Ecology

Whole Topic Checklist:

Recall what an ecosystem isDescribe which resources animals and plants compete for, and why they do thisExplain the terms 'interdependence' and 'stable community'Name some abiotic and biotic factors that affect communitiesExplain how a change in an abiotic or biotic factor might affect a communityDescribe structural, behavioural and functional adaptations of organismsDescribe what an extremophile isRepresent the feeding relationships within a community using a food chain and describe these relationshipsExplain how and why ecologists use quadrats and transectsDescribe and interpret predator-prey cyclesRequired practical 9: measure the population size of a common species in a habitat. Use sampling to investigate the effect of one factor on distributionDescribe the processes involved in the carbon cycleDescribe the processes involved in the water cycleExplain how temperature, water and availability of oxygen affect the rate of decay of biological materialExplain how the conditions for decay are optimised by farmers and gardeners, and the reasons for thisDescribe how methane gas can be produced from decaying materials for use as a fuelRequired practical 10: investigate the effect of temperature on the rate of decay of fresh milk by measuring pH changeExplain how environmental changes can affect the distribution of species in an ecosystem (temperature, water and atmospheric gases)Describe what biodiversity is, why it is important, and how human activities affect itDescribe the impact of human population growth and increased living standards on resource use and waste productionExplain how pollution can occur, and the impacts of pollutionDescribe how humans reduce the amount of land available for other animals and plantsExplain the consequences of peat bog destructionDescribe what deforestation is and why it has occurred in tropical areasExplain the consequences of deforestationDescribe how the composition of the atmosphere is changing, and the impact of this on global warming Describe some biological consequences of global warmingDescribe both positive and negative human interactions in an ecosystem and explain their impact on biodiversityDescribe programmes that aim to reduce the negative effects of humans on ecosystems and biodiversityDescribe the different trophic levels and use numbers and names to represent themDescribe what decomposers are and what they doConstruct pyramids of biomass accurately from data and explain what they representState how much energy producers absorb from the Sun and how much biomass is transferredExplain how biomass is lost between trophic levels, including the consequences of this and calculate efficiency between trophic levelsExplain the term 'food security' and describe biological factors that threaten itExplain how the efficiency of food production can be improvedExplain the term 'factory farming', including examples, and ethical objectionsExplain the importance of maintaining fish stocks at a level where breeding continuesExplain some methods that can help to conserve fish stocksDescribe how modern biotechnology is used in food production, including the fungus Fusarium as an exampleDescribe the uses of genetically modified organisms in insulin and food production