
• Decomposers are organisms that feed on dead animals or plants.
Adaption
• Adaption is a change that plants or animals make to help the survive better in their habitat.
• Example 1: Dandelions have a parachute mechanism to disperse seeds.
• Example 2: Hedgehogs have sharp spines to protect them from predators.
• Example 3: Ladybirds have a brightly coloured shell to warn of their bitter taste.
Competition
• Competition for scarce resources occurs in a habitat between organisms.
• Plants compete for light, eg. oak trees grow tall to catch more light.
• Animals compete for food, eg. hawks and foxes compete for the same food.
Interdependence
• When organisms in a habitat need each other for survival.
• Example: Flowers provide nectar for insects and insects pollinate flowers.
Conservation, Pollution & Human Activity
• Conservation is careful management of a habitat.
• Pollution is damage to the environment caused by the dumping of waste materials.
• Air pollution is caused by burning fossil fuels.
• Water pollution is caused by oil spillages and fertilisers being washed into rivers.
• Soil pollution is caused by acid rain, overuse of fertilisers and the dumping of waste.
• Human Activities have both positive and negative effects on the environment.
• Positive effects of Human Activity:
1) green spaces are maintained.
2) reducing our energy needs by increasing insulation in buildings.
3) using unleaded instead of leaded petrol and smokeless fuels.
• Negative effects of Human Activity:
1) global warming as a result of the burning of fossil fuels.
2) overuse of fertilisers on farms.
Tools for a Habitat Study
• Quadrat: a square frame with an area of 1 metre squared used to estimate plant & insect numbers. Used by placing randomly in a habitat multiple times and recording the number of plants/insects in the frame. This is then averaged to find the number of plants/animals per square metre.
• Pooter: used to suck up small insects to be examined.
• Pitfall Trap: small insects fall into a can in the ground which is covered by a board balancing on stones. The insects are then collected the next day and examined.
• Beating Tray: a tray is put under a shrub/tree and beat with a stick. Small insects are dislodged from the shrub/tree and fall onto the tray.
• Line Transect: a rope marked at regular intervals which is placed across a habitat. A plant directly underneath or touching a mark is recorded.