QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS SURE A+
✔✔unstable environments - ✔✔-sandy environments where there is sand slippage;
organisms are easily washed away
-organsims burrow to avoid being washed/swept away. they are also exposed to air, so
desiccation can occur. organisms must adapt.
✔✔high biodiversity - ✔✔areas of high biodiversity have a narrow niches because if
niches overlap, individuals will die out.
narrow niches=reduces overlap=reduces competition
✔✔niche - ✔✔an organisms role in its environment
-generalized- an organisms having a wide range of food and habitat
-specialized- an organism that has a narrow food requirement and lives in a specific
habitat
✔✔photosynthesis - ✔✔is the process by which sunlight energy is used to
synthesize/make/convert to glucose by producer
✔✔chemosynthesis - ✔✔is the process by which chemical energy is used to
synthesize/make/convert to glucose by bacteria
, ✔✔ecological pyramids - ✔✔do not draw a traditional, sloping pyramid. use stepped
pyramids only. use a scale to show appropriate proportions. make sure you label each
step of the pyramid with: producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer, tertiary
consumer, quaternary consumer. we also suggest that you label everything you know
about each level
✔✔biomass/numbers pyramid - ✔✔the 1st trophic level should be slightly smaller than
the 2nd
the rest, should progressively get smaller after the 2nd
✔✔energy pyramid - ✔✔a good scale to use would be the 1st level measuring 20sm;
the second level 2 cm; the 3rd level a single line. if there are more than 3 trophic level;
just make sure the stepped pyramid appears to lose 90% of the energy as you move up
the trophic levels. if there are exact valises given to graph, make sure you scale out
each level. to do this, 1. count the number of boxes available
2. take the total amount of energy at the producer level and divide by #1. fill in the entire
bottom level of the graph for the producers
3. this number will be you value for each box
4. now, take the second level amount and divide by the value to find out how many
blocks to draw
5. continue this for all other levels. remember that the energy from the sun will not be
included in your pyramid
✔✔energy level questions - ✔✔remember, there are two areas/steps in which energy is
lost:
step one: from the sun to the producers.
example question- why is most of the energy from the sun, not used by producers?
answer- through reelection, light only reaches the surface (it doesn't penetrate deep
down), inefficiency of photosynthesis, not at all wavelengths of visible light are absorbed
by producer
step two: within the food chain - approximately, 90% lost at each level
example question: state three ways by which energy is lost from the food chain.
answer- heat in reparation, excretion, uneaten parts
remember: some answers fall under the same point on the mark scheme
heat/respiration/metabolism are all the same. therefore each will not count as separate
points
egestion/excretion are all the same. same thing; only one point
uneaten/inedible parts are all the same
✔✔nutrient defined - ✔✔any substance assimilated by living things that promote
growth, including any number of inorganic compounds
(nitrogen and phosphorus are important examples) used by producers in primary
production