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24 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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What is ecology |
It is the study of the interrelationship between organisms and their physical environment |
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What is Population |
Population refers to the total number of organisms of a particular species living together in their habitat |
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What is a community |
A community refers to all the population of different species living together in a habitat |
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Define the following with examples I. Predation II. Parasitism III. Commensalism IV. Amensalism V. Competition VI. Mutualism |
I. Predation is a feeding relationship where an organism hunts kills and feeds on another organism. The organism that feeds is called a predator and the one being fed upon I called the prey. Examples: lion and antelope, red fox and hares, II. Parasitism is a feeding relationship where an organism called the parasite feeds on inside or outside the host at the expense of the other(host) Examples: III. Commensalism is an interaction between organisms where one benefits and the other neither benefits nor harmed. Examples: IV. Amensalism is an interaction between organisms where one is harmed and the other neither benefits nor harmed Examples: V. Competition |
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What is habitat |
Habitat refers to the natural dwelling place of an organism |
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State and explain the types of aquatic habitat |
A. Marine habitat: this refers to salty water as the natural dwelling place of organisms. Oceans and seas form marine habitat. Examples of animals found there are tuna, barracuda, salmon, herrings, octopus, shrimps plants seaweed B. Freshwater habitat: this refers salt free water as the natural dwelling place of organisms. Ponds, rivers, ditches and streams form freshwater habitat. Examples of animals are tilapia, crabs, catfish plants, water Lily water lettuce, algae, duck weed insects, pond skater, water boatman C. Coastal habitat: it is the place where the land meets the sea. D. Estuaries: it is the area where the saline water of sea and ocean mixes with freshwater from rivers. Animals include crabs, oyster, worms and waterfowl plants, mangroves and marsh grasses |
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State and explain terrestrial habitat |
Forest habitat: trees are the most abundant plants. Covers 1 third of the Earth's surface temperature is low humidity is high Savannah habitat: grasses are the most abundant plants. It is dry. Antelope, giraffe, zebra, cheetah, lions Desert habitat: no or few plants grow in this region low humidity low rainfall less than 25mm a year high temperature Arboreal habitat: refers to trees as the natural dwelling place of organisms. |
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What are adaptive features |
are characteristics that enable an organism to live successfully in a habitat |
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Difference between adaptation and acclimatization |
Adaptation is the means by which an organism is able to live successfully live in a habitat Acclimatization refers to certain changes that occur within an organism for a short period of time that allow an organism to adjust to changes in it's surroundings |
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How is water Lily able to survive in water but mango can't state three ways
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A. Water lily has thin and narrow and long stems so that they will not carried away by water currentB. Water lily's stems has air chambers. They help it to float.C. It has a waxy coating which prevents it from rotting in water Mango tree lacks the following features and therefore cannot survive in water |
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Why can't tuna survive in freshwater habitat |
It will absorb so much water and die |
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Ducks can live in water, why's that |
A. They have webbed feet that aid in swimming B. Hollow bones that help them stay afloat C. Streamlined body that helps them to swim faster by reducing resistance of flowing water |
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How are plants in the arboreal habitat able to live successfully there |
i. Trees have a conical shape that allows the snow to slide off easily. ii. Trees have needle-like leaves. This kind of structure protects the leaves from damage. |
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How are animals in the arboreal habitat able to live successfully there |
Animals: i. Many animals migrate to warmer regions during winter. Some animals hibernate during winter months. ii. Some animals have a thick layer of fur or feather to protect them from cold. |
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Adaptation by forest living organisms |
Vf |
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What are the components of the ecosystem |
Abiotic factors and biotic factors |
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Explain the components of the ecosystem |
Biotic factors are the living organisms in a particular environment Abiotic factors are the non living things that organisms need for survival |
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State five examples each of the I. Abiotic components II. Biotic components |
I. Humans, animals, trees, bacteria, fungi II. Soil, Air, temperature, sunlight,wind, rocks |
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State four situations that explain the interactions between biotic factors and abiotic factors of the environment |
A. Reptiles sit on rocks in the sunlight to warm their bodies B. Animals such as rabbits and moles dig burrows in the soil for shelter C. Plants and algae use sunlight, water and air (carbon dioxide) to prepare their own food through a process called photosynthesis D. Plants are deeply rooted in the soil where they get essential vitamins and minerals for growth. |
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Define the following Producer Consumer Decomposer |
Producers are organisms that make their own food to obtain energy through photosynthesis Consumers are organisms that eat other organisms for energy Decomposers are organisms that break down dead plants and animals to return nutrients back into the soil. |
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State four ways living organisms depend on each other |
A. The food chain is made up of producers, consumers and decomposers. Without producers, consumers would not be able to obtain their food and without consumers decomposers would not be able to return nutrients to the ecosystem and without decomposers, producers will not have the nutrients to facilitate growth B. Some animals use plants for shelter. Example birds make nests on trees using sticks, twigs and branches. C. Snakes use leaves and plants for camouflaging to hide themselves from predators. D. Plants are stationary organisms. Animals and humans disperse seeds of plants so that they can colonise new areas |
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Explain the two main types of habitat |
Terrestrial habitat: refers to land as the natural dwelling place of organisms aquatic habitat: refers to water as the natural dwelling place of organisms |
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How are organisms in the savanna able to cope with it's environment. state two ways each |
Plants: i. Grassland plants usually have flexible stems that bend instead of breaking when the wind is strong. ii. Plants have strong roots that prevent winds from uprooting them. iii. Plants have narrow or tiny leaves to reduce water loss. iv. Some plants have roots that extend deep into the soil to absorb as much water as possible. Animals: i. Most grassland animals are able to run very fast. This ability also protects them grassland fire. ii. Many grassland animals have skin shades of brown that makes them hard to spot among the dry, brown grass. |
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What adaptive features do desert living organisms posses state four each |
Plants: i. The leaves are modified as spines to minimize water loss. ii. The stem is green, to make food for the plant. iii. The stem is swollen and fleshy to store water. iv. Cactus plant has a thick, waxy coating that prevents water loss and helps it to retain water. Animals: i. Desert animals have thick skin to prevent the loss of water from the body. ii. Most of the desert animals have the capacity to store water and food. For example, a camel can tolerate extremely hot temperature due to the stored water in its body, which helps in cooling. iii. Most of the small desert animals live in burrows to save themselves from fluctuation in temperature. iv. Reptiles are well-suited to the desert climates. They get most of the water through their food and lose hardly any moisture from their skin |
